He umpired his first game at 12 years old. Now 60 years later, he’s called his last strike
He umpired his first game at 12 years old. Now 60 years later, he’s called his last strike
by Rebecca Svec, Flatwater Free Press
Roger Hammond throws out baseball terms like someone who has been on the diamond a long, long time.
They pepper his speech.
The skin infields (from the days of dirt infields).
The bangers at first. (Plays where the pop of the ball-to-glove and foot-on-base happen almost simultaneously.)
The summer scrub league (Little League) he grew up in at Crete, captured in yellowed newspaper clippings in a precious sports scrapbook his mother made a lifetime ago.
Hammond is 72, living in Red Cloud, retired from a 44-year career in education. But baseball lasted even longer.
He retired in late July after 60 years as an umpire.
If you did the math, Hammond would need to be 12 when he started … and your math would be correct.
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