ARLINGTON The ping of aluminum sounds to harken the arrival of summer. For Joel Short it is music to his ears.
Lost in the shuffle of co-ed softball games are the men and women that make the competitions possible, the umpires.
On a warm Wednesday night in August the fields at Twin Rivers Park teem with locals waiting their turn at bat. More than 100 local residents get out and participate in the eight- week long season. The rec league provides a lot of fun and entertainment for all involved, including the red-shirted umpires.
Umpire Joel Short loves his job. He made the drive up from Everett to be at the nights game, braving the freeways in rush hour to prepare for another evening of calling balls and strikes.
Ive done 34 games in the past nine days, said Short. Its a labor of love because the moneys terrible.
As an umpire, youre only noticed when you make a close or questionable call. So why do it?
Im out here because I like seeing the enjoyment others get from playing. The recreational leagues are especially fun because everybody is out here to enjoy the game, said Short. Its not as serious as some of the leagues.
Short believes that most of the people out on the fields respect him and the job that he does.
You get about 95 percent of the people out trying to have fun a get some exercise. But on two teams of 10 players each that means there might be one guy taking things too seriously.
How does Short deal with the distractions. He firmly reminds players to pipe down and control themselves. He rules with an iron fist, recalling the lessons he learned when he first began umpiring four years ago.
I started with eight hours of umpiring classes, stated Short. Then I got going with Little League and from there moved on to the Boeing softball league.
Short does a yeomans job, officiating in more than 200 contests per calendar year.
Thats nothing, said Short. Some of the guys do over 500 games every year.
How do they do it?
Theyre retired, clarifies Short.