Few people represent the values of Umpire Inspire more than veteran MLB Umpire Ted Barrett. It's his servant's attitude toward umpiring and the mentor role he has rightly earned over the course of his 25+ year MLB career. It's his determination to lead with the best example he can and to "pay forward" what others have poured into him. And it's how he backs it all up by the way he gives his time, effort, and talent to others, both on an MLB diamond and in the offseason, far away from the...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Minor League Baseball umpire Ben Engstrand shares what he's learned on his umpire journey, and gives us the scoop on a brand-new education opportunity for umpires at any level: the Wendelstedt Umpire School Online Prep Course. Enjoy! --- Join the Umpire Inspire Crew on Patreon! The Umpire Inspire Podcast is LISTENER-SUPPORTED! Working umpires, and those who support them, are the...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- High school, college and Little League umpire Dan Campagnolo mines his decades in umpiring to share some concrete tips and a few stories, including: what NOT to do when you forget your shinguards; how to never worry about counting mid-inning warmup pitches again; and why working the dish for the Little League World Series Championship Game in 2012 was maybe only the third-coolest thing...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Season One guest David Saball reports back to us after successfully completing his first step toward a professional umpiring career: Summer 2020 working in the North Woods League. Enjoy! --- Join the Umpire Inspire Crew on Patreon! The Umpire Inspire Podcast is LISTENER-SUPPORTED! Working umpires, and those who support them, are the engine behind this podcast and the greater mission...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Bill Nowlin, author of "Working a Perfect Game: Conversations with Umpires" stops by to share his experience interviewing 70+ MLB umpires and learning about umpires and umpiring for the very first time! Spoiler alert: he came away from his four years of researching and writing his book with a very favorable impression of the men and women behind the mask, and of the craft itself—and it...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- What's it like being the youngest umpire in Minor League Baseball—for two years running? What's it like to overturn a walk-off home run? What's it like to call a no-hitter? 21-year-old Nathan Diederich shares stories of these experiences and more from his three years of swift advancement through MiLB in this episode! Even at a young age, Nate already has the gift of drawing some pretty...

Support The Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Since 2013, Elizabeth Hammerschmidt has been making her mark as a rising NCAA softball umpire. She’s a current Big10 Crew Chief who also works in multiple other college conferences, she's had conference championship and regional assignments every year since 2016, and a D1 super regional assignment in 2019. She's also the co-host of the Both Sides of the Mask podcast. In this...

Support the Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Meet Filip Havlik, an 18-year-old umpire from Prague in the Czech Republic! Learn about baseball in his country; the similarities and differences of being an umpire there compared to what we are accustomed to in the United States; his opportunities to work European tournaments; and his upcoming first-ever-visit to the US to umpire at a tournament that means a lot to him....

Support the Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Today: Brian Hertzog on his nine-year journey as a Minor League Baseball umpire! The craziness—and huge impact—of working Venezuela Winter League ball. The 20+ MLB umpires he worked alongside during his Minor League journey and the ones who inspired him the most. And a very personal description of what it really felt like NOT to get "The Call" to the big leagues. Enjoy! --- Join the...

Support the Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Enjoy a super-motivating and, at times, very personal conversation with Mark Bernstein, the Umpire in Chief for Little League’s West Region. Mark oversees and trains umpires from the 11 western states that make up Little League’s West Region and is a skilled and accomplished umpire in his own right. And he’s someone who has been hugely influential in the umpiring career of your humble...

Support the Umpire Inspire Podcast on Patreon Connect with the Umpire Inspire community on Facebook --- Batting leadoff for Season Two of The Umpire Inspire Podcast: an outstanding umpire with an amazing story and journey! Jen Pawol is a Minor League Baseball Umpire, notable of course for being the seventh female umpire hired into Minor League Baseball and one of two females to be currently on the MiLB Umpire Staff. But she has also worked in NCAA Division One Softball and National...

The Umpire Inspire Podcast is back for Season Two! For the next few months we again have the opportunity to visit with extraordinary and ordinary umpires from all around the world who will encourage and inspire us.  It's going to be another fun ride for all of us, and I hope you'll continue to share the show with your umpire friends who you think would enjoy listening. Join the Umpire Inspire Crew at www.umpireinspire.com and become a part of the Umpire Inspire community on...

A very special privilege in this episode to hear from Little League’s Director of Umpire Development, Tom Rawlings! In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, we discuss: Tom’s umpire beginnings and his role at Little League International; His biggest game: the in-depth story of his plate assignment for the Championship Game of the 2011 Little League Baseball World Series; What’s different between today’s Little League umpires and those from 30 years ago; Five ways for any Little...

Something a little different for you this week, Dear Listeners! In this episode I’d like to introduce you to TWO umpire friends of mine, Gerritt Nelson and Gary Smith. Gerritt and Gary are fellow Little League umpires with me here in Washington State District One. Gerritt is 16 years old; Gary is 76 years old. I thought it would be fun to bring them both on the show with the same set of questions and hear the differences or similarities between how Gerritt, a teenage umpire, approaches his...

Ever thought it would be cool to kick back around a fire, perhaps with a cold beverage in your hand, and swap stories with a current MLB umpire? Well, that's pretty much what you get (minus the fire and beverage) from this episode with MLB #73, Tripp Gibson! Tripp has always been held in high regard by your humble podcast host—both as a skilled umpire and as a generous, others-focused human being—and so it was a thrill to spend an hour in conversation with him. In our visit, Tripp shares...

Do you view your umpire job as a public service? Portland, Oregon softball umpire Jon Coney absolutely does. His clear-eyed view of WHY he volunteers as a Little League umpire is a great reminder of the many positive impacts—beyond just calling a good game—that a great umpire can make on a player's experience. You might come away from this episode with a transformed view of what you're really doing next time you step on to the field. Enjoy! The Umpire Inspire Podcast is for YOU! Connect and...

Part Two of our visit with retired MLB Umpire Dale Scott. In this episode Dale reveals his #1 most surprising thing about becoming an MLB umpire, describes his approach as an MLB Crew Chief and how his crews reacted to his style, and shares some interesting details about his plate stance. Plus—Dale answers questions submitted by the Umpire Inspire community! Connect and become a part of the UI crew at www.UmpireInspire.com. The Umpire Inspire Podcast is for YOU! I really want to hear what...

30+ year MLB Umpire Dale Scott stops by for a visit with Umpire Inspire! In Part One of our two-part conversation, Dale generously offers us his wisdom and advice on handling situations on the field, describes the mental toughness and resilience it takes to succeed at ANY level of umpiring, and even shares some very specific stories and tips on body language during discussions with managers. It was such a thrill and just a wonderful opportunity for me to visit with Dale, and I know you will...

Softball umpire Daniel Mills has an Umpire Superpower: BALANCE. When we step on to a field, we all seek a balance between having fun and doing what is within our power to make it fun for the players, coaches and families, and taking our jobs seriously—not solemnly, not unhappily, but with the earnest intent to do our job in service to the game itself. Daniel has got that balance nailed, and you are going to appreciate his very thoughtful approach toward attaining that balance as a Little...

David Saball is an accomplished umpire from Arizona. In 2019 he was awarded “Most Outstanding Umpire” at a Wendelstedt clinic he attended; in 2018 and 2019 he worked MLB Spring Training games in Arizona; and he’s recently been offered positions in the North Woods Summer League and American Association Independent pro League. Oh, and did I mention… he’s 17 years old.  If you have youth umpires in your league or association, you’re absolutely going to want to share this interview with them!...

WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA: if you’re a listener of this show, then you know about the modest little tournament that takes place there every summer! I could not be happier in this episode to introduce you to my friend Dennis Williams, who has been selected for the honor of serving as a volunteer umpire for the 2020 Little League Baseball World Series. We talk about his umpiring beginnings and his journey as a Little League volunteer umpire, and then get into a lot of details about the World...

Carolina League umpire Bobby Tassone visits with us to share his story about making The Decision to pursue umpiring as a career and his subsequent trip through umpire school and the Minor Leagues. We discuss what life is like for him as a Minor League Baseball umpire, some special game opportunities he's had, and learn about his experiences at Spring Training. You're really going to enjoy listening to Bobby—he has a real heart for teaching and is a humble guy who repeatedly points to the...

The Umpire Inspire Podcast is all about the stories, all about the journeys, and all about the heart of umpiring. In each episode we hear from extraordinary and ordinary umpires from around the world who have enthusiasm for our craft and a positive attitude toward umpiring... umpires who consider their jobs to be a lot more than just calling balls and strikes. We're creating something totally unlike anything you've heard or seen in the umpire community! The Umpire Inspire Podcast is for...