Behind The Mask Blog

Sometimes the baseball world feels a lot smaller than it should.

Last month, 307 Umpires board member Mike Knipper was in Omaha, Nebraska, attending the College World Series with his family. One evening after returning from a game, Mike and his son stopped by the hotel bar, where several youth baseball coaches were gathered, sharing stories and talking baseball.

As Mike visited with the coaches, he noticed his son had wandered off. Looking across the room, he found him sitting on a couch talking baseball with another coach. That coach was Matt Ebert from Greenville, South Carolina.

Before long, Matt and Mike's son had joined the group at the bar, and the conversation naturally turned to youth baseball and umpiring. Mike mentioned his involvement with 307 Umpires and even pulled up the association's website for the coaches to see. The group was impressed with what they saw and interested in what 307 Umpires is building here in Wyoming.

During the conversation, Matt mentioned that his 12U team would be traveling to Cooperstown Dreams Park in New York at the end of July. Like all teams attending Cooperstown, they were required to bring an umpire for the week and were still looking for someone to fill that role.

The evening wrapped up, contact information was exchanged, and everyone went their separate ways. As the days passed, Mike wasn't entirely sure whether the late-night conversation would lead anywhere.

Then an email arrived.

Matt had reached out directly to 307 Umpires, hoping to reconnect with Mike and see if someone from the association might be interested in the opportunity.

Ironically, that same day Mike received an invitation to work the Wyoming AA Legion State Tournament—one of the premier assignments available to Wyoming umpires. Unfortunately, the tournament falls on the same weekend as Cooperstown, making the trip impossible for him.

Word quickly spread throughout the association.

As one of the few members with summers off, I immediately became interested. Like many baseball fans, I'd heard stories about Cooperstown Dreams Park for years. Growing up, I was fortunate to play in some incredible tournaments, including the CABA World Series in Iowa and Mountain Magic in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Yet Cooperstown has always seemed different—a bucket-list baseball destination unlike any other.

After speaking with Matt on the phone, it became clear why. What started as a quick introduction turned into a 30-minute conversation about baseball, Cooperstown, and what the week would look like. Matt couldn't have been more welcoming.

A few days later, I was booking flights, researching rental cars, and preparing for a baseball adventure I never expected to have.

As if the opportunity wasn't special enough, the week I'll be in Cooperstown also happens to be Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

As a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, that felt like fate.

My dad was born and raised in Georgia, so Braves games on TBS were a regular part of my childhood. This year's Hall of Fame class includes Andruw Jones, one of the greatest center fielders in baseball history and a cornerstone of those late-1990s and early-2000s Braves teams.

For a baseball fan, an umpire, and someone who grew up watching those Braves teams, it felt like a sign.

Sometimes all it takes is a conversation between strangers in a hotel bar to create an opportunity you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Editor's Note: Colby will be traveling to Cooperstown Dreams Park in late July to umpire for a team from Greenville, South Carolina. Follow 307 Umpires on social media for updates from Cooperstown and Hall of Fame Weekend.