Some of you may recall my blog post Will the First Woman Major League Umpire Improve Baseball? about female umpire Ria Cortesio (pictured), in which I speculated that a female umpire might help cut down on some of the asinine umpire blaming and baiting that goes on in baseball. My theory is that since the vast majority of men are gentlemen (though feminists will never admit it), a female umpire will be treated with far more courtesy than a male umpire.

Having watched some of the baseball playoffs with my father this year and witnessed several hitters deciding not to swing at borderline pitches with two strikes on them and then having the goddamned gall to blame the umpires for their strikeouts doesn't do anything to change my mind.

Anyway, unfortunately Cortesio was released recently, after receiving low ratings by minor league supervisors. According to the article She's out! Ria Cortesio, only female umpire in pro baseball, released (The Canadian Press, 10/31/07), "There are about 300 umpires in the majors and affiliated minors. Several minor league umps get released each off-season, with baseball trying to make a decision on their futures within a few years." The full article on her departure is here. My previous writings about her are below.

"Will the First Woman Major League Umpire Improve Baseball?”

It sounds like a typical mainstream media headline, right? The one what will tell you that women entering (name whichever profession) will improve it because women are better at (whatever job) than men because they're more (fill in adjectives and superlatives).

This time, however, you’d be wrong.

I’m the one who’s actually saying that a woman umpire might improve baseball. Not because she’d be any better than the male umpires, because she wouldn’t, although I’m sure we'll hear plenty of stories that she is. I think she might improve baseball because the players and managers will be less likely to act like jackasses with a woman umpire than a male umpire.

Whether playing baseball or watching it, it’s always been a pet peeve of mine how asinine players and managers sometimes behave in relation to umpires. This exists in baseball at all levels. When I played baseball we could’ve been losing 11-1 in the 9th inning but I swear that half of the guys would be blaming a bad call by the umpire in the 3rd inning.

I remember one time there was a big argument over a tag play at third base. The ball came to me a little late, but I applied the tag and, while it was a close play, the man was safe and the umpire called him so. Our manager came out and, along with the shortstop, started yelling at the umpire, as if the world had just ended. Then I became the “bad” guy because I told the umpire “good call, he made it under my tag.” Judging from the reaction by my manager and my teammates, you'd have thought I was Benedict Arnold.

This isn’t unique to treatment of the umpires, of course—there are plenty of other opportunities for crazy, hyper-competitive athletes to act like jerks. I remember one time being on second base when the batter hit a long fly to the outfield. I waited several feet off the bag until the outfielder dove and missed it, and then I began running. The runner from first base was on my heels, screaming and cursing, outraged that I wasn’t way ahead of him. After we both scored I explained to him what any 10 year-old knows—as the runner on second, I have to wait to see if the ball is caught so I don’t get doubled off, and he should’ve been doing the same damn thing.  It didn’t make much of an impression on him.

Arguments between major league players, managers and umpires can be funny sometimes, but often they're just plain stupid, sometimes to the point where you feel embarrassed for the guy making the argument.

How will it be with a woman umpire? Feminists will tell you that it will be harder for them, that they’ll bear a double burden for being a woman, etc. but I doubt that’s true. More likely the players will be nicer. Somehow I doubt the players will ride her as hard, or scream and curse at her the way they do the male umpires.  And that’s a good thing.

Southern League umpire Ria Cortesio recently umpired a major-league spring training game and, judging from the descriptions of the players' reaction in “Cortesio to Become First Female Umpire in MLB History?” (All Headline News, 3/30/07), it seems she’ll be treated pretty well:

“Cortesio said she got a lot of warm welcomes from many of the players playing in the game as she has already umpired many of their games in the minor leagues.

"I got a lot of, 'Hey Ria, where are you going to be this year?' That's the question. As of right now, I'm going back to the Southern League, but that's subject to change at any minute. As soon as a spot opens up at Triple-A, it's mine,’ she said…

“Cortesio has a lot of people in her corner pulling for her, including Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who praised Cortesio's quest.

"I think it's good…I think there is a place for women in the umpiring ranks--they're certainly as qualified as anybody else. I'm sure if they get the same opportunities, the same schooling that their male counterparts do, they'll do a really nice job."

In a different article, Cubs first baseman Derrick Lee said:

"It's awesome. I think it's about time. Female eyes are as good as male eyes. Why can't they be umpires? Good for her."

On a different note, one Houston blogger wrote:

“It has not been an easy road for Ms. Cortesio. She umpired high school baseball games. She then started in the Pioneer League. Then she moved to the Midwest League and to the Class-A Florida State League before advancing to Double-A minor league baseball.”

You’ll probably start seeing a lot of comments like this one as Cortesio gets closer to the majors. If there are gender assumptions attached to it—“she’s had it hard because she’s a woman”—don’t buy it. All umpires have a tough road to the major leagues, and spend many years umpiring in the minors under unenviable conditions before they make the majors. That’s why I’m generally supportive of the umpires’ union and its labor actions, though I really think the umpires and the players should both be in a “Baseball Workers Union,” along with all the stadium workers, etc.

So I’m looking forward to having a female umpire. When it happens, I hope we can (mercifully) do without a slew of fanciful stories on why she’s had to work harder than the male umpires or is better than the male umpires. Hopefully the press will allow her to just be an umpire.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 1:07 am and is filed under Baseball/Sports, Gender Issues (Misc.). You can trackback from your own site.