FHS Reminiscing

FHS Reminiscing
[ FHS Reminiscing ]

Gene Delcomyn

Posted by Hal Polk on February 15, 2019, 11:31 am

Gene,
During the late 50’s or early 60’s Coach Bramlett ask me to umpire a baseball game between Forest and Newton.
There was only one umpire and the home team was apparently was charged with providing that person.. Do you already smell some “home cooking”? Can you also imagine the one umpire calling both the home plate as well as the bases?
A lady from Newton positioned her folding lawn chair immediately behind the backstop and felt a need to comment on every pitch and every call during the game. She was really tough to ignore.
Ray Parish was the Forest catcher and he blocked a Newton runner from scoring. He clearly had the ball before the runner got there and he maintained possession throughout the play. When I called him out the lady went berserk. In her defense,the rule was soon changed so as homeplate could not be blocked with or without the ball.
She called me things that I was unaware of. After I talked with the Newton coach, he, thankfully, had her move to a more distant spot.
Maybe you can remember when the High School Activities Association began assigning umpires for baseball as they were already doing for the other sports.
I really do not remember who won the game but that was my very last experience with umpiring. By the way my service was gratis, which was about what it was worth.

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by GeneDelcomyn'65 on February 15, 2019, 1:47 pm, in reply to "Gene Delcomyn"

If Ray was playing, so was I. I do vaguely remember something like that happening, but, I think Larry Roberts was the catcher. Those were crazy times, the home team always provided the umpire and two umpires, one behind the plate and one for the bases, was the norm, sometimes, we would have only one, quite the impossible task! I think that my senior year (1965) might have been the first or second year of MSHAA assigned umpires. That was a welcomed addition.

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by Hal Polk on February 15, 2019, 2:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Gene Delcomyn"

Thank you for your response.

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by GeneDelcomyn'65 on February 15, 2019, 3:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Gene Delcomyn"

Great memories, made me stop and think. I remember Coach Durwood Smith getting Mr. McDaniel our typing teacher to umpire, and sometimes just whoever was in the stands before game time, ha...

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by GeneDelcomyn'65 on February 22, 2019, 3:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Gene Delcomyn"

Hal, you got some great baseball up there this weekend if the weather allows! Hope you get to see one or two of the games, should be a great atmosphere! State's new facilities look super....

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by Hal Polk on February 23, 2019, 3:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Gene Delcomyn"

Gene,
Another good thing about baseball is that a lingering bad taste from a loss or good taste from a win doesn’t last long.
Bulldogs 8-1 today over Southern Miss. today.
Rubber game tomorrow, weather permitting.

Re: Gene Delcomyn

Posted by Hal Polk on February 22, 2019, 5:53 pm, in reply to "Re: Gene Delcomyn"

Gene,
I did not attend the game but watched it on ESPN+.
Two good teams played extra innings with Southern Miss pulling it out in the 10th. I never remember a game with no score by either team through 9 innings. Congratulations to them.
Yes the 68M new field is impressive.

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