From left; Bill Sherry, Bill DIthrich, Bill Otto, and Bill Agnew. PIAA Class 3A Baseball State Championship game between. Riverside High School and Camp Hill High School . June 15, 2023 at Penn State University, Photo courtesy of Bill Sherry.
How many Bills does it take to officiate a state championship baseball game?
Four.
At least that's how many it took to officiate the Riverside versus Camp Hill Class 3A finals when Bill Dithrich, Bill Otto, Bill Agnew and Bill Sherry handled the duties at Penn State University last month.
All four Bills are from Crawford County and they drew one of the most imprint games of the year. Dittrich of Meadville was behind the plate, Otto of Conneaut Lake at first; Agnew of Linesville at second and Sherry, also of Conneaut Lake, was at third. All have been officiating for decades. "We don't know if this has ever happened before," Dithrich said.
"Our game was relatively straightforward. None of us had any calls that could even be considered close," Sherry said. "The pitchers had good control and Dithrich kept ringing up strikes."
The game was scoreless through four when Riverside got on the board and then added three more the next inning and that was the difference.
"It was the kind of game that made the rest of the season, with rain, cold and sloppy fields, all worthwhile. Four old guys having fun on a nice day at Penn State." And they were all named Bill.
Four.
At least that's how many it took to officiate the Riverside versus Camp Hill Class 3A finals when Bill Dithrich, Bill Otto, Bill Agnew and Bill Sherry handled the duties at Penn State University last month.
All four Bills are from Crawford County and they drew one of the most imprint games of the year. Dittrich of Meadville was behind the plate, Otto of Conneaut Lake at first; Agnew of Linesville at second and Sherry, also of Conneaut Lake, was at third. All have been officiating for decades. "We don't know if this has ever happened before," Dithrich said.
"Our game was relatively straightforward. None of us had any calls that could even be considered close," Sherry said. "The pitchers had good control and Dithrich kept ringing up strikes."
The game was scoreless through four when Riverside got on the board and then added three more the next inning and that was the difference.
"It was the kind of game that made the rest of the season, with rain, cold and sloppy fields, all worthwhile. Four old guys having fun on a nice day at Penn State." And they were all named Bill.
A need for more Bills, or at least more officials
Bill or William was a pretty popular name back in the late 1800s when baseball was cutting its teeth as an Americana pastime. It remained a pretty popular name up until the mid-60s when it began towards a steady decline, according to a few baby name websites. A few spikes here and there but, according to nameberry.com "Most Bills today are usually dads or grandpas. The younger Williams are usually nicknamed Will."
So given this information and the story above, maybe it's because no one is nicknaming their kids Bill anymore that we also have an umpire shortage. The four Bills above are all over (ahem) 50 and at least one is into their 70s.
Officials in many of the youth sports are older overall and more are retiring than are getting involved.
"In the PIAA District 10 and all across the state, especially in rural areas, there is a critical need for all sorts of officials," said Sherry, who heads one of the local baseball and softball officials chapters in District 10.
"My group covers six schools with approximately 16 umpires."
He said his group works pretty well together but admits there are times they have to ask a school to postpone a game. "I've heard this has happened in other sports, particularly basketball," said Sherry, who also officiates that sport.
This past year Oil City athletic director Tim LeVan tried recruiting several young people to referee basketball with some success.
So given this information and the story above, maybe it's because no one is nicknaming their kids Bill anymore that we also have an umpire shortage. The four Bills above are all over (ahem) 50 and at least one is into their 70s.
Officials in many of the youth sports are older overall and more are retiring than are getting involved.
"In the PIAA District 10 and all across the state, especially in rural areas, there is a critical need for all sorts of officials," said Sherry, who heads one of the local baseball and softball officials chapters in District 10.
"My group covers six schools with approximately 16 umpires."
He said his group works pretty well together but admits there are times they have to ask a school to postpone a game. "I've heard this has happened in other sports, particularly basketball," said Sherry, who also officiates that sport.
This past year Oil City athletic director Tim LeVan tried recruiting several young people to referee basketball with some success.
"The PIAA has instituted a Junior Officials Program where 16-17-year-olds who have an interest in officiating can learn with the help of a mentor and officiate games at the ninth-grade level and below," Sherry said. "If this program had been around when I was in high school, I would have been in it. There is no age limit, as evidenced by the (four Bills mentioned in this story)."
Sherry said there are many who officiate several sports and depending on what one wants to officiate there are different paths.
"If someone is interested in umpiring Little League games, they should contact the local Little League to see if they have any kind of umpire system and then volunteer to help. Little League Baseball offers training online for rules and umpire mechanics and would be a good place to start for a novice umpire," Sherry said.
To become a PIAA official, a person must be 18 or older, pass an online rules test and join one of the local officials' chapters. "Some of our schools are beginning junior high or middle school baseball and softball programs. These provide a good place for novice officials to learn how to umpire. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of those programs yet," Sherry added.
Sherry said it does cost a little upfront, but it can become a nice supportive income, especially if the person is available to officiate multiple days a week.
There is a $40 fee to take the test and annual PIAA dues of $50 per sport plus the chapter dues. Pennsylvania requires officials to obtain clearances and these cost $100, but are good for five years. Sherry said the cost of an official's uniform varies by sport, but baseball and softball protective gear and uniforms can cost up to $500.
Sherry said most Little League officials volunteer, but some leagues pay. PIAA District 10 baseball and softball games pay $77 for varsity and $58 for junior varsity, which is considered taxable income.
"As you can see, there is a lot to consider and do to become a high school sports official," Sherry said. "Becoming a sports official while in college is a great idea. That's when I started. Extra money is always good for a college kid."
There are a handful of young people getting involved but they need a lot more, according to Sherry. "How crucial is the need for new people to get involved? It is extremely crucial," he said.
"We joke about the average age of our chapter and some of those old guys are going to retire in the next few years. We can’t seem to get younger people, male or female interested. One big reason some people don’t want to get into officiating is the abuse they may have to put up with (from parents and fans). That goes with the game. Officiating is not for the faint-hearted,' he said. "My advice for someone who may be interested in sports officiating is to seek out someone who is in the profession and have a talk with them. Find out all they can about what they’d have to do before taking that first step. Doing that first will give the person the foundation for a long career, just like the Four Bills."
Information about becoming a PIAA official can be found on the PIAA website a www.piaa.org. Application to become an official can be found at https://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/APPLICATION%20-%20REVISED%20-%20October%206%202022(1).pdf
Sherry said there are many who officiate several sports and depending on what one wants to officiate there are different paths.
"If someone is interested in umpiring Little League games, they should contact the local Little League to see if they have any kind of umpire system and then volunteer to help. Little League Baseball offers training online for rules and umpire mechanics and would be a good place to start for a novice umpire," Sherry said.
To become a PIAA official, a person must be 18 or older, pass an online rules test and join one of the local officials' chapters. "Some of our schools are beginning junior high or middle school baseball and softball programs. These provide a good place for novice officials to learn how to umpire. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of those programs yet," Sherry added.
Sherry said it does cost a little upfront, but it can become a nice supportive income, especially if the person is available to officiate multiple days a week.
There is a $40 fee to take the test and annual PIAA dues of $50 per sport plus the chapter dues. Pennsylvania requires officials to obtain clearances and these cost $100, but are good for five years. Sherry said the cost of an official's uniform varies by sport, but baseball and softball protective gear and uniforms can cost up to $500.
Sherry said most Little League officials volunteer, but some leagues pay. PIAA District 10 baseball and softball games pay $77 for varsity and $58 for junior varsity, which is considered taxable income.
"As you can see, there is a lot to consider and do to become a high school sports official," Sherry said. "Becoming a sports official while in college is a great idea. That's when I started. Extra money is always good for a college kid."
There are a handful of young people getting involved but they need a lot more, according to Sherry. "How crucial is the need for new people to get involved? It is extremely crucial," he said.
"We joke about the average age of our chapter and some of those old guys are going to retire in the next few years. We can’t seem to get younger people, male or female interested. One big reason some people don’t want to get into officiating is the abuse they may have to put up with (from parents and fans). That goes with the game. Officiating is not for the faint-hearted,' he said. "My advice for someone who may be interested in sports officiating is to seek out someone who is in the profession and have a talk with them. Find out all they can about what they’d have to do before taking that first step. Doing that first will give the person the foundation for a long career, just like the Four Bills."
Information about becoming a PIAA official can be found on the PIAA website a www.piaa.org. Application to become an official can be found at https://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/APPLICATION%20-%20REVISED%20-%20October%206%202022(1).pdf
Sometimes it is all in the family
Bill Sherry said that there are a growing number of multiple generations of the same family in officiating. Last year Titusville Principal Phil Knapp and his son Garrett, who was still in high school joined the chapter Sherry belongs to and runs. Garrett passed his test and he is currently a student at St. Vincent College.
Longtime official Scott Barak now has his son Wyatt officiating. The Brzaks are second and third generations as Scott's dad was a longtime official in Ohio.
This past winter three generations of Scott Walters officiated a basketball game together. The youngest Scott Walters just graduated high school in 2022.
(This story was updated to correct typos and grammar after the original publication.)
Longtime official Scott Barak now has his son Wyatt officiating. The Brzaks are second and third generations as Scott's dad was a longtime official in Ohio.
This past winter three generations of Scott Walters officiated a basketball game together. The youngest Scott Walters just graduated high school in 2022.
(This story was updated to correct typos and grammar after the original publication.)
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