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1-03-2007 Longtime area umpire Chet Collins died on Sunday at the age of 85. Collins umpired Cooperstown High School games for over 20 years, and umpired in the area for 38 years despite not becoming an umpire until the age of 40. He appeared at the end of the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own" but was known locally as much for his humor and love of the game as for his skill and longevity as an umpire. The following is a story which first appeared in the Town Crier in June of 1998 By Eric Ahlqvist Editor Now 35 years later, Collins is still going strong. Long retired from dairy farming, and his children all grown, he continues his labor of love. He said he umpired over 200 games in 1996, a career-high, and thousands during his career. He's been umpiring Cooperstown baseball for over 20 years, as well as many other area games. "I played baseball in the area all the time growing up, and I played town ball until I was 40," Collins said Saturday after umpiring a game at Doubleday Field. "My family was very supportive when I decided I wanted to umpire. The kids (three girls and three boys) helped out on the farm so I could go. I wanted to umpire because I just love baseball. "‘Baseball and bowling,' my wife says, ‘that's all you think about,'" Collins continued. "I told her, it's better than wine and women." Collins was one of 11 children growing up, and said he and his siblings were always playing baseball. His national claim to fame came in October of 1991 when part of the movie "A League of Their Own," about a women's professional baseball league during World War II, was filmed at Doubleday Field. "They were having auditions for an umpire, and (Doubleday Field groundskeeper) Joe (Harris) told me to come and try out," Collins said. "I came down on a Monday, but I got cold feet and left. I came back on a Wednesday and started telling the casting woman my credentials, but she stopped me and said I had the job." Collins appears in the movie at the end when the actual players come back to Cooperstown and play at Doubleday Field. He said he told the director that if the women played baseball for 10 years they must have had many arguments with the umpires. So a scene was shot where Collins calls a strike on a pitch that was probably a ball. In the ensuing argument, he ad libbed to the arguing batter "That pitch might have been a ball yesterday, and might be a ball tomorrow. But today it's a strike." The line stayed in the movie. Collins said the trick to being a good umpire is to forget about the people in the stands. "You can't worry about anything going around you," he said. "I never take my eyes off the pitcher's mound when I'm behind the plate." The habit of keeping his eyes straight forward led to what Collins called one of his most memorable moments last year. A pitch was thrown that the catcher completely missed and hit Collins square in the facemask. The catcher started laughing so hard his manager came out to see what was wrong. "Are you hurt?" he asked. "No," the catcher replied. "His teeth (actually a dental plate) fell out." Collins has worked with fellow umpires Joe Hall and Lenny Jackson for over 20 years. "Chet never failed to answer the call," Jackson said. "Nobody comes close to Chet in years of service, and he's always there when he's supposed to be." And even sometimes when he doesn't have to be. After games at Doubleday, Collins said he makes a habit of waiting in the umpires' locker room for the next crew to show up. "I never leave until I'm sure the next guy is there," he said. "If they don't show up, I'll do the game." At age 76, Collins said he wants to umpire at least until the next century begins. Hall said he'll know when it's time for Collins, who has two bad shoulders, to retire. "We help him on with his shirt and his jacket sometimes," Hall said. "But if we ever have to help him with certain other equipment, we'll know it's time for Chet to hang it up." But Collins said he'll know when it's time. "If I ever feel like I'm not doing a good job, I'll quit," he said. "They held a semi-retirement party for me last week, but I'm not retiring yet. I'm having too much fun." |
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