Several generations of baseball players went through the sport in Victoria with Doug Hudlin calling the strikes and balls behind the plate.
Hudlin, the first non-American to twice umpire at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., died Jan. 5 at age 91.
Hudlin umpired games on the Island for more than 40 years.
Yet it was a less than stellar start for what became a legendary career. A former softball player, Hudlin umpired his first baseball game in 1954 but called the softball lead-off rule to confuse both players and fans alike. He said he went home that night and read the baseball rule book cover to cover.
And he learned it well.
He called thousands of local games and umpired at the Little League World Series in Williamsport in 1967 and 1974, the same year Vic West-Esquimalt advanced as Canadian champions. He also umpired twice at the Senior Little League World Series in Gary, Ind.
Hudlin's warmth emanated from behind the mask. He was always encouraging and had great empathy for the young players.
“In Little League, you’re the umpire and the coach at the same time,” Hudlin once said.
“You help and guide youngsters along … that’s part of an umpire’s job at that level.”
A third-generation Islander, his family came to Victoria from the U.S. in 1858.
The first players Hudlin umpired later had children and grandchildren he also umpired. In later years, he could not walk through local malls without being stopped by former players who remembered him fondly from the various local leagues.
Hudlin was inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, B.C. Baseball Hall of Fame and was made a life member of the B.C. Baseball Umpires Association.
A celebration of Hudlin’s life will be held today at 1 p.m. at Sands.
