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Bobby Marshall,
who has been a volunteer umpire at
Westbury Little League for since 1975,
was selected to umpire in the 2005
LittleLeague World Series
held
in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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Given the honor it represents, since it
is a one time only opportunity, “it was
truly a dream come true,” said Marshall.
Little League International in
Williamsport invites umpires from
throughout the world to officiate at the
World Series each year in recognition of
their hard work and high level of skill.
A total of 16 umpires are tapped each
year for the honor as they are singled
out for the once in a lifetime role in
the Little League World Series
tournament which consists of over 30
championship level games. |
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“The folks at Little League truly
honored me with this invitation,” said
Marshall. “This is the highest level of
umpiring in the volunteer Little League
program and I feel blessed to have
achieved it this year,” he added.
Marshall appeard on national television,
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN (Spanish) and ABC,
during live telecasts of all 32 of the
World Series games held late August. |
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For the Little League World Series
umpire selection, Marshall was
recommended after umpiring the Southern
Regional Tournament in 1999 at St.
Petersburg, Florida. He was one of three
of the 21 umpires from the tournament
that was recommended. “That doesn’t
guarantee a spot, and umpires
recommended have to wait six to eight
years before they know about their
selection,” advises Marshall. |
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Most recently augmenting his credentials
is his umpire work for the past three
years at the EMEA (European, Middle
East, Africa) Regional Tournament in
Kutno, Poland. “That was a great
experience,” he recalls, “seeing ball
players from all different countries and
backgrounds playing the ‘Great American
Pastime’ was a thrill.” |
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Marshall also shares how the language
differences did not keep the youngsters
from getting along with one another,
“just acting like kids off the field,”
he said, and “while on the field,
baseball is baseball.” The winner of
that regional tournament umpired by
Marshall is the one that represented
EMEA in Williamsport at the World
Series. “I have been sending a team to
Williamsport for the past three years,”
shares Marshall, and “this year turned
out to be my turn to go.” |
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Since 1986, Marshall has been active at
Westbury Little League and District 16.
He has been busy umpiring and serving as
an instructor of Umpire Schools for
Texas District 16. Bobby has served
several times on the WLL Board of
Directors holding many positions
including VP of Operations, District 16
liaison, and Umpire-in-Chief. He is the
Umpire-in-Chief of Texas District 16, on
the Umpire staff of Texas East State
Tournament in Tyler and on the Umpire
staff of Southwest Regional Tournament
in Waco. |
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