the.com/umpire
the only person at the game everyone agrees to hate equally.
means A neutral official who enforces the rules of a game and settles disputes between competing sides.
from From Old French 'nonper,' meaning 'not equal' or 'odd one out' — the third party who tips a tie between two players. English borrowed it as 'noumpere,' but here's the charming twist: people kept mishearing 'a noumpere' as 'an oumpere,' and the wandering N slid over to the article. By the 15th century the misheard version stuck, and we've called the impartial referee an 'umpire' ever since.
- word origin
- From French nonper, meaning not equal, the odd one
- home plate
- Pads, mask, and 300 split-second calls a game
- perfect game
- They've thrown players, managers, even fans out
- replay era
- Cameras now overrule the unaided human eye
- the count
- They track balls, strikes, outs, and grudges silently
bill klem — legendary baseball umpire who called 5,375 games in mlb from 1905-1951
marty springstead — mlb umpire who worked 5,247 games, second-most in baseball history
steve buctor — cricket umpire who officiated 194 international matches including world cup finals