I never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes. — Leo Durocher
Whenever you have a tight situation and there's a close pitch, the umpire gets a squawk no matter how he calls it. — Red Barber
The job of arguing with the umpire belongs to the manager, because it won't hurt the team if he gets thrown out of the game. — Earl Weaver
Referees are the law. They have a whistle. They blow it. And that whistle is the articulation of God's justice. — Harold Pinter
It's a game of integrity. There's no referees out there. We all respect each other. — Jordan Spieth
That guy in a twenty-five cent bleacher seat is as much entitled to know a call as the guy in the boxes. He can see my arm signal even if he can't hear my voice. — Bill Klem
Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off. — Bill Veeck
There's nothing better than a good, blind referee. — Bobby Heenan
In the olden days, the umpire didn't have to take any courses in mind reading. The pitcher told you he was going to throw at you. — Leo Durocher
You don't notice the referee during the game unless he makes a bad call. — Drew Curtis
The objective of a referee is not to get mentioned. I tell a lot of young referees that not being mentioned is king. If you can achieve that, that then it has been a pretty good game. — Alan Lewis
It always amazes me that spectators want to coach, coaches want to officiate, and officials just want to watch the game — Lou Holtz
We don't need refs, but I guess white guys need something to do. — Charles Barkley
Pitching is the art of instilling fear. — Sandy Koufax
Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing. — Warren Spahn
The third umpires should be changed as often as nappies and for the same reason. — Navjot Singh Sidhu
I am deeply saddened and shocked at the loss of umpire Wally Bell. — Joe Torre
The roughest thing I ever said to an umpire was, 'Are you sure?' — Rod Laver
I made a game effort to argue but two things were against me: the umpires and the rules. — Leo Durocher
An angry player can't argue with the back of an umpire who is walking away. — Bill Klem
Step outside the guidelines of the official umpires and make your own rules and your own reality. — Phil Ochs
Never wear a backward baseball cap to an interview unless applying for the job of umpire. — Casey Stengel
The umpire signals a bye with the air of a weary stalk — John Arlott
The best umpired game is the game in which the fans cannot recall the umpires who worked it. — Bill Klem
Umpiring Quotes
When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner. — Baron de Montesquieu
What passes for investigative journalism is finding somebody with their pants down - literally or otherwise. — Robert Scheer
All you umpires, back to the bleachers. Referees, hit the showers. It's my game. I pitch, I hit, I catch. I run the bases. At sunset, I've won or lost. At sunrise, I'm out again, giving it the old try. — Ray Bradbury
Now that women are jockeys, baseball umpires, atomic scientists, and business executives, maybe someday they can master parallel parking. — Bill Vaughan
The trouble with me is that every match I play against five opponents: umpire, crowd, ball boys, court, and myself. — Goran Ivanisevic
Guilt says I've done something wrong; ... shame says there is something wrong with me. Guilt says I've made a mistake; ... shame says I am a mistake. Guilt says what did was not good; ... shame says I am no good. — John Bradshaw
Cricket is a most precarious profession; it is called a team game but, in fact, no one is so lonely as a batsman facing a bowler supported by ten fieldsmen and observed by two umpires to ensure that his error does not go unpunished. — John Arlott
Once women are not excluded, I don't think any of us will give a damn what pronouns are used. That wasn't the point. — Holly Near
The umpire... is like the geyser in the bathroom; we cannot do without it, yet we notice it only when it is out of order. — Neville Cardus
The existence of a free market does not of course eliminate the need for government. On the contrary, government is essential both as a forum for determining the "rule of the game" and as an umpire to interpret and enforce the rules decided on. — Milton Friedman
Let's face it. Umpiring is not an easy or happy way to make a living. In the abuse they suffer, and the pay they get for it, you see an imbalance that can only be explained by their need to stay close to a game they can't resist. — Bob Uecker
Once when the Yankee's Lou Pinella was batting he questioned a Palermo strike call. Pinella demanded, "Where was that pitch at?" Palermo told him that a man wearing Yankee pinstripes in front of 30,000 people should not end a sentence with a preposition. So Pinella, no dummy, said, "OK, where was that pitch at, asshole?" — George Will
Chaos umpire sits And by decision more embroils the fray by which he reigns: next him high arbiter Chance governs all. — John Milton
You can almost judge how screwed up somebody is by the kind of toilet paper they use. Go in any rich house and it's some weird coloured embossed stuff. — Don Van Vliet
There once was an umpire whose vision Was cause for abuse and derision He remarked in surprise, 'Why pick on my eyes? It's my heart that dictates my decision.' — Ogden Nash
I mean people up here aren't stupid, I'm lower gene pool and I kind of sit in amazement at watching some of them because they are pretty damn smart. — Doug Ose
Salary arbitration is probably in place - was put in place then and probably is in place now - because I supported it. — Bowie Kuhn
In sport, part of the game is accepting the umpire's call, no matter how hard that might be. Sometimes the calls go your way, and sometimes they don't. — Dot Richardson
If custom is to avail for proof of soundness, we too, surely, may advance our prevailing custom; and if they reject this, we are surely not bound to follow theirs. Let the inspired Scripture, then, be our umpire, and the vote of truth will surely be given to those whose dogmas are found to agree with the Divine words. — Gregory of Nyssa
I'm a little too belligerent. I cuss and swear at people. I yell at umpires and maybe I'm a little to tough at home sometimes. I don't sign as many autographs as I should and I haven't always been that good with writers. — Thurman Munson
We talked to the referees before the game; there's always new situations to adjust, for the refs and for us as well. Even on the ice, it's good for players to talk and interact with the referee. — Peter Bondra
Umpire Harold Bird, having a wonderful time, signalling everything in the world, including stopping traffic coming on from behind. — John Arlott
Some have said that I can accept inadequacies in my players but not in umpires. That completely misses the point. I can't tolerate anyone's mistake. — Earl Weaver
And I will place within them as a guide My umpire conscience, whom if they will hear Light after light well used they shall attain, And to the end persisting, safe arrive. — John Milton
Umpiring is best described as the profession of standing between two seven-year olds with one ice cream cone. — Ron Luciano
Now, I don't know how they judge all that, but if anybody in the world deserves to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ritchie Valens does. — Waylon Jennings
Umpires, like players, are expected to show constant improvement each season and at each level. Inconsistent plate work and the inability to handle situations are probably the two biggest problems that minor league umpires face. — Jim Evans
We often imagine that the court serves as a sort of neutral umpire controlling the warring political branches. But this is mostly myth. The justices of the Supreme Court are themselves actors in the struggle for power, and when they intervene, they think carefully about how their decisions will affect the courts own legitimacy and authority. — Noah Feldman
It's so worth-while being a judge, because, if I make good, I can help prove that a woman's place is as much on the bench, in City Council, or in Congress, as in the home. — Florence Ellinwood Allen
I think umpires have too much power, without any system of checks and balances and the more money a player makes, the more the umpire tries to show off that power to him. Unfortunately, since I signed my contract my strike zone has suddenly become a lot larger. — Ozzie Smith
Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile. — Christy Mathewson
Minor league umpires are evaluated in their respective leagues each year and rated numerically. This enables umpires to know where they stand and helps them make prudent career decisions. — Jim Evans
Our students learn more in 30 days than one could learn in 30 years without our training. To really maximize your potential as an umpire, you need to get a solid foundation as soon as you can. — Jim Evans
In Conclusion
Which quotation resonated with you best? Did you enjoy our collection of umpiring quotes? Or may be you have a slogan about umpiring to suggest. Let us know using our contact form.
Citation
Feel free to cite and use any of the quotes in this collection of umpiring quotations. For popular citation styles(APA, Chicago, MLA), please use this citation page.
