Play ball.
There’s no telling how many times Terry Maupins has given that command. The fork lifter by trade has been umpiring Little League, adult softball and everything in between around metro Atlanta going on three decades. This spring, you’ll find him calling games at Adams Park in Kennesaw. You won’t have trouble figuring out who he is. Known as the “animated umpire,” Maupins has quite the flare for calling ballplayers safe — or out. “I have had a couple of parents say, ‘You are too into the game,’” Maupins said. “But I think the players flat out love me. Everybody has a good time on my field.”
Q: How did you get into umpiring?
A: I played semi-pro basketball and football. Then I moved to Atlanta from Cincinnati, Ohio, because this was about the only place in the country where there were any jobs at the time. I met a guy at a community center who asked if I wanted to umpire and I’ve been doing it ever since.
Q: After all these years, do you still get excited when opening day rolls around?
A: I am always excited. Everybody is excited. You can’t help but feel the emotion.
Q: How do you view your job?
A: To call it as I see it. Everyone wants an umpire who calls it both ways and is consistent and I try to do that. I also want to make sure everyone leaves unhurt and having had a good experience.
Q: Do you cut the little kids some slack?
A: Most umpires do that. To me, if you help the batter, are you cheating the pitcher? And if you help the pitcher, are you cheating the batter? Sometimes, I will tell the pitcher to bring the ball down but I do it so that the batter will hear me, too. Once kids get to 11 or 12, there is no telling them anything.
Q: How do you handle backtalk from players?
A: Teenage girls are the worst. I tell them, “I am not your daddy or your momma and I’m not going to put up with it.” If they keep on, I talk to the coach. I am not here to throw people out of the game. But I will not tolerate a bigger player bullying a smaller one. Mostly, I have fun with the players and they generally defend me.
Q: What about grief from coaches and parents?
A: I have been doing this a long time and the craft is about having a good rapport with people. I joke with the parents. If I call a little girl out and she says, “You blew that one,” I say, “Yes ma’am. I’ll be better next time.” At the beginning of the game, I tell coaches: “For there to be a winner, you have to have a loser. If you can’t accept that, you probably should pack yourself up and leave.”
Q: So you are able to tune people from the stands out?
A: That is part of the job. I’ve had people come up to the backstop and try to give me their glasses. I tell them, “I got a pair in my bag.” I don’t let that kind of stuff upset me.
Q: Have you ever been threatened?
A: Not in softball. I’m a body builder and in pretty good shape.
Q: How is the money in umpiring?
A: You can’t make a living off of it. High school pays the most. In rec, we get paid $30 a game and say it lasts two hours. That’s $15 an hour.
Q: What do get out of umpiring?
A: It is giving back. Educating the players. I tell some players, “Whatever you do, don’t drop out of school.” They’ll look at me and say, “Say what?”
Q: What gives you the most joy in umpiring?
A: No matter the age, there is that little kid in everyone. When someone gets on first base, it is like they hit a grand slam. I love that. It tells me they are having a good time.
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