“As a part of the Little League organization, member of the Scappoose community and most importantly, a father, safety, above all else, is my most important area of focus. As players, coaches, and spectating families and friends, there are a few key areas that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds when we interact with each other at the ball field:
Safety. This, as stated before, is our most important factor we must take into consideration when making decisions. Each rule, as silly as some could seem, have been placed in the rule book for a reason. As such, we’re dedicated to following all rules set forth by Little League. Our umpires are dedicated to providing a safe environment for our kids to learn the game of baseball.
Learning. It is our main goal as an organization to create a safe space for kids to learn baseball. Most of our umpires are baseball players themselves, and as such have a great amount of knowledge to share. We encourage our umpires to assist in helping coaches keep players focused and ready to learn. You may see an umpire directing a player to step out of the box and check in with their coach or even calling time for coaches to teach after an error. This is a part of little league, we always need to remember these kids are here to compete, but most importantly here to learn.
Fun. Parents, coaches and players are expected to maintain respect towards each other and their umpires. The easiest and fastest way to take the fun out of baseball is to start disrespecting each other. Baseball is meant to be fun. We are dedicated to maintaining a fun environment for the kids. Unfortunately, there may be instances where competition gets the best of parents or players, respect must be maintained through any frustration. Remember, our umpires are humans and will not be perfect out there!
Be good to each other out there. Go Indians!”
-Nate Peterson, Umpire In Chief, Scappoose Little League