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Every so often in our pursuit of baseball paradise, the stars align correctly and the baseball gods smile down on us. This was the case for me in the summer of 2007. I hit the “Daily Double.” The following is my meager attempt to re-cap my experiences from July 22 to Aug. 18.

On Feb. 15th I received an invitation from Ms. Beata Kaszuba to come to Kutno, Poland, to umpire in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Regional Tournaments for the major boys. I, of course, accepted the invitation and thus began one of the most unique experiences I have ever had as a Little League umpire. Not being a world traveler up to this point, the first hurdle to overcome was securing a passport. Unfortunately, I filed my application in the middle of a change in procedures which caused a delay in processing and a heightened sense of apprehension on my part. Finally through the intercession of a United States Senator my passport did arrive (two weeks before my scheduled flight). Everything in life is timing.

As I stood in line to check in for the flight, I began to experience that all too familiar traveler’s nightmare: my bags are over the weight limit, my bags are too big, I left something important at home, my bags are going to get lost somewhere along the way. As it turned out my turn at the ticket agent’s window wound up being uneventful, passport and ticket in order, both bags under the size and weight limits, shoes off, pass through security, and onto an Airbus 3600 the biggest civilian airplane I have ever seen.The flight went wheels up out of Philadelphia at 7:35 p.m. EDT which translates into 1:35 a.m. the next day in Frankfurt, which was my first stop on my transatlantic adventure.

From Frankfurt I took a commuter plane to Fredric Chopin Airport in Warsaw. From my window seat I watched the ground crew load my gear bag into the cargo hold and a feeling of relief came over me. I really wasn’t too concerned about my clothes, but I had to be sure that my plate gear was on that plane. Passing through Polish customs was much easier than I had anticipated when I told the agent that I was here to work a Little League Tournament; he smiled and said “Kutno! Welcome to Poland!” then he ushered me into the baggage area where I secured my luggage (gear bag included) and I headed for the exit.

Upon emerging from the baggage area, I spotted a gentleman holding up a sign with my name on it, so I walked toward him and said, “Hi, I’m Tom.” It was at that precise moment that it finally hit me that I was half way around the world, in a different country with different social etiquette, and an entirely different language. My guide spoke very little English and I speak absolutely no Polish. Through hand gestures and some phrases, I soon figured out that we were waiting on the arrival of another umpire from the U.S. As it turned out, I actually already knew the other umpire from having attended a Regional School with him several years before. The next time someone tells you it’s a small world, believe them.

The final leg of the journey was a van ride out of Warsaw and through the Polish countryside to Kutno. This part of the trip exposed me to some of the most picturesque country I have ever seen. Unfortunately by this time I had been awake for about 32 hours and I caught myself constantly nodding off. We reached Kutno at about 7:30 p.m. local time and were greeted by Beata and her assistant Tomasz. Brief introductions were followed by unloading luggage, checking into one of the rooms on the complex and then being whisked off to meet the other umpires.

The following morning was my first look at the complex at Kutno. I felt somewhat like Kevin Costner’s character in Field of Dreams - there were manicured fields everywhere you looked. 90 and 60 foot baseball diamonds and softball fields, whatever your pleasure, Kutno has you covered. The umpiring crew was a mixed lot of Europeans and Americans as well as first timers and returnees. All in all I could not have asked for a better group of partners. The exchange of ideas regarding interpretations, mechanics and umpiring philosophy made the trip all the more enjoyable. Having the chance to be on the field with teams from England, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia and the Ukraine; while your partners were from California, Germany, Wisconsin, Canada, Texas and Aruba was unbelievable. It was the United Nations with baseball added.

As with all good things, it had to come to an end, and I had to reluctantly retrace my journey. Fortunately my summer did not end there, as 36 hours later I was on my way to Taylor, Mich. to work in the Junior League Baseball World Series. I told you earlier that I had hit the “Daily Double”, but that’s a story for another time. For those of you who have never considered applying for an assignment to one of the International Regionals take my advice and just do it. To my new friends in Poland “Dzięki pod kątem ten pamięci, i Mam nadzieję my spotykać znowu.” "(Thanks for the memories and I hope we meet again.)”

Tom Rawlings
Pennsylvania District 14