It’s official, I’m official. I no longer have amateur status.
I’ve joined the ranks of the highly skilled, highly paid men and women in blue who ensure the integrity of sport through questionable judgment calls and wild speculation.
Previous to this day I’ve umpired softball as an amateur. But today it all changed. I got paid to call a game. At least I think I got paid to call a game - or was it a bribe?
Half an hour before the start of the game the school athletic director (known by us professionals as the AD) handed me a check for $25. I figured it was payment for a job well done that I had yet to do. I knew it couldn’t possibly be a bribe because a bribe would have been at least $30!
