STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT SEPT. 3, 2016:

 

When his son Josh aged out of the Little League program, Mike Cook wasn’t ready to give it all up. Having been a ball player himself – from Little League play up through Bridgeport High School – he decided to get into officiating for the sport. For two and a half decades, he has umpired at local Little League games, as well as regional tournaments. The whole time, he had his eye on the ultimate umpiring experience: Officiating at the Little League World Series.

 

This year he got that chance.

 

“It was more than I even expected,” said Cook, who officiated at more than a dozen games at the recent series in Williamsport, Pa. “It was just a great experience. It’s something every umpire wants to do. And because it’s a ‘one and done’ series, that puts you in the top one percent of umpires in the world, I guess.”

 

Cook, who received word in the spring that he had been selected as an umpire, knew going in that it would be the one and only time he would umpire at the series. He made the most of that golden opportunity, taking every detail in and doing his very best behind the plate or wherever he was positioned during a particular game.

 

“It is really a huge production and because ESPN and ABC are involved there is a lot going on behind the scenes,” he said. “There are probably 500 volunteers, plus the Little League organization and ESPN and ABC workers.”

 

From picking up trash to shuttling fans, people from all over the U.S. volunteered their services; many who volunteer on an annual basis, Cook said.

 

He and the 15 other umpires chosen for this year’s series underwent a great deal of specialized training, he explained.

 

“It was really more of a security issue because we would be doing TV interviews; learning how to act, what to say and what not to say,” he said. “And since it’s possible to review all of the plays, we were trained on how to react if your play is under review and how to react if your call is overturned.”

 

Fortunately, that wasn’t an issue for Cook as none of his calls were questioned. And though umpiring – as a general rule – fosters disagreements and grumbling from parents and other fans, that scenario really didn’t come into play at the series.

 

“There are just so many people. You don’t pay attention to that,” he said. “The stadium is so loud anyway. You just learn to tune all of that out.”

 

Although he has umpired hundreds of games, Cook said he expected to be nervous.

 

“If you’re not nervous, something is wrong,” said Cook who takes his position very seriously. “But once I got on the field, I was fine. After the first inning, it was just another ballgame. I tried not to look in the stands and see 20,000 people or thinking about millions watching on TV.”

 

It was a lot of fun to watch the players enjoy their moment of fame and interact with fans.

 

“They were treated like rock stars,” Cook said. “Everyone wanted their autographs and little girls were just bobbing around wanting their autographs.”

 

And when it came to keeping their cool under pressure, the young players were impressive.

 

“They were just kids. Sure they got nervous and if they lost, they got upset, but they handled themselves well,” he said.

 

Cook found out each day if he would be umpiring the following day and where he would be on the field. He was quite pleased that he was ultimately scheduled to call 13 games, including the championship game between New York and South Korea.

 

“That’s the ultimate. Everyone wants to be part of it,” he said. “It was nerve-wracking waiting on my name to be called. We sat in a meeting and they first announced umpires for the consolation game – for third and fourth places – and my name wasn’t in that group. Next, they announced umpires for the championship game. Once my name was announced, I really didn’t hear anything else.”

 

A group of four individuals organized umpires and were the group’s mentors during the series. Umpires were chosen for the championship game based on performance during games leading up to that point.

 

“It’s basically how you umpire during the tournament and it’s also based on if your region gets in that final game,” he said. “And that was close.”

 

Tennessee emerged the winning team from the southeast region, beating Bridgeport along the way. The team from Goodlettsvile, Tenn. Advanced all the way to the semifinals, falling 4-2 to New York. Had Tennessee made it to the championship game, Cook would not have been eligible to umpire that game. In fact, he couldn’t umpire any games in which Tennessee played.

 

New York emerged as Little League World Series champs, defeating South Korea 2-1. It was the United States’ first championship since 2011 and Cook was honored to be part of it. He was seen picking up some dirt from the field as the game ended. It’s an experience he will always treasure, he said.

 

In addition to that championship game, there were a few other highlights during the two-week series. Included was opening activities.

 

“They had a big parade that probably lasted four hours. The umpires rode part of the way and then we walked part of the way so we could interact with the people. They estimated there were around 10,000 people along the parade route,” Cook said. “From there we went to a picnic at Penn College where there were hamburgers and hotdogs. Johnny Bench was the speaker and that was a good time.”

 

Another definite highlight was umpiring the Challenger Division game between teams from Colorado and Pennsylvania.

 

“That was a real high point. All of the (Little League World Series) umpires were involved and we rotated around each base with every other batter,” he said. “We were all involved in our local Challenger leagues and it was nice.”

 

Challenger games create a totally different atmosphere, but are equally exhilarating. At that level of Challenger play, everyone is safe, but the excitement is definitely still there.

 

“A real part of their baseball experience is having an umpire show up in full uniform,” Cook said. “You just interact with the players and get high fives. Some even want to give you hugs.”

 

Cook has been involved with Bridgeport Challenger League, organized by Mike Martin, for several years.

 

The Little League World Series Challenger game was televised on ESPN 3.

 

The other highlight, Cook said, was making friends with 15 other umpires from around the world.

 

“This was a group of really strong umpires and we formed a lot of friendships, which I hope are lasting,” he said.

 

The officials first met during an orientation which was held three months prior to the series.

 

“We got to meet each other and spend about four days together as we went through different training classes, so when we showed up for the tournament, we already knew each other,” he said. “We all brought gifts for the others. Some guys gave out T-shirts. I had special red flags with all the umpires’ names, numbers and the Little League World Series logo on them.”

 

Those flags were created by Reep Graphics. Cook proudly wore the number 52, which was his Bridgeport High School football number.

“I’ve used that same number for about everything,” he said.

 

After his experience in Williamsport – the championship game taking place this past Sunday, Aug. 28 – Cook said he is indeed fulfilled as an umpire. What is his next dream?

 

“I’m thinking about applying to do some international stuff,” he said.

 

Cook has attended the Little League World Series for the past five or six years and plans to continue to go in the future. A regional sales manager for Kanawha Scales, he will continue to utilize his vacation for his umpiring adventures, which sometimes – like the Little League World Series – can also turn into family time.

 

His wife Lisa and children Molly and Josh and Josh’s girlfriend Mallory Sleeth attended the series.

 

“Lisa watched more baseball in a week than she ever has,” he said. “She was my biggest fan.”

 

All of them are.

 

“When you live with an umpire, you know how huge this was and what an honor it is. We were all so proud of Mike. He has worked many hours and many years to get to this point,” Lisa Cook said. “All the umpires work hard to get the chance to receive an invitation and then they know that only six out of 16 will be chosen for ‘the big game.’”

 

Both Mike and Lisa said they heard from people they hadn’t talked to in years, excited for the opportunity and following the series. Both graduated from BHS in 1979. Josh and Molly (Stoneking) are also BHS graduates, from the classes of 2004 and 2006, respectively.