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Young umpire has major league dreams |
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Nate Dentzau
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By Laura Christiansen
Staff Intern
Children often dream of growing up to be just like their role models, whether they be basketball stars, teachers or police officers. However common the dream, the reality is exceptional.
Nathan Dentzau, a senior at Minnechaug Regional High School, is on his way to living his childhood dream of professional umpiring.
"When I used to play [baseball], I always thought the umpires were cool. When you umpire baseball you don't win or lose, you go home with a pride that you've done a good job no matter what," he said.
Dentzau has been umpiring for five years. He began umpiring for Wilbraham Parks and Recreation when he was 13. At 15, he moved on to tri-town in Hampden and Wilbraham. He certified with John L. Sullivan Sandlot at 16. Most recently, at 17, Dentzau has become a certified umpire with the Western Massachusetts Baseball Umpires Association (WMBUA).
He is one of the youngest state certified umpires in the area.
"Baseball is different than any other sport. It doesn't revolve around finesse like other sports, which is part of the reason why I love it so much. The rules are designed around integrity and umpires strive to keep the integrity of the game. In basketball, coaches can argue every call a referee makes. In baseball, coaches are not permitted to argue a call. Arguing a call ruins the integrity of the game," Dentzau said.
State umpires are able to umpire varsity high school games. Dentzau is only eligible to work up to junior varsity because he is 17-years-old. In the past, Dentzau had only been able to do 12-year-old games and under.
"I am anxious to do my first high school game. It's going to be a big jump from doing 12 to 17-year-olds. In Little League, each association has its own rules. The play is much slower. With high school, the plays are faster and all high schools follow the same rules in Hampden County," Dentzau said.
"It's a whole different ball of wax. Everything is just a little bit faster. There is some peer pressure working with kids that are his age or a little bit younger," C.W. Zimmer, the assistant director at Wilbraham Parks and Recreation, said.
Dentzau feels that the atmosphere is going to stiffen up and become much more serious because high school games seem to be taken more seriously than those of Little League.
"With the older groups, games get more intense and I need to be on top of the game," he said.
High school games may be less complicated because the rules are all the same; however, there are greater risks when it comes to working with older kids. The pitcher can throw harder and faster, causing a greater injury risk for the umpire.
"I had a mild concussion last year. I had a foul ball to the jaw working the plate," Dentzau said.
If getting hit with a ball in the Little Leagues causes a mild concussion, the injuries for high school leagues could be even more hazardous.
Physical injuries aren't the only risks involved with umpiring; irate parents and frustrated coaches can be dangerous as well.
"Last year, a parent chased me out of the parking lot. I had their team four or five times last season and each time they lost. The last time I met with the team, two parents approached me and threatened to report me because they felt the calls were unfair. I do my job to the best of my abilities and some parents overlook that. I threw out their coach twice because he was persistently arguing judgment calls, which warrants an immediate ejection from the game," Dentzau said.
Having trouble with coaches, however, is not a common occurrence for Dentzau.
"Coaches [usually] respect me because I dress the part, I respect the game and I know mostly all the rules. When coaches have me during the game they know it will be a clean, easy game. Usually when I get a coach more than once, they know my name and are happy to have me. However, there is always the few that you cannot please," he said.
"I know he is well respected by the area coaches, who are obviously all adults. He carries himself well. He is very professional. He takes [his job] seriously, which is not usually expected from a 17-year-old," Zimmer said.
Dentzau buys all the required professional umpire gear. He doesn't ever show up to a game wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He takes baseball very seriously and believes coaches appreciate and respect that.
"He always handles himself well. He does a good job handling the game. Also to show you the kind of respect I have for him, Nate will be our team umpire at the Cooperstown DreamsPark tournament in August," Bill Wells, tournament director for Republican Sandlot Tournament and head coach of the Wilbraham Falcons ages 10-12 A-team, said.
"I have fought trying to umpire with coaches that are 30 years older than me and that don't know the rules. Sometimes it's hard for a person to accept that a younger person can know more than them in certain areas," Dentzau said.
Later on in life, Dentzau plans to take his love for baseball to the major leagues.
"I plan on going to professional umpire school in four years. If I graduate in the top 25 percent of the class, I will be put into the minor league farm system as an umpire," Dentzau said.
"He always wants to learn and work. As you can tell by his certifications, he wants to keep going with it and do the best he can," Zimmer said.
Dentzau does not plan to bank his entire future on umpiring. In the fall he will be attending American International College in Springfield, double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology.
"If professional umpiring does not work out, I plan on going into a career of law enforcement. Ever since I was in preschool, I always wanted to be a police officer. I want to help society and make it better and safer," Dentzau said.
If one childhood dream does not follow through, the other will be open for him.
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