Series notebook

BANGOR – They toil in the hot sun and are under considerable scrutiny.

One of their decisions could very well mean the difference between winning and losing.

And they don’t get one red cent for working or for the cost of their travel.

But you won’t hear the men umpiring the Senior League World Series complaining.

The 12 men making the calls at Mansfield Stadium this week are from all over the world.

John Michael Sucker hails from Kirchheim, Germany. Robert Curet is from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The other 10 are from all over the United States.

They do receive free lodging, according to tournament director Mike Brooker.

Brooker also said they have a post-game barbecue available to the umps.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s worth all the hard work to get here. It’s worth the honor of being selected and being invited. I’d come back in a heartbeat,” said Roger Brown, who came to Bangor with his wife, Esther, from Kalamazoo, Mich.

“It’s a great time. I’m enjoying every minute of it,” added Brown, a mathematics instructor and financial aid counselor.

“A lot of people don’t know we do it on our own expense. But every dollar spent for Little League is a dollar well spent. I played Little League ball and this is a way to give something back to the organization to help young men out,” added Brown, who is making his debut in a World Series.

Babe Glumack of Hibbing, Minn., worked the 2000 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in addition to this week’s Senior League World Series.

“It’s a great time. You get more fired up, you’re into the game. There are a lot of good athletes out there,” said Glumack. “I prime myself for coming here.”

He agreed with Brown by saying that having to pay their own way doesn’t diminish the enjoyment.

“When you look back on it five or 10 years from now, or tell your grandkids [it’s special]. You’d be surprised how many guys are trying to get this far,” added Glumack. “To get out of the regional, that’s the tough part. You’ve got to work a regional before you come here. It’s well worth it, believe me.”

Glumack, who works for J.C. Penney, said he begins saving up for trip the minute he learns he has been chosen.

That came in the form of a letter from Little League Umpire-in-Chief Andy Konyar in December.

Brown and Glumack said they are enjoying eastern Maine.

“This is one of the best ballfields I’ve umpired at,” said Glumack. “This is a good location. The people are really friendly and the hotel accommodations are good. I have no complaints at all.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better facility to work in, I couldn’t ask for better people to work for,” said Brown. “If you’ve got a need, they take care of you. You just let them know and it’s right there.”

The other umpires are Barry Doebert (Danville, Va.), Lowell Johnson (Tukwila, Wash.), Bruce Dinkel (Albuquerque, N.M.), Bill Stone (Auburn, Calif.), Frank Germino (Warriors Mark, Pa.), Randall Wright (Houston), Jerry Vallee (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Skip Butkiewicz (Southington, Conn.).

Catching some contact

For Urbandale, Iowa’s, Andrew Everett, collisions are just part of catching, so when he and Guam baserunner Nolan Dela Rosa met head-on at home plate in the top of the third inning Thursday, it was no big deal.

Dela Rosa was on second base with two outs in the third when Calvin Naputi singled to center. As Dela Rosa raced home, the throw to the plate drew Everett slightly up the third-base line.

When the ball arrived, so did Dela Rosa.

“I caught the ball in my glove hand, but I couldn’t get my right hand over there fast enough to hold on to it, and he got there and nailed me,” said Everett. “I saw him coming, and I was getting ready for the hit.”

While Dela Rosa walked away unhurt after scoring, what worried some fans at Mansfield Stadium was that Everett stayed on the ground looking skyward for a minute or two before being helped to his feet.

“I’ve been hit before and they told me to stay down, so I just stayed down,” he said.

Everett remained in the game through the fifth inning before being replaced by Anthony Paterno, and after the game he admitted was a little concerned about a possible lingering impact from the collision.

“I might have broken my collarbone again, since I’ve broken it so many times already,” said Everett. “I’ve broken it three or four times before.”

Hawaiian hospitality

The contingent from Hilo, Hawaii, can’t seem to stop giving away small tokens from the island. Not that anyone is complaining.

Thursday morning two girls visited the press box with pink flowers native to the island.

That evening, moments before the Hilo squad took on Orono-Veazie in a Pool A game, a Hilo fan known as Grandma (she’s the grandmother of one of the players) delivered leis made of tea leaves, which are good luck tokens frequently brought out for sporting events, according to Hilo coach Hale Decker.

And during the player introductions for the game, each Hilo player gave an Orono-Veazie player two pins and a necklace made of shells.

“It’s kind of a tradition in Hawaii,” said Matt Haasenritter, an outfielder-pitcher on the Hilo team. “In Hawaii everything is about presents.”

Barker’s interest in Curacao

Burt Barker is keeping an eye on the Curacao Senior League team.

Barker, who recently announced his resignation from coaching the MDI girls basketball team, played baseball as a student at Springfield College in Massachusetts in the early 1970s. He played with a catcher from Curacao and went to the island for spring training.

He attended several World Series games last year and was in the stands Thursday evening.

“I came up last year to see if any of my friends from Curacao were here,” Barker said. “I’ve been there. In fact, the man who was my catcher in college is a commissioner in the [Curacao] sports federation.”

There’s also an MDI connection, with a member of last year’s Curacao team, Arshwin Asjes, attending MDI this past school year.