Each month we are going to take the time to get to know one of our PSL officials better. This is a great way to know the person who dedicates their free time to umpiring or refereeing your games.

Our November PSL Official of the Month is John! Get to know John better and be sure to say hi to him at your next PSL game.

How long have you been officiating in PSL? Since 2013… the fall I think.

Which sport(s) do you officiate? Softball… and one flag football game a while ago. Mud up to my shins. I’ll stick to softball.

What is your favorite PSL officiating memory? I don’t think I have any one memory that stands out. The game isn’t about me. It’s about the players. I just try to show up, hustle on the field, get plays right and get out without issues. If a beer happens to find its way into my hand after the night is over, so be it.

What do you do for a living? I’m an Intramural Coordinator at Pittsburgh Technical College. I really get to play all day–so stressful. I also umpire high school and collegiate softball and referee high school and collegiate basketball.

Why did you decide to officiate with the PSL? I started playing PSL in 2010 at Overbrook (RIP) and had such a positive experience when I played thanks to Grubby (long-time PSL softballers will know who that is). He kind of got me into it. I’ve already been umpiring softball for about nine years prior to the PSL, so I decided to add this challenge on. It’s been fun ever since.

Anything you’d like to share about yourself with the PSL community? I really enjoy this league!! I’ve made friends and had memories playing softball with my team the Pounders that will last me a lifetime! Heck I proposed to my wife Paula prior to a PSL game at McKinley. Teammates and friends have gotten married and had kids (first one in April for me!), but there’s been one constant for all of us, and that’s softball on Mondays. It’s just fun, and that really is what it’s all about. Sure winning is nice, but playing the game with some semblance of skill and having fun is nicer. Also, shout out to the PSL staff! They’re underappreciated and that’s not right. I hope PSLers recognize that.