Those from Wellington watching the 2009 College Baseball World Series may recognize a familiar face lurking in the background.
One of the men in blue is Darrin Sealey, a 1989 Wellington High School graduate.
Sealey is one of eight umpires officiating the Series this week in Omaha, Neb. Sealey is the son of Delgene (Sealey) Moore of Wellington.
"I'm having the time of my life," Sealey said. "I've been officiating college baseball for 15 years and this is a dream come true."
Well, to a degree, Sealey recants a little. He admits the pressure is also tremendous.
"You have 18 cameras on the field recording every play, and 5,000 college umpires watching you at home," Sealey said. "You try to be as close to perfect as possible. But, unfortunately, no one is perfect."
Sealey, who now resides in the Gettysburg, Pa. area, is an official for the Conference USA and Colonial Athletic Association. He was chosen to ump the Series based on the recommendation of four NCAA overseers and his past experience in umping regional and super-regional college baseball tournaments.
He is a bit of an anomaly in the Series. Umpires there usually are in their late 40s and early 50s. He is still in his late 30s, very young for college world series standards.
Hard to imagine now, but Sealey grew up in Wellington not even thinking about an umpiring career. The stint of his baseball experience came from playing Wellington Babe Ruth for the Lions under the direction of Louis McClure.
After graduating from WHS, he enrolled at Ottawa University. After a year there he left and moved in with his dad, who was living in West Virginia. He thought about joining the Marines but was unable to do so because of a bum knee. "I was looking in the newspaper and I noticed an ad for a summer baseball league needing umpires for 15-year-olds," Sealey said. "I decided to sign up."
Sealey had found his niche. He came in with no experience and learned from those around him. A year later he enrolled in umpire school in Wendelstedt Umpire School in Daytona, Fla. and he graduated second in his class out of 175 students. That accomplishment got him noticed and he immediately was hired on to ump minor league baseball. He was soon umping in Class A leagues like the Gulf Coast League, the Appalachian League and the South Atlantic League.
But by 1996, life on the road became weary and Sealey was looking for a job so he could stay home more.
A friend asked him if he would be willing to ump college baseball. The shorter season appealed to him and he took the job.
Today, Sealey umps college baseball from February through June, mostly on weekends. He currently works week days as a supervisor for a company called Mid Atlantic Officials, who trains aspiring umpires, and officials in other sports.
Sealey said umpiring can be a grind and is not for the meek. But with the economy slowing, it's a profession that is currently on the upswing.
"People see they can make $80 a night two or three nights a week and that's nice pocket change," he said.
Nevertheless the profession continues to be plagued by a dearth of young people.
"It's hard getting yelled at by the coaches, the players, and the fans," Sealey said. "I have 24,000 people in the stands this week, and I've got to pretend nobody is there."
But has the venom toward umpires changed for the worse throughout the years?
"Probably not," Sealey said. "I think it's the same. What you see today is more Internet postings, and ESPN highlights that amplify fans and coaches rude behavior. But for the most part, people have always been people throughout time."
Wellington, Kan. —
