Alex has seen it all on the diamond. For nearly 4 decades, he’s thrown balls and strikes behind the dish, and out’s and safe’s on the base paths. We honor his career by discussing it’s illustriousness in its entirety, from doing Adult Fast Pitch Softball, to High School, all the way to the NCAA level. He’s seen his share of hardball. He talks about what baseball means to him, interpreting the rules year in and year out, and what the future holds. All that and more, my conversation with Alex, now.
SHOW NOTES:
3:16 – What sports did you play growing up?
5:37 – How did you get into umpiring?
8:00 – When did you start taking it serious?
9:30 – How in depth was officiating baseball?
12:57 – What was your experience doing school games?
17:50 – How did adult league experiences help you in school games?
22:53 – What was your experience of baseball on the Varsity level?
26:56 – Describe the difficulty of persuading people to officiate baseball
29:54 – Experience in college
34:55 – Responsibilities and differences between bases and being behind the plate
41:19 – Do injuries affect your performance behind the plate?
42:06 – Craziest experience being injured and still upping
42:28 – What is the stickiest situation being an umpire
46:37 – What is the stickiest situation being the interpreter/teacher
48:48 – Best moments being an umpire
55:04 – Evolution of equipment in baseball umpiring
59:25 – What does the future hold?
59:56 – Final Thoughts from Alex Flyntz
“He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
