The Quality of Instruction at Umpire School

The Nachoman is, both professionally and in his heart, a teacher. I am merely moonlighting as an umpire this winter. Similarly, the instructors at Umpire School are professional umpires moonlighting as teachers for the winter. Since the instructors are critiquing my work as an umpire, I guess it’s only fair that I comment on the quality of their teaching. The good news is that, especially with the major league staff, I’m pleased and impressed.

Head instructor Paul Nauert is an outstanding teacher. He has a good sense of how to pace both the course and each class, as well as a strong presence as a lecturer. He handles well a large and diverse group of folks for whom a classroom is not a natural habitat. I’m particularly impressed with his ability to handle questions – he never lets the class bog down, nor take off on irrelevant tangents. At the same time, he never brusquely ignores questions or questioners. He is firm and demanding, but it is apparent always that he authentically cares about us and our success. I am comfortable anointing him in my mind as a professor of baseball.

The best on-field instructor is major leaguer Eddie Hickox. Mr. Hickox[1] is a local police officer as well as a top-rate umpire. I have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing a drill run by Mr. Hickox. However, I have seen and heard his work on the other fields. He is intense, enthusiastic, and loud. He obviously cares passionately about his craft, and about training us in that craft. His dominant personality not just implores but *demands* that students focus just that little bit more.

The other major league umpire who has been on the fields for virtually every drill is Sam Holbrook, a softspoken gentleman with a southern accent.[2] He has less force of personality than Mssrs. Hickox or Nauert, but he is an effective instructor, especially one-on-one. The best unintentional lesson he taught me was during class one day, when during an otherwise innocuous sentence he brought out his on-field presence with “TIME! THAT’S AN ILLEGAL BAT!” The sudden shift in demeanor, the commanding voice and body language, communicated to us how our off-field personality has little relevance to how powerful our field presence can and should be.

I have further comments about the minor league staff that I will save for a later post. About 10 gentlemen from the AAA and AA ranks do the less glamorous work of running drills and giving individual feedback. So far, they have not impressed me as much with their teaching skills. But, I am going to wait a while before I post any specific criticism.

[1] I refer here to “Mr. Hickox,” as required by the Nachoman Manual of Style. However, the school asks that instructors be addressed by their first names.
[2] And a masters degree in sports administration