Lynn resident Joe Gill said one of his goals as the new president of the North Shore Baseball Umpires Association (NSBUA) will be to increase the number of certified baseball umpires working in the region.
Lynn English director of athletics Dick Newton, past president of the NSBUSA, was among the many umpires congratulating Joe Gill (left) on his election as president of the North Shore Baseball Umpires Association last Sunday at the Porthole Restaurant.
Gill, 27, was elected president at the annual NSBUA Meeting and Banquet held June 3 at the Porthole Restaurant in Lynn. He succeeds Paul Caron at the helm of the 125-member group.
“It feels great to be president,” said Gill, son of Frank and Patricia Gill. “I first became an umpire 11 years ago and I’ve worked closely with a lot of the veterans on this board. We’re excited to see what the future holds for our organization.”
Among the longtime umpires in attendance at the banquet were legendary District 16 Little League umpire Skip Mageary, Lynn English director of athletics Dick Newton, and Richard Cowdell, who was unanimously voted in as an honorary life member at the banquet following a motion by Gill during the new business portion of the meeting.
Caron congratulated Gill following his election as president. “Joe represents a new generation of umpires,” said Caron. “I’m confident that he will represent well the future of the North Shore Baseball Umpires Association. I was proud to nominate him and I’ll be proud to serve in an advisory capacity to him on the new board.”
Gill noted that there is currently a shortage of umpires in the area. “Right now there is an official shortage across the board at all youth levels, whether it’s baseball, softball, soccer, basketball and we need to do the best we can to put our officials in a position where they’re prepared for games and they know to manage a game,” he said.
Gill added that it is becoming increasingly tougher for an official to do his job due to “conflicts with parents and coaches” and “we as an organization need to do a good job training our umpires so they can handle that pressure.”
Gill joined the NSBUA in 2007 at the age of 16. He is a graduate of St. Mary’s High School and Saint Anselm College and holds a Master’s degree in Communications from Southern New Hampshire University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in City Planning at Boston University.
Gill is the legislative director for State Rep. Daniel Cahill’s Office and an interim general manager of the North Shore Navigators.
Gill will be returning in August to the Babe Ruth Softball World Series in Florida for his sixth stint as an umpire.
“It gets hot down there – the heat index last year was up around 110 [degrees],” he reported.