Over the course of life you end up with a handful of folks that you just seem to run into in numerous ways. Maybe its somebody from your church that you keep running into at the local gym, or the clerk at the grocery store whose lane you always end up in that has season tickets in the same section of the stadium as you. For me, that person is Kim Stover and his wife Laurie.
I first met Kim back in the late 90s. His son wrestled on the same small private high school team that I had started up a few years earlier and turned over when I became the Athletic Director. I eventually became the Principal there, and we met over numerous occasions to talk over school related things. We found out that we had umpiring in common as well – me at the high school/college level and him at Little League. He eventually joined my local group and worked his way up the ladder, but we never seemed to get games together. Once he retired from Boeing he sold his house and moved across the state to the Tri-Cities area. Other than an occasional Zoom call to talk about rules or help give training to his group, we didn’t have much more contact. When I received my assignment from the Tri-Cities group I was delighted to see that Kim was assigned as my partner.
I had a free day between my games in Sunnyside and Kennewick. Kim insisted I stay with him and Laurie in the interim – a choice that definitely worked out for me. The economics were such that they were able to trade their older home in West Seattle for a spacious new one on the edge of Richland, complete with pool and views. It suits the so well as they still stay active, even in retirement. I enjoyed seeing their many activities in display, whether it be Laurie’s landscaping around the yard, Kim’s fly-tying and shop projects, or their impressively extensive collection of wines from around the area. When I asked Kim what type of wine I should bring to thank them for putting me up he joked, “No wine. Bringing wine to our house is like bringing sand to the beach.” He was 100% right.
For two days I got a chance to really get to know the two of them. We shared so many tales, got to enjoy some good food together (Kim has an exquisite taste when it comes to food), and went on a wine tasting outing together. Finally, Friday rolled around and it was time for the games.
Kennewick hosted Hanford for a double header in their spacious stadium. Kim and I rolled up to meet with Cory, our third, in the parking lot. Cory, like Tyler in Spokane, is a young umpire with an up-and-coming career in the game. He agreed to take the plate for the first game, and I was to take the second game. Kim would “ride the rails” (work both games on the bases). Both partners warned me of – Lenny.
Lenny is the head coach of Kennewick, and has a bit of a reputation as being rather combative. I listened to the stories of Lenny’s doings over the years – I was familiar with the type. I was looking forward to meeting this guy and seeing what he was all about. We finished up our pregame and made the short stroll from our vehicles to the ballpark.
Roy Johnson field is aesthetically laid out, especially for a high school field. I whistled between my teeth as we walked into the park. Impressive! I looked around and soaked in the sights before we made our way to the plate meeting.
As it turns out, I knew exactly who Lenny was! I was the umpire-in-chief for the state Legion tournament a few years past and we had met there. Yes, he had a few run-ins over some matters, but nothing out of the ordinary. He smiled big when he recognized me. Cory and Kim looked rather puzzled until I told them of our previous encounter.
Kennewick were last years’ state runners-up (second to Mt. Vernon, from my Skagit post) and were still loaded with talent. Like Mt. Vernon they had targets on their backs – especially from the other schools in the Tri-Cities area. Hanford came out playing hard from the gate.
The first game was a back and forth affair. Hanford took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning but gave up two runs in the bottom on a walk-off error. Lenny came out one time to argue for a balk on a throw by the Hanford pitcher directly to the shortstop (who made no move toward the base) with a runner on second. Kim tried to tell him that it didn’t apply at 2nd base, but Lenny wasn’t having it. I finally yelled from my position at 1st, “Is it a balk if it doesn’t throw it? The how can it be a balk if he does?” Lenny got a moment of realization, waved, and said, “Okay, thank you.” Kim stared at me in disbelief.
I was looking forward to taking the plate for game two. My strike zone has been feeling pretty strong lately, and I am actually enjoying calling balls and strikes. Both pitchers were spot on, and it was another low-scoring game. About the third inning my long-time friend Greg showed up behind home plate to say hi, which only heightened my enjoyment of the moment. In almost a redux of my Skagit game Kennewick scratched out a pair of runs and shut down Hanford defensively for the 2-0 sweep.
I did have one run-in with Lenny in game two. One of the hardest calls to get right is a ball that is hit sharply downward then goes into fair territory. Did it go off the batter, the plate, or just spin in that direction? I was sure I saw it off the batter first before he took a couple of tentative steps down the base path. I came up with a very confident “foul” call. Lenny took exception, as a fair call would have resulted in an easy out. When he came out to argue I told him that I had a foul ball, and that pretty much ended the play. He said, “So you have to stick with the call, even if you’re wrong?”
“That’s pretty much the way it works in this case, yeah.” I didn’t admit to being wrong, but I was right – a foul call ends everything. He walked away puzzled, but that closed everything down. As it turns out the next pitch was strike three anyway so it didn’t matter! I guess it’s true what they say – ball don’t lie.
As we walked off the field the three of us chatted excitedly about our afternoon on the field. Cory found out that he was being submitted by his group for the state championships and was exuberant. Kim and I congratulated him.
For Kim’s part, he confided in me that he was thinking of taking the retirement path as well. We all come to that point where we concern ourselves that we can’t keep up with the game. I’ve seen over the years many an umpire who “outlives his shelf life.” Watching Kim in action, however, was enough to let me know that he had plenty more gas in the tank. His active lifestyle easily bought him several more years, and I encouraged him to keep at it. He was grateful for the support.
Another great stop complete. My loop through the east is almost through. I packed up my trailer to get ready for my final stop – trading the city for the small farm community. It should be fun.
