Out or safe: Gumm makes the call

You’re out! Local umpire Ed Gumm makes a strike-three call during a Graceland University game. Gumm also umpires at the high school level, which is where he started in 1997, in addition to calling games for teams belonging to NCAA’s Division II and the NAIA. He also umpires several times a season for both the Clarinda A’s and the St. Joseph Mustangs.

Attend any spring high school or summer MINK League baseball game, and odds are good you will see Maryville native Ed Gumm working as a member of the third team on the field — the umpiring crew.

Gumm’s umpiring work with the Clarinda A’s earned him a spot in the A’s Hall of Fame in 2010, an honor he shares with the likes of former St. Louis Cardinal great Ozzie Smith.

Gumm was an outstanding pitcher and infielder growing up in Maryville, where he was a three-sport athlete at Maryville High School. After graduating, Gumm got married, earned a degree from Northwest Missouri State University, began raising a family, and became a business owner. Through all of that, Gumm put his love of baseball to the side.

“After I finished playing, I really didn’t have much to do with baseball,” Gumm said. “I got involved in raising a family and owning a business.”

In 1997, two area umpires convinced Gumm that umpiring was something he should try, and in doing so Gumm rediscovered his love of the game.

“Lee Miller and Terry Barmann were both very involved in umpiring here in the area.” Gumm said. “They talked me into getting certified and giving it a try.

“I had umpired some for my parent’s softball teams as a teenager (Gumm’s parents, George and Virginia Gumm, coached the highly successful Citizen’s State Bank softball team for several years), and I umpired some while working for Maryville Parka & Rec in high school, but I had never thought about doing it again until Lee and Terry encouraged me to give it a try.”

Gumm started umpiring at the high school level in 1997, and would also umpire any time he had the chance in summer leagues in order to gain experience.

“When I would work with Lee or Terry, I would ask a lot of questions both before and after games,” Gumm said. “And most importantly, I listened to their answers and I learned. You have to know the rule book from cover to cover, but experience is the thing that allows you to apply those rules correctly in the heat of the moment.”

Gumm has found that in order to have a successful umpiring career, an individual must possess some unique personality attributes.

“You have to be willing to put yourself out there.” Gumm said. “There are times when you’re going to do something embarrassing, and you’re going to miss an occasional call, and you have to be willing to take what comes with that without losing confidence in yourself and your ability.”

Gumm umpired one Clarinda A’s game in 1997, and has worked 12-15 home dates a season for the team ever since. In addition, for several seasons, Gumm hired and coordinated umpires for both the A’s and the St. Joseph Mustangs. Umpiring at that level gave Gumm invaluable experience.

“At that level, you need to have some confidence in yourself or they will eat you alive.” Gumm said. “You have Division I kids coming to play for the summer, and some of them come with an attitude. They will question almost every call, and if you don’t stop it quickly, you will be in for a long night.

“For several years, I had problems finding umpires for the A’s and Mustangs because I would take good umpires with me to work those games, and they just didn’t like doing it.”

Gumm began scheduling and coordinating softball and baseball umpires in 2002 when he took over those duties for the Northwest Missouri Officials Association.

“Bob Lade schedules the officials for football and basketball,” Gumm said. “I do the same for baseball and softball umpires. We have 22 schools who contact us for softball umpires and 20 for baseball umpires, so we are always looking for interested people who would like to umpire.”

His spot in the Clarinda A’s Hall of Fame remains a big honor for Gumm. It’s especially impressive considering that 2014 marks the A’s 60th year as a team, and Gumm is in the hall with some sterling company.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be included in that group.” Gumm said. “There have been so many great players play there, and I have such respect for Merle (Eberly, long-time general manager/manager of the team) and what he’s done for Clarinda and baseball in general. They have quite a long, successful history, and to be part of that is special.”

Gumm has lightened his umpiring schedule this summer, and while he’s not sure how long he wants to continue umpiring, he still enjoys it.

“My goal continues to be if coaches see me coming on the field to umpire, they feel like the game is in good hands.” Gumm said. “As long as I feel I can live up to that, I will most likely continue.”