Fourth of July Look at Baseball Through an Umpire's Eyes

Grilling, parades and, of course, baseball are all synonymous with the Fourth of July holiday.

Backyard celebrations often are filled with friendly Whiffle ball variations of America's pastime. Many towns host all-star tournaments for their youth, and if you flip through the buttons on the television remote you're bound to find a ballgame on TV.

While all you need is a ball, bat and players to have a game, if you want to play the game seriously you also need someone to enforce the rules--an umpire.

New Lenox resident Nick Byerley is an umpire. When he's not umpiring youth baseball or softball games he's responsible for assigning umpires to the contests.

Byerley co-founded the Illinois Independent Umpires and assigns umpires for approximately 14 programs and organizations, including teams in New Lenox, Mokena and Frankfort.

"This year, I've umpired about 30 games, but last year I did about 150," Byerley said. "With all the assigning, I've worked less games and I like assigning more and talking to my umpires and managing them."

Byerley, 19, is a 2010 graduate of Lincoln-Way Central. He wasn't a standout on the baseball team. In fact, he didn't even play for the Knights, although he did play baseball a bit when he was younger and always has appreciated the sport.

"I used to play it when I was younger; however, I didn't play it that much though," he said. "I just wanted to make some extra money and then decided that this is something you can do where you help kids grow their baseball skills and you're a big part of it."

While donning a baseball uniform, sprinting to your defensive position, getting a few swings in the batter's box and spending a couple hours in the summer sun is something most kids are blessed to enjoy each year, Byerley said the next best thing to playing the game is officiating it.

"It's the second-best thing to playing baseball," he said. "You're technically not playing baseball, but you're a major part of it. You're calling every out, every strike and you're the game. You enforce the rules of the game."

Byerley first became intrigued with the prospect of umpiring when he was 14 years old, but didn't start until the following year. He worked for the Lincoln-Way Officials Association, calling games in New Lenox, before landing a contract with Manhattan to assign games in their community.

While he's not working as many games this season as he's had in the past, Byerley enjoys the fact that he's able to help train new umpires, even though he's fresh out of high school and relatively inexperienced himself at 19.

"I may be younger, but I don't look at age when it comes to being able to umpire a game. When you're ready, you're ready regardless of how old you are," he said. "I want to see my guys grow and they can only do that with practice and support. They're going to make mistakes, but you make mistakes umpiring."

Umpire's Perk: Best Seat in the House

Byerley, who is taking business classes at Joliet Junior College, also enjoys seeing the players develop from pre-teens to high school standouts.

"We've got a lot of talent in this area, and you get to see what's going into high school and maybe what's after high school," he said. "You get to see a player later doing something that he couldn't do years before. You may have taught him a certain strike zone and now he has to try to hit a certain pitch."

With the New Lenox, Mokena and Frankfort area being a hot spot for baseball and softball, there's no shortage of talented young players and certainly plenty of teams and games that need umpires. Byerley has helped alleviate the need for umpires with his assigning organization, but he recognizes the continued need for umpires.

"It's a great job because of the amount of people you meet and, if you love the game, you're a part of it," he said. "I went into this looking for the rewards of meeting new people and seeing the challenges for the love of the game."

Byerley invites those interested in pursuing umpiring to visit his website. The IIU trains its umpires and individuals are allowed to set their own schedule, making it ideal for both teenagers and adults.

"After the first year a lot of people say, 'Wow, what a year,' and you sometimes don't have them back," he said. "If they come back for that second year, they've answered their internal questions and want to do good for the game of baseball and for the kids."