Woman Umpire

[Kroxquo]

On Saturday night I was at a Carolina Mudcats game (AA Southern League) and the third base umpire was a woman. I've never seen a woman umpire at a professional game before. There was no information in the program about the umpires so now I'm curious. Does anyone know anything about her and how many female umps are there?

[Be The Reds!]

It's good that there are ladies who want to be umps.

I'd like to see the first woman player someday.

[DianasMoon82]

I will weigh in.

I wanted to be the first woman in baseball, but, the bias is still there.

That being said, it is a long road to the majors, you have to earn your place.

As to a female ump. I think our eyes and knowledge are well suited for the game.

I coach a female High School softball team, and mostly male umps, but the ocassional female.

I see no difference in their calls.

Diana

[ez906]

we saw a series in montgomery last summer (the biscuits' inaugural yr) w/ a female ump.

[Kroxquo]

we saw a series in montgomery last summer (the biscuits' inaugural yr) w/ a female ump.

Same woman perhaps? The Mudcats play in the same league as the Biscuits.

[kuparstwn]

Well it is about time!

I too wanted to be the first female professional baseball player. Unfortunately... it had nothing to do with bias. I just wasn't very good! :)

[DianasMoon82]

Well it is about time!

I too wanted to be the first female professional baseball player. Unfortunately... it had nothing to do with bias. I just wasn't very good! :)


I will respond to this also.

Kup, I was a Catcher. Little Leauge, fine, Kory Leauge fine, then came High School. As long is there is an "Equal Sports" (Title 9) for the sexes, we will not have a chance.

Title 9 demanded womens sports, but, it is like the division of "Separate but Equal" clauses that let negros go to one school and whites to another.

I had to play on the womens softball team, even though I was better than the same young man that played on the boys H.S. baseball team. Why, becuase the women have a team and the men have a team, that is equal.

I say BS.

If I am better, give me that shot.

The Bias starts right there.

BTW, you think I should ask the commish to start us up a ladies baseball forum here?

Your friend in Baseball,

Diana

[eurycea]

Pam Postema is probably the most famous woman umpire. I think she spent something like 13 years umping minor league games with 6 spent at AAA. Giamatti was suppose to be a big suporter of hers and it looked like she'd be moving on to the majors when he died. She was then fired in 89. She wrote a book called "You've Got to Have Balls to Make It in This League".

As far as women in professional baseball goes, when Kendall Burnham played for the San Angelo Colts in 2003, all the stories said she was something like the 3rd or 4th woman to play against men professionally on a team with other men. Of course women have played professionally against each other and all women teams have played against other all male teams, but I didn't figure that was what you were talking about.

As far as title 9 goes, I don't think it is like the Plessy decision. I think it comes down to competition and that there are a limited number of spots on a team. Although there are women like you who could compete against men, most women that played softball in my school wouldn't be able to make the baseball team. If all the teams are open to anyone, most women who currently play high school and college sports wouldn't be able to play. I wasn't able to play on our baseball team because I wasn't good enough, and even though I was a better softball player then a few of the women on our softball team I wasn't allowed to play because it was a women's team. I think that's fair.

[DianasMoon82]

You are missing a point. I was better, but title 9 said separate and equal, the H.S. boys team catcher sucked, I was better, but there was that rule.

Diana

[Atlanta Braves Freak]

It's good to see that there are woman umpires, but I hate that they are in the minors. No one will know about them if they umpire for a AA team. I say bring a woman umpire up to the Majors!

[Bluesteve32]

It's good to see that there are woman umpires, but I hate that they are in the minors. No one will know about them if they umpire for a AA team. I say bring a woman umpire up to the Majors!

Sometime, there will be a woman umpire in the majors, but there needs to be more females involved in officiating in all sports at all levels. There are only some 75 MLB jobs and they take the best. By percentages, they must be more females to be willing to go through and pay their dues to work that level of ball. Probably it would take a sibling or offspring of a current major league umpire (a lot of nepotism seems to work the ranks of MLB umpires) that works her way up to the majors.

Basketball has the easiest forum to give more females the opprotunity to advance to that highest level, for there are many more female basketball officials at the high school and colligate levels and a couple have actually been hired by the NBA with mixed success.

So ladies, try officiating as an advocation and you may help pave the way to see female officials in major sports in the future.

[eurycea]

You are missing a point. I was better, but title 9 said separate and equal, the H.S. boys team catcher sucked, I was better, but there was that rule.

Diana

I didn't miss your point. First off, title 9 doesn't say anything close to seperate but equal. It says educational institutions can't discriminate based on sex. But irregardless, you weren't allowed to play baseball, and the boys weren't allowed to play softball. I'd say that there is a good chance that if both teams were open to both sexes, you'd be one of a few femles on either team. Which is better, one woman being denied baseball or 11 being denied softball?

[DianasMoon82]

I doubt that. It would be like a young man trying out for the pom-pom squad, I don't have a problem with that, mind you, however, you know the mindset of young adults...

[DianasMoon82]

by the way, I have re-opened this in the ladies section just created by Sean, (again thanks)

[minorleaguepxp]

if she is the same umpire as last year, her name is Ria Cortesio...i think it is her third year in the Southern League.

[B-Ham Barons Fan]

That's her. Unfortunately, I don't think she's the role model for female umps. I've seen her make quite a few "iffy" calls.

[Yankees]

There was an article in the Times about Minor League umpiress today which gave a fleeting mention to her... Just said she was in the AA Southern League, and the only woman umpire.

[Ichiro51]

I don't mind female umpires, but I worry they might dehydrate and pass out on the field in this absolutely hot summer weather of NC. Last few days it has gone over 100.

[E.Banks#14]

I believe the only professional (highest level of a sport) referee/umpire/official woman is Violet ______. I don't remember her last name. She is an NBA referee and she's just as good as the guys.

[E.Banks#14]

I don't mind female umpires, but I worry they might dehydrate and pass out on the field in this absolutely hot summer weather of NC. Last few days it has gone over 100.
I don't see how that can be more of a worry with a woman than it is with a man. That's a Dusty-Baker-like comment. :o

[YankeesCatcher]

Techniqualy [sp?], woman are considered the weaker sex, physically .

[Yankees]

Whoops, a slight technicality:
That is a chauvinistic viewpoint, which is wrong. Surely 11 years has at least taught you that, at least?

[whatswailing]

Someone doesn't know Yin and Yang, Venus and so on and so forth.

[WonderMonkey]

Whoops, a slight technicality:
That is a chauvinistic viewpoint, which is wrong. Surely 11 years has at least taught you that, at least?


I think it's a pretty hardcore fact that men are physically stronger then women. I don't agree with much he ever says, but that is a standard fact. And of course, that has NOTHING to do with this thread or women being umpires.

[YankeesCatcher]

I never said anything about the mental aspect. Which I happen to think women have the upper hand on, personally.

We were discussing that they may pass out from heat exhastion, so I said, well technically, men are stronger physically.

[whatswailing]

I didn't say anything about the mental aspect either. :noidea

[CuriousBoston]

Techniqualy [sp?], woman are considered the weaker sex, physically .

To help start making a baby, or two, or take two cells (great simplification), make the baby/babies, and get them out onto this planet. Please lookup early USA space travel. A group of women were tested, tested harder than the males. They did better. But military test pilots became required.

Technically, for endurance purposes, females are superior. (I'm not going to stick around to defend this, we could be here till the Yankees win the World Series.)

[shoeless1920]

Here's a quote from Ria Cortesio from 2001 when she was in the Class A Midwest League and the only female umpire in professional baseball:
"Ball, strike, safe, out, foul, fair doesn't change whether the umpire is tall or short, male or female, brown-eyed or blue-eyed. It never comes up in my mind during the game. I'm out there doing the same job that my partner is. We're doing the same thing that every other crew in the league is. The players are up there with their own agendas. They're trying to get to the big leagues just like we are. They care more about 'What's this guy going to throw me on a 1-2 pitch.' They hate me just like they hate every other umpire."

[shoeless1920]

Another quote from a female Minor League umpire. Pam Postema had this to say about catchers (and pitchers): "They're usually two-faced brown-nosers who think that if they buddy up to you enough, maybe you'll cut them a break. Let me tell you something -- catchers will stab you in the back almost as fast as pitchers."

[nutmeagh]

I don't mind female umpires, but I worry they might dehydrate and pass out on the field in this absolutely hot summer weather of NC. Last few days it has gone over 100.

:confused:
As a female Umpire, I am not too sure of what you are getting at with this comment.

I think nothing of going off to a Provincial (State Final) tournament in 40C (104 F) weather. In fact the last tournament I was at I did 6 games in those conditions (including an 11 inning game behind the plate!) on a Friday, 6 more on Saturday and 5 on the Sunday without any adverse effects...except for a hang over on Monday morning!

No this was not a little league tournament, it was Senior Mens.

While I do not agree with alot of what Pam Postma has said over the years, I will agree with her idea that there is no reason why females can't officiate ball in the Bigs. We (females) attend all the same training sessions as males, have the same passion for the game and are capable of doing as well as our male counterparts on the diamond - bases and plate.

Yes, there are physical differences between males and females, yet on the diamond, it should not and really does not matter!

[Brian McKenna]

First, I don't see how anyone saw Bart Giammati as a savior for the woman umpire. I believe he was among those that pushed Postema out as well as gay umpire Dave Pallone.

Female umpires in organized baseball:
1975-77 Christine Wren Rookie and Class-A
Bernie Gera began in 1969 but contract was immediately recinded. She sued, won and reappeared on June 25, 1972 but quit after the game.
1977-89 Pam Postema worked herself to Triple-A but was released in '89. She sued and won a sexual harassment case.
1988-92 Theresa Cox Double-A Southern league
2001-present Ria Cortesio
2003- present Shanna Kook

[shoeless1920]

.....1977-89 Pam Postema worked herself to Triple-A....

If I'm not mistaken, Postema worked behind the plate in the Triple-A All-Star game in the mid/late-1980's, the game being an early ESPN baseball national telecast.

[BravesBabe620]

We were discussing that they may pass out from heat exhastion, so I said, well technically, men are stronger physically.

personaly, as a female athlete, the "may pass out from heat exhastion" comment is offending. Girls who play sports work just as hard as the guys do, sometimes even harder to get the respect we deserve. Believe it or not, we don't pass out the second we step foot outside in the heat.

[bluezebra]

I will weigh in.

I wanted to be the first woman in baseball, but, the bias is still there.

That being said, it is a long road to the majors, you have to earn your place.

As to a female ump. I think our eyes and knowledge are well suited for the game.

I coach a female High School softball team, and mostly male umps, but the ocassional female.

I see no difference in their calls.

Diana

I umped high school and college softball. As you say, the number of male umps vastly outnumbered the ladies, unfortunately. We made great efforts to recruit women umps, but with little success.

As for their abilities, there were more good women than men, percentage-wise. I can recall only one really bad female ump, and that was in HS ball. The few women I worked with in college ball were superb.

Bob