MONDAY PROFILE: Umpire pitches from the heart

SHANE HURNDELL
Hawke's Bay international softball umpire Greg Taylor has heard the joke about him.
Yes, the one suggesting his International Softball Federation badge is so heavy he can't leave his Taradale home to umpire Hawke's Bay premier men's games at Akina Park, Hastings.
"The truth is I suffered a hamstring injury at the ISF clinic in Auckland last month and I haven't been able to umpire since. I've got a big summer ahead and I don't want to rush back," said Taylor, who had an "off diamond chief umpire's" role at the weekend's Lion Red North Island Classic men's tournament in Hastings.
Taylor, 47, received the injury while base running during a game scenario situation on day two of the week-long clinic which involved five Kiwis, four Aussies and a Korean.
"I did what I had to do during the remainder of the week to get my badge," said Taylor, who is the only active (when he recovers from his injury) ISF umpire's badge holder in the Bay and one of nine in the country.
The portables area supervisor with Chubb is eligible to umpire at any international tournament - World Series, Olympic Games and international tours by any New Zealand team, including the world champion Black Sox.
Taylor's injury may turn out to be a good omen for him: After a 2003 heart attack in which his heart received 20 percent damage, he decided to chase international status.
"I had it at the finals of the national secondary schools tournament in Hutt Valley. I had to change some of my lifestyle activities but it made me more determined to get my level seven badge," he said.
"I remember the doctors telling me I could eventually take up slow ballroom dancing ... I suppose that shows you they were really only used to old people having heart attacks," Taylor said with a laugh.
"I don't believe one has to give up life completely after having a heart attack and heart surgery," he said.
The former Otago age group rugby representative and nine handicapper at golf rates earning his international badge as the highlight of his 16 years of umpiring - the past six while based in the Bay.
Like so many officials in sport, Taylor got involved in softball umpiring after he and his wife Sharon, who also umpires, took their sons along to teeball.
"I started umpiring so I thought I had better learn the rules and things progressed from there," recalled the former social softballer.
Last season Taylor umpired at the South Pacific women's series in Hamilton which involved two New Zealand sides as well as two Aussie teams. Another highlight for him was the 2004 Vic Guth tournament in Auckland which attracted several international teams en route to the Christchurch World Series.
"I was the plate umpire for a game between Japan and Argentina. There weren't too many players in either side who could speak English and I couldn't speak Japanese or the Argentinian lingo ... we had a great time," he said with another laugh.
"I remember Japan replaced their pitcher during the game.
This pitcher was so quick his first pitch was in his catcher's glove before I had crouched down ... he was the fastest pitcher I had ever seen."
Providing he is injury-free, Taylor will umpire his fourth consecutive national league season this summer, the national secondary schools and national women's interclubs in Hawke's Bay in March, January's national under-19 boys tournament in Rotorua, the Vic Guth and Dean Schick tournament in Auckland in January, also at Australia's inter-state tournament in March.
Taylor encourages anybody wanting to give umpiring a go to take it up.
"Players aren't as aggressive as they used to be. You still get abuse from spectators and that can have a huge impact on umpire retention but coaches and players have become more tolerant.
"Our world champion Black Sox players take whatever calls come their way and that attitude has filtered down through the ranks," he said.
Taylor's long-term goals are to umpire at a World Series tournament or Olympic Games tournament.
But he knows some games at Akina Park are his immediate priority - that joke has to end.