The World Umpires Association

Newsflash

Tim Tschida, a 21 year veteran, has been named crew chief.

Main Menu

Home

World Baseball Classic

Blogs

Charities

News Archive

Newsletter Sign-Up!

Baseball Links

"Teddy Bear?" Well, I'd be Careful

It takes a bear of a human being to be a Major League umpire, to walk into a high-pressure situation and face it head-on. So don't let Ted Barrett's nickname-"Teddy Bear"-lead you too far into the woods.

Ted is a bulk of a man, a tower of strength on a six-foot-four frame. He looks like one of those guys that could load your truck by hand so fast that you wouldn't bother shutting off the engine. Between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two, "Teddy Bear" Barrett was an amateur heavyweight boxer. Opponents quickly learned that there was a second type of teddy bear, nothing like what they knew in their youth. Barrett ran up a record of 36-6 and was considering turning pro. "I had been to Las Vegas and was sparring with Greg Page, the former world heavyweight champ. He was helping me out with some options." Barrett also sparred with Evander Holyfield, a bronze medallist in the Olympic Games. Holyfield became the undisputed world champion a few years later.

Polls

Do the MLB umpires need a uniform style change?

	Yes
	No