Umpires are affected financially and socially due to shutdown

Daniel Coleman of Geneva would have been taking part in Dixie Softball opening ceremonies last weekend in his hometown.

Veteran umpire Jimmy Young was looking forward to working the Dothan Diamond Classic high school softball tournament at the Westgate Softball Complex this past week.

Steve Nelson has umpired for 42 years and had no clue when he called a softball game at Wallace College in Dothan on March 3 that the season would be nearing a shutdown.

Like all of those calling balls and strikes across the state and country, the four have been affected financially with the stoppage of baseball and softball due to COVID-19.

“Yes, but not really as hard as some of the other guys because I do have other means of income,” said Devier, who has an off-season job in commercial real estate. “My wife is a teacher, so that helps.

“College baseball officials are really feeling the financial crunch right now. I mean, some of those guys were making $2,000 to $3,000 a weekend working in Power 5 conferences. There were still 10 weeks in the season left at that point (of shutdown).”

Devier, 29, is entering his third year of umpiring minor league baseball. He also called 25 college baseball games this spring before he was scheduled to report to Clearwater Beach, Fla., to work minor league spring training games.

Play was halted before Devier was due to head south.

“The uncertainty has been the hardest part; not really knowing,” Deveir said. “You’re a year older and it stunts your development.

“Like in minor league baseball, we have a certain number of evaluations — they have to see us a certain number of times throughout the year and then you’re ranked at the end of the year.

“You’ve got your life geared towards this and it’s kind of pulled out from under you, you know?”

Devier spent last season in the Appalachian League and was slated to call in the South Atlantic League this season. Remaining home in Wicksburg, Devier misses being on the field.

“Just the intensity of it, the camaraderie and just the game itself,” Devier said. “I know that probably all sounds cliché, but it’s really the truth. The relationships you build through your various partners (other umpires) and experiencing the places and somewhat. It’s a different challenge every night.”

Coleman, 50, got involved in umpiring 10 years ago because he wanted to stay around the game after coaching his two daughters during their high school years.

Calling high school and youth softball games during the spring and summer provides additional income to his regular job of being a handyman.

“That’s kind of hit hard too, because most of my clients have self-quarantining and they don’t want me to come around,” Coleman said.

As an umpire, he misses the interaction with those on the softball field.

“Like last weekend would have been opening day in Geneva for Dixie Softball,” Coleman said. “I was talking to my calling partner that this was going to be a big day and all of those kids didn’t get to have their time.

“We don’t do it for the money. There’s not that much money involved with it. But just getting to be around everybody and having a good time and seeing them have a good time.

“I mean, one of the most satisfying things is when you see a 9 or 10-year-old girl make a good play and she’s all excited because she got a hit or stopped the ball and threw somebody out. Just to see the enjoyment and excitement on their face — that’s probably the most rewarding part of it.”

Nelson currently umpires on the high school, JUCO and Div. III college level around the state. With the cancelation of the rest of the college softball season, Nelson lost out on more than 30 games.

“The people who work in the Power 5 leagues, they get their whole year of schedules, then the Div. III, the Div. II and JUCOs,” Nelson explained. “So before it ever starts, you’ve pretty much got your whole schedule for the year. You know where you’re going to be and when.

“Then you’ve got open dates and you supplement those with high school (games) on the days you’re available. While I didn’t have that much high school yet, when the colleges dropped the hammer, I lost that whole thing. I was like, ‘Holy cow.’

“For me, normally, I use the officiating money to take my vacations and I invest a little of it. I lost the ability to do that.”

The financial part of it, however, is secondary for Nelson.

“One of the things I’ve enjoyed about it is being around young people,” Nelson said. “You hang out with young people, you stay young. So I lost that.

“Being a sports guy all of my life, this is just my opportunity to stay in sports now.”

Young is a veteran softball umpire in the Wiregrass and also still plays the sport at age 65 for a team based in Tennessee which competes in a senior adults league.

What he misses the most is being around the children and others involved in the sport.

“We’re losing that friendship with so many young people that we pass by on a daily or weekly basis,” Young said. “That income that I make is what I use more or less for a vacation and going and playing softball with other guys that are my age.

“It’s the comments that were made from people of how well they respected me as an official — to me that means more to me than the money itself.”

They all hope play resumes at some point in the coming months, whether it’s on the recreational or professional level.

Devier is doing his best to stay in shape for whenever that call may come to hit the road and suit up.

“You’ve just got to find some way to exercise now and stay in shape, because those athletes are,” Devier said. “They’re still going to be world-class athletes and you’ve got to be able to stay with them.

“So I’m just running when I can and doing what I can to somewhat stay in shape with all of the gyms closed. And studying the rule book and manuals to make sure I’m up to date and sharp on that stuff for whenever the opportunity does present itself.”