Baseball Victoria has been saddened to learn of the passing of Life Member (1988) Barry Smith.
A lifelong fan of the game, by his own admission, Barry wasn’t the most athletically gifted player and so chose to take up umpiring at a time when most of the game’s top umpires were retired players.
Barry worked extremely hard to improve his knowledge on all facets of the game and it was rare to spot him without a copy of his ‘umpiring bible’, a book called Knotty Problems where American umpires provide detailed interpretations and explanations based on actual situations that had occurred in Major League games.
Behind the plate, Barry was a strong believer in the importance of consistency in calling balls and strikes. He was well known for a very tight strike zone and rarely called a strike above the belt. In line with the American interpretation Barry’s zone was much tighter than the usual zone prevailing at that time. But if Barry’s zone was tight at the start of the game it remained tight for the whole game. Breaking ball pitchers in particular usually struggled to find an edge but on the other hand, hitters knew where they stood and could confidently leave a close one without the fear of being rung up. Always honest, he was occasionally known to say “I might have missed that one” but he continued to call them as he saw them.
His commitment and dedication to becoming the best possible umpire he could be was evident from the start and he quickly moved through to becoming one of the top umpires in Victoria and Australia, officiating at all the top levels of competition.
During the 1970’s there was seasonal meetings between Umpires and the Senior Club Coaches/Managers with the objective of strengthening the relationships and to communicate the changes to the rules or their interpretation. Towards the end of the serious discussion covering the changes for the coming season, management of on field disputes, overly aggressive take out slides, Barry would always be asked to demonstrate the technical boundaries between legal and illegal pitching moves, such as quick pitches and in particular the lefthanders pick off to first base. It is fair to say Barry’s performances became legendary.
After his retirement from active involvement as an umpire and administrator of the game, he continued to pursue his passion for the game working closely with the late Graeme Ainscough and others on the Legacy Committee charged with the responsibility of collecting documents and recording the history of the Game in Victoria.
Barry’s umpiring career extended over more than three decades and Barry’s active involvement off the field extended over five decades. The there is no doubt that the “Beatle” made a lasting and very positive contribution to improving the professionalism and standard of umpiring in Victoria and Australian Baseball.
The Game and Victorian Baseball in particular has lost a great fan and he will be sadly missed.
FUNERAL DETAILS
Tuesday 12 September, 7.00PM
St Mary’s Anglican Church
428 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Originally penned by John Ferguson.
Comments --