Local umpire aspires to make the majors
OBHS graduate now working in Florida's Gulf Coast League
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
Old Bridge resident Mike Walsh is making his debut as an umpire in the Gulf Coast League this summer in what he hopes will be the first step on the ladder to the major leagues.

Walsh, 23, has regularly umpired in local baseball and softball leagues since 2004. He enjoyed the work and being on the field, and decided to see how far he could take it. In January, Walsh enrolled in the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires in Ormond Beach, Fla. Wendelstedt spent 32 years umpiring games in the big leagues, and his school is a feeder for college and professional leagues. Much of the faculty is composed of high-level professional umps, including 11 current major leaguers.

Walsh finished at the top of his 120-student class, and along with the other top 25 students was selected to attend the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp. (PBUC) camp in March. PBUC is responsible for the training, evaluation, and recommendation for promotion, retention, or release of all umpires in the minor league baseball system throughout the United States and Canada. PBUC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL).

He excelled at the 10-day camp, and along with eight other umpires (out of 50) who attended, Walsh was offered a job umpiring in the Rookie League — in his case, the Florida-based Gulf Coast League.

"I'm really looking forward to it. We'll be working every day but Sunday, through Aug. 31," Walsh said. "It's a great opportunity for me to learn and keep getting better."

Walsh is a 2003 graduate of Old Bridge High School, where he played baseball, football and was a member of the wrestling team. He attended Salisbury University in Maryland for a year before transferring to Weidener University, where he earned a degree in history.

Following his freshman year, Walsh began umpiring in the Cheesequake baseball and softball leagues at the suggestion of his dad. The senior Walsh, also Mike, is a well-respected local umpire who has been donning the blue shirt for the past 38 years.

"My dad told me I should try it because it would be a good summer job," the younger Walsh said. "He taught me the basics and I got better with each game, and I started picking up some things on my own."

The following year, Walsh was more active as an umpire and twice went to Dreams Park in Cooperstown to officiate at tournaments, where he was able to work with former minor league and college arbiters. On his second trip, tournament evaluators selectedWalsh to work the plate in the championship game.

"It's not as easy as it looks," he explained. "You really have to be able to focus on the play, and not everyone can do it. It's very difficult to have the same perspective throughout an entire game that can run for 350 pitches."

Gradually, Walsh added senior and men's league to his résumé and was soon umpiring in the Little League district tournaments. The former catcher was enjoying every minute of it.

So, he decided to make the most of it and enrolled in the Wendelstedt school. There, participants thoroughly reviewed the rulebook — spending three to four hours a day in the classroom in addition to on-field instruction and game situations.

At the PBUC camp, the focus was on the nuances of the two-man umpiring system — a difficult task, since two people are charged with covering all four bases. That system is employed in the lower minor leagues, college, junior college and high school.

"It's a tough system because you can't see everything," he said. "You have to keep your focus, be in position and just try and do the best you can. You also have to be able to work well with your partner, and that comes down to training and communication.

Like everyone else, umpires make mistakes, and Walsh acknowledges that it's impossible to be perfect

The toughest calls for him include plays at first where the first baseman may have pulled his foot off the bag too soon; and a swipe tag play where the fielder is pulled off the base while trying to tag a sliding runner.

"You always want to get a rules interpretation right, and if I'm not sure, I'll always ask my partner for help," Walsh explained. "Judgment calls are almost always bang-bang; you have a split second to make the call you have to call as you see it."

That's what Walsh will be doing this season. He'll be on his own, earning $1,900 a month plus housing and meals. Not a bad way to spend the summer.

In all, there are 16 umpires working the Gulf Coast League, and the PBUC will rank them 1-16. Those at the top of the list are likely to move up to Class A ball. If an ump does not move up after two years in rookie ball, he or she is released.

"I want to do well and keep improving," Walsh said. "My goal, along with everyone else's, is to one day make the major leagues. That's the ultimate experience. And as an umpire, you have a great job with the best seat in the house."