You don't see them unless they screw up.

Zach Urness - Leader Staff

They are constantly berated by coaches, players, and fans who yell things that would make a sailor blush. Their good deeds are not celebrated and their job is under a scrutiny that nobody save the President of the United States has to deal with.

They are umpires—baseball's arbiters and the men in blue who stand behind the plate, enduring one of the world's most thankless jobs to make sure America's youth can play the national pastime.

Linze Brockmeyer has been answering the call to call balls and strikes for 23 years now with a traditional understanding of the game that makes him, and the umpiring organization he has helped build in the Mission Valley since 2001, an integral part of baseball in Lake County.

Brockmeyer, who resides in St. Ignatius, began calling balls and strikes in 1984. Over the years he has umpired just about everything that requires a strike zone, including American Legion, Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, rec league softball, ASA and MOA games, as well. It should come as no surprise that over that time, he's seen some pretty strange things.

"Once I was working a Babe Ruth game in St. Regis," said Brockmeyer. "And this poor kid who was playing catcher would come out, every inning, wearing his jock strap and cup on the outside of his pants. He was wearing it as though it was part of the catching equipment—and I just marveled at this poor kid the whole game."

But how much do people really know about being an umpire? How many people really possess the lexicon of skills required for this difficult, low-paying task?

"You have to exude authority and at the same time be very congenial," said Brockmeyer of the conflicting dynamics required of umpires. "You also have to be very professional because if coaches see a sloppy unit they will think that they can get away with more things on the field."

Because of his belief that professional, authoritative umpires are so integral to the game, he started the Mission Valley Umpires Association in 2001, largely at the request of the Mariners' board. The organization trains and schedules umpires for Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball games, but also provides professional development for local crews.

Working with fellow umpire Shane Wilson, Brockmeyer set up a more formal program in an effort to establish a group of local certified, trained umpires.

"Because of our group we have a better trained group of umpires," said Brockmeyer of the system. "We go through the rules, train, have meetings once a month and discuss issues and situations that have taken place. It builds a real camaraderie and we've been congratulated because of the good job we've done."

But as anyone who has ever been to a baseball game knows, the job of an umpire is almost never referred to as "good" by those in the stands or on the field.

"You learn to tune out the crowd," said Brockmeyer of the abuse that is inherent to the job. "We take a lot of verbal abuse so to survive you can't have what I call 'eager ears.'"

Of course, there are things from coaches, spectators and fans that Brockmeyer just won't tolerate.

"If they get real abusive or use profanity than they're gone," he said. "My philosophy is that you let them have their say, but once I've heard enough, I tell them 'no more or you're outta here.' We also don't let them argue judgment calls like the strike zone."

One example of a coach arguing what Brockmeyer refers to as "judgment calls" occurred during a Babe Ruth game some years ago.

"Once I was umpiring a Babe Ruth game and one of the coaches was a public defender," recalls Brockmeyer. "He had been chirping at me all game long so I finally tossed him out. It was pretty interesting because this guy kept saying that I should be calling the 'Babe Ruth strike zone' as opposed to the 'American Legion strike zone' like there was some kind of difference between the two zones."

And that's just the kind of irrational logic that Brockmeyer has dealt with for many years and he knows comes with the territory. Still, he said, you have to make sure you don't let your emotions get in the way.

"You can't do this job with a chip on your shoulder," he explained. "But there are always some notorious coaches. Guys who always have something to say and won't stop chirping. And sometimes you just have to keep them on a shorter leash."

Finally, now, after so many years behind the plate, Brockmeyer has decided that while he may not completely retire—he's still thinking of doing some tournaments—that he will no longer put himself through a full schedule that during some years averaged as many as 150 games per summer.

Looking back, Brockmeyer is proud of the fact that he served as an umpire, and he hopes local umpires will continue to hone their skills and professionalism. Clearly, though, the job isn't for everyone.

"You need a special set of characteristics to be a good umpire," he says. "You've got to be knowledgeable, got to make snap decisions and you've got to be able to watch the other guy on your crew and back him up. But the main thing is that you need to get the call right. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and eat a little crow, but the main goal of my job is to get the call right. That's what really matters."