Published Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Cheap Seats
By Jeremy Darnell
Times-News Staff Writer
Gambill inducted into Youth Hall of Fame
By day, Mal Gambill serves as president of the Gambill Insurance Agency in downtown Hendersonville.
His side job is just a little different.
It doesn’t involve premiums and deductibles. Instead, this pursuit involves balls and strikes.
Gambill, 56, began umpiring youth baseball games as a 16-year-old. Though he has called numerous contests, from Babe Ruth League and USSSA to Little League, the highlight of Gambill’s moonlighting career occurred earlier this month.
The Hendersonville resident was sponsored by the Southeastern Bobcats 12U baseball team and accompanied the squad to the Cooperstown Dreams Park National Invitational Tournament held July 5-10 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“It was an experience I will never forget,” said Gambill. “There were 76 umpires there from all over and we all got inducted into the Youth Baseball Hall of Fame on July 10.”
The tournament, featuring 98 teams and over 1,500 players from the U.S. and Canada, couldn’t be held in a more picturesque and suitable setting.
Cooperstown, an idyllic village that houses the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is the very center of the baseball universe.
“It was my first time in Cooperstown which was great,” Gambill said, “and I drove up there and umpired 10 games.”
The umpires, each sponsored by a visiting team, are housed in barracks. The close quarters allow the participating umpires to mingle.
“The barracks had no air conditioning and you are in there with a dozen guys from all over the country,” Gambill laughed. “But it’s a great experience to meet so many people and associate with guys from all walks of life — from prison guards, to business owners like myself, to truck drivers.
“There’s a wide array of guys but all have a significant background umpiring youth baseball.”
The Cooperstown Dreams complex consists of 22 fields, but Gambill felt lucky to be stationed on Field No. 1, one of 10 fields to feature a live Web cam, for most of his contests.
Gambill noted the excellence of play.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “Kids up there, I could look them straight in the eye and I’m 6 feet, 2 inches.
“The quality of play is far beyond what you see locally because these players come from all over the country.”
Gambill’s vast experience paid off when he was selected as crew chief for a batch of games on July 9 on the championship field.
“I submitted a resume with my background, my umpiring experience and that sort of thing,” he said. “Luckily I got a chance to serve as a crew chief.”
The memories the tournament provided will last forever, Gambill said.
“This is a volunteer effort. We don’t get paid. It’s the honor and prestige of going up there in a setting like that in a national tournament that brings the guys to the event.
“I have already been invited to go back next year, and I will definitely be going again.
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