Herman Zerr, Grain Field, has umpired for the American Legion all over the state of Kansas during the last 30 years.
“I’ve been to about every town in Kansas — I can’t name them all,” he said.
But Zerr admitted he hadn’t been to Pittsburg until the 2008 American Legion AAA Kansas State Basketball Tournament, which started Saturday and continued through Monday.
“It’s almost a 700-mile drive, but it’s a pretty drive,” Zerr said. “This is a nice part of the state.”
However, it’s been pretty warm. “I’ve been to locations where we’ve had rain for two days, and one day at Emporia was the hottest,” Zerr said. “But Pittsburg is probably the hottest with the high humidity and the turf. The turf draws the heat.”
A lifelong Kansas resident, Zerr attended grade school in Gove and graduated from Wheatland High School in Grain Field, located in northwest Kansas.
“We’re right on I-70, on the way to Colorado,” he said.
Zerr owns Shaw Motor Co., a car/implement dealership, but his umpire duties take a lot of time away from his business.
He said that he grew up playing baseball, and his father was an umpire. His dad, a World War II veteran, was also an American Legion member. Zerr is a proud Son of the American Legion.
“I started umpiring in 1975 with American Legion baseball with my local post,” he said. “That got me the opportunity in 1976 to work zone tournaments. I umpired my first state tournament in 1979 at Osborne. Since then, I’ve been doing Class A, AA or AAA tournaments every summer.”
Zerr also works high school basketball and football games, as well as college baseball.
“I’ve been addicted to the American Legion,” he said. “There is no politics in umpiring for the American Legion — you do your job right, and they ask you back next year. I like the way the Legion takes care of people and the way they run their programs.”
After Pittsburg, on Aug. 13, Zerr will be headed to Enid, Okla., for the Region 5 tournament.
“That’s going to be another six days out of my time,” he said.
Last year he umpired at a regional tournament in Marshall, Minn.
“Because of the rain, we had it in the Metrodome,” Zerr said. “That was a thrill — a highlight of my career. I could write a book about my experiences.”
He noted that being an umpire for American Legion games requires “long hours and long trips,” but he believes it’s all worth the effort.
“I do it for the kids,” Zerr said. “I love watching kids go through the program.”
He admires the American Legion for enforcing rules of good conduct and sportsmanship.
“If a player throws a baseball bat or helmet on the field, they do not play, and you don’t always see that in college baseball,” Zerr said. “I’m dedicated to the American Legion. It’s a class act all the way, and the people who run this program, including Lee Miller and Bill Dirreen on the State Committee, are the best. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep umpiring for a few more years.”
