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  • - [Voiceover] Another season of America's past time

  • is just around the corner.

  • The infield dirt needs raking,

  • the batter's box needs chalking,

  • and home plate needs to be,

  • hey, who's supposed to clean home plate?

  • - That would be one of the umpire's responsibilities.

  • Got to make sure the plate's clean.

  • - [Voiceover] Look at the...

  • - Safe.

  • - [Voiceover] Excuse me, look at all the...

  • - He's safe.

  • - [Voiceover] Umpires.

  • Thank you.

  • For four weeks every year, 150 aspiring umpires

  • descend unto Ormond Beach, Florida,

  • all because of this guy.

  • Introduce yourself, Hunter.

  • - Sure, my name's Hunter Wendelstedt.

  • I'm a major league baseball umpire number 21

  • and I am the owner operator of the

  • Wendelstedt Umpire School down here

  • in Ormond Beach, Florida.

  • - [Voiceover] And student's come from all over the world.

  • - [Hunter] We've got Taiwan, Dominican Republic,

  • Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and Germany represented

  • internationally, and I believe we're coming from

  • 36 of the 50 states.

  • - [Voiceover] But what do students learn

  • at umpire school?

  • - [Hunter] We're putting the foundation down.

  • - [Voiceover] Students learn the difference between balls.

  • - Ball four.

  • - [Vocieover] And Strikes.

  • (yelling)

  • - [Voiceover] Foul.

  • - Foul.

  • - [Voiceover] Fair.

  • Guess there's no call for that one.

  • Safe.

  • - Safe.

  • - [Voiceover] And out. - He's out.

  • - [Voiceover] But there's got to be more to it, right?

  • - The most important lesson of umpiring,

  • you always have to be honest with yourself.

  • If an umpire makes a mistake, you need to man up

  • and be honest with yourself, and you fix it

  • so it doesn't happen again.

  • (clapping)

  • - [Voiceover] So after countless calls and balls,

  • walks and talks, these blues collect their diplomas

  • and prepare to say goodbye to umpire school,

  • ready to take their place behind home plate

  • at Yankee Stadium, right Hunter?

  • - Best case scenario, seven to nine years

  • to get a full time major league job.

  • You can go to med school and law school

  • in the same time that it takes an umpire

  • to reach it to the major leagues.

  • - [Voiceover] OK, so why would you do it at all?

  • - [Hunter] Whether it's little league

  • or major league baseball,

  • every umpire has to sacrifice something for their

  • love of the game.

  • - [Voiceover] Maybe the majors won't come knocking

  • anytime soon, but thanks to the

  • Wendelstedt Umpire School, these umps are ready

  • to strike out at any opportunity.

  • - I really ain't that sure I get that metaphor.

  • - [Voiceover] Hunter, that makes perfect sense, come on.

- [Voiceover] Another season of America's past time

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