Joe Brinkman School SI Issue

[markbarron]

anyone out there remember the date of the Sports Illustrated feature article about the Joe Brinkman Umpire School? I'm thinking late 70's??? thanks

[Majordave]

http://www.mplsobserver.com/node/31

"08/07/05 It Ain't So, Joe! By Paul Froiland
Twenty-five years ago I wrote a story for a national magazine on Major League Baseball’s umpire school in San Bernardino, California, which was owned and run by Joe Brinkman, an American League umpire who recently made his last visit to the Metrodome before he retires next year."

It appears that it was written in 1980. SI.com has a vault page but the search feature won't work for me.

Good luck. If you find it in electronic form please post the link or PM me. I would like to read it. A lot of umpires I respect went to that school.

[Wharf_Rat]

As they say on the radio...Long time listener, first time caller...Is this what you were looking for Mark.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121836/index.htm

And they say you can't be productive sitting in a cube in the corporate world!

[markbarron]

Wharf_Rat,

That is the exact article I was looking for, thank you very kindly.

Much appreciated,
Mark

[Majordave]

Computer research skills are not given enough credit in my book. But I teach HS so my opinion is expected. Thanks for the link. I could not get the search feature of the SI.com site to work yesterday. Kept getting an error, page not found message.

I guess this means there are two articles about Brinkman school per the link I found from the Minnesota author. Let's see if we can find that one. The only two other national sports magazines I remember from that time were SPORT and The Sporting News. Haven't looked for them yet.

Great job. Good article. It was inspiring to me and apparently several others. I particularly like the references to boot camp. See the profiles on MLB.com of some of the current umpires. At least one mentions that article.

[lawump]

I'm still a proud graduate of the weakest class ever to go through the Brinkman and/or Brinkman/Froemming umpire school!!!

[Tim_C]

As I am too . . . the 1982 (San Berdo) class was named the worst class ever in the history (to that time) of the Brinkman School. McSherry, Bremigan, Darling, Kaplan and Whitehead said they had never seen a more sorry group.

Regards,

[lawump]

I'll put '82 up against '97. Losers take all!

[Stan W.]

Great article!...........would be nice to know what levels if any, the students are umpiring at now.....

In 1982, a few fellow umpires and I all wanted to go to pro school.........but none of us had the money to go..........back then I paid rent and groceries out of my umpiring fees..........

I was asked recently what I would do if I hit the lottery..........well........of course.............I'd go to Evans...........at my age and responsiblity level, not for any shot at a pro job, but to have that level of training..........since thats not likely to happen, I will just ave to settle for my local clinics and hopefully a trip to the Evans classic.........

[BT_Blue]

why oh why cant it still be here in California? San Bernadino is hotter than a dogs arse but still. Its much closer for me than central florida.

[ump32]

Its now been 12 years (1996) since it graduated B/F and I can still close my eyes and remember the goods times I had....

[lawump]

Its now been 12 years (1996) since it graduated B/F and I can still close my eyes and remember the goods times I had....

We probably had a few classmates in common since I had a few second year guys in my class in '97.

[Statman]

How many people where in that 1997 class? How many got jobs? I heard the last year for BF had like 40 people..1998 I think. Evans 94 only had 56. We hustled...lol...

[lawump]

I can't remember how many went in '97...Probably around 60 or so. 13 went to UDP (PBUC), 11 got jobs.

[gt25ump]

I counted 73 bodies, in my "Class of '97" photo, from the Brinkman-Froemming Umpire School. I was thinking that 14-15 were chosen to move on. No offense to my buddy and former college partner, Brad Cole (who was one of those that made the cut), that was NOT a very strong class, that's for sure!!! And alot of questions over the ones that were chosen, but I'm sure that happens every year, at every school.