For the love of the game: Father-son umpires teach importance of sportsmanship

Ideal quality time for Doug Van Vorhis and his son Avery is typically spent during a day at the ball field, but not as spectator.

This time of year, the father-son duo are found calling strikes and outs at little league baseball games for the Plano Sports Authority. However, the two umpires pride themselves in doing more than just keeping the count; they are teachers for these young athletes and overall keepers of the peace, as well.

"I just really enjoy baseball and umpiring is a lot of fun," Doug said. "We're working together, it's different than just going fishing. There's a lot of responsibility to do our job right. If I do a game without Avery everyone always asks, 'where's Avery?' He's a better umpire than I am."

Doug started umpiring for the PSA about six years ago after having coached the sport for 10 years. Umpiring has become the best way to be involved in the sport, as it removes all competitiveness while giving you the best seat in the house, he said.

Avery joined his father two years ago and, thanks to his father's direction and guidance, has become Doug's right-hand-man in the outfield.

"My dad taught me how to be louder and more direct," said Avery, 14. "I like getting to talk to all these kids, tell them about the good play they made and things like that."

The experience has helped boost Avery's confidence, something both he and his father say is key to being a good umpire. On the way home, the two get to recap the events of the day and relay ways to improve their two-man team. An avid ESPN watcher, Avery said the time spent with his dad has motivated him to think about possibly pursuing a career in sports journalism.

"I am very proud of how good an umpire Avery has become over the past four seasons," Doug said. "He really pays close attention to everything going on in the baseball game and he takes great pride in doing a good job making decisions. He really loves the game of baseball and spends a lot of time of watching games and reading the rules book."

As head of the umpire's association through Plano Sports Authority, Bill Belshaw said the idea of encouraging father/son/daughter umpiring teams was born from the PSA's board of directors a few years ago, something Doug took on immediately with Avery. As the pair became more experienced, they moved up with the now third grade kid pitch team, the Rangers, Belshaw said. This allowed Doug to continue mentoring the same group of kids from behind the plate.

"He understands that it's not just about being an umpire but really about teaching these kids the game," Belshaw said. "It's not just calling a boy out but explaining to them what happened and why this happened."

In addition to Doug's educational aspects, he and his son have also have a knack for keeping games under control when they have the potential to be volatile, Belshaw said.

"They remind the coaches that we are all here to learn about the game we all love, and that the number one thing is to have fun," he said. "I've never seen [Doug] lose his temper ever, and we've been in some heated battles. The kids have really good sportsmanship and I think that's a direct result of Doug's influence."

Marge Polito's 9-year-old son, Garrett, plays for the Rangers and said Doug and Avery have had a tremendous influence on the players by helping them learn the game with each call since they began playing for PSA in kindergarten.

"They work together as a team and it's very special," Polito said. "It makes you feel like you're at a professional baseball game sometimes when he's out there with Avery."

Coming from a mom who has heard stories about parents brawling in the stands and coaches "who are jerks" to their players, not to mention parents, Polito said through his love of of the game and for the kids playing, Doug's presence on the field alone is enough to discourage such behavior.

"He teaches everyone a little something about baseball along the way, every season," Polito said. "He's that calming force that's there but yet he knows what he's doing and it's really appreciated. The parents are actually relieved when they find out that he's going to ump their game. He's never condescending; he is just, quite frankly, a pleasure to work with."

While every decision he and his son make lends to at least one person always disagreeing with their call, Doug said he tries his best but isn't too proud to admit when he made a mistake. Perhaps those whom he has grown to have a deep appreciation for are the grandparents, who Doug say really watch the game, understand the rules and are very passionate about their grandchild's game.

"Grandparents will wait until the play settles down and things have quieted down and then I will hear a clear and polite voice say, 'Blue you missed that call,'" Doug said. "When a grandparent says I missed a call I know I truly missed the call. I love it when grandparents come to watch their grandson's game. I have gotten to know a lot of the grandparents and they bring a wonderful perspective to life and the game of baseball."

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