The Umpire

Tim Hewitt and Tom Black were young teenagers who loved to play baseball. Their playing was limited to sand-lot baseball games in Vineland, New Jersey, because they couldn't afford the fees and travel expenses of an organized team. The two boys were introduced to a spectator, who eventually became a self-proclaimed umpire. The umpire was John Roberts, a retired US Army colonel. The umpire did not call balls and strikes. Rather, he called good and bad, and as a mentor, he guided the boys in ...