01/11/2022
Everyone Jim Cressman belongs here.
Please consider adding to his nomination and letting the CBHFM know what Jim means to Umpires in Canada.
Jim Cressman
Umpire
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Jim was born in London, Ontario on May 28, 1950. He attended Wilton Grove Elementary, Wheable and South secondary schools where he found his love for sport, and more ironically officiating. Growing up Jim had always been referred to as the “Kid with the whistle”, this after his father (a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) had an acme whistle that Jim would take out on the school yard and would work his best to keep the peace.
Jim’s umpiring career began at the age of 13 when after displaying a lack of interest in playing, his father told him he didn’t have to go back. Later that evening, local minor baseball umpire in chief John Ball called him up encouraging him to take up umpiring. Excited, Jim took him up on the offer as a way stay involved with the game. It would be safe to say that that phone call is one of a handful of phone calls that not only changed the life of Jim Cressman, but also for umpiring in Canada.
The first game Jim ever umpired was for his father’s team – the same team he had retired from only a few days prior. Jim has recounted the memories of that first game where he promptly blew his first call, or to be more specific he blew his first rule interpretation where he called a runner out for missing a base without the defence ever appealing. Though his father may have been disgruntled with the call that first night, after the career Jim has had, no father could ever hold that blown call against him.
After his minor baseball days, Jim enrolled at Fanshawe College but withdrew from the academic aspect to organize and report on sporting activities for the Fanshawe radio and student paper. While at Fanshawe, Jim continued umpiring baseball and referring Junior hockey in the London Area. Jim gave up hockey officiating rather quickly, due to the fact that it was hard to officiate a team one night, and then walk into the locker room seeking to interview the same coaches and players the next night.
In 1972 Jim received a letter from the director of minor League umpire development Barney Deary inviting him to attend the 6-week professional baseball umpire school in St. Petersburg, Florida. Though he was 21, Jim put on his best little boy grin with a side of extra dimples and asked his mother if he could borrow the car for a few weeks, fortunately she obliged and he headed to Florida to take a shot at becoming a future MLB umpire. Jim never applied to attend the school, it was former MLB player, Windsor native and 1988 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum inductee – Reno Bertoia – who recognized his abilities and sent a letter of recommendation to Deary to consider Jim for the professional ranks.
At the 6 week-long school, Jim earned the moniker, “Mrs. Cressman” from instructor and MLB umpire great John McSherry. More importantly he also earned himself a contract in professional baseball and began his quest in Minor League Baseball. He started out working the Appalachian Rookie League, and in1973, he was advanced to Class “A” Florida. In 1974 & 75 was bumped up to the “AA” Eastern League. Just like a player, advancing through the minor league level is never easy and his continuous progression would have been viewed as a positive within the professional ranks.
Unfortunately, in 1976 US immigration took issue with non-Americans “taking” jobs away from Americans which led to Minor League & Major League Baseball petitioning the American courts to change their immigration policies. Their bid was denied, and Jim lost his job and his dreams of umpiring in the big leagues, unfortunately due his nationality and not his ability. Jim then returned to Canada where he began working amateur baseball in and around London.
What made this even more difficult, was years later Jim had a discussion with Martin (Marty) Springstead (an MLB umpire supervisor at the time), and learned that he was next in line to be promoted to the “AAA” ranks. MLB had even created a personal file on Jim. This was interesting at the time, because MLB was not keen on following MiLB umpires like they are today as technology and access to information was as not as prevalent or easy as it is today.
Years later when MLB umpires went on strike Jim received a call from Major League Baseball asking if he would consider being a replacement umpire. Understanding the umpire family and the importance of supporting one another, Jim turned down the offer. Sure, he was giving up the opportunity to umpire in “The Show”, but he knew that he wasn’t getting there for the right reasons and his integrity, commitment to the game and loyalty to his umpire brethren was more important than getting there
For many the fall from professional baseball can be a difficult one, but for Jim it was in some ways a new beginning. With his background in journalism, he began working at the London Free Press. Thankfully his manager (John Gormatague [spelling]), avoided assigning him to report about local baseball, knowing the potential for conflict that it could cause for Jim. But more importantly he knew how much the game of baseball meant to Jim.
In working the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) in southwestern Ontario, Jim maintained his skill and keep his edge in the event higher opportunities came knocking. Those opportunities soon came, with an amateur career that included 11 World Baseball Championship events; 4 at the Junior level, 5 Senior level, 1 – World University Games and the most prestigious of all, the 1988 Olympic Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Jim often recalls the day he received the call that he was going to the Olympics. He was working at the London Free Press and the phone rang, as soon as the voice on the other end of the line said hello he knew it was from Dick Willis (Baseball Canada Umpire in Chief at the time), due to this signature deep “baritone” voice. Jim admittingly was expecting a call as he’d heard through the grapevine that he may have been selected to work the World Youth Championships in Australia that year, but he wasn’t prepared for what was next. After getting the news, Jim sat in shock and asked Dick multiple times if he was serious that it was the Olympics he said.
Attending the Olympic Games as an official is different than that as an athlete. There’s no fanfare, there’s no national colours or country flag on your back. Officials are selected with the responsibility of ensuring that the integrity of the game is maintained so that the best athlete/team wins. The best athletes/teams deserve the best officials, and if you consider the assignments of an official as it relates to their ability, then Jim was among the best. Jim worked the plate in the semi-final game between Puerto Rico & USA and 1st base in the Gold Medal
game where the USA defeated Japan 11-7. In the officiating world working an elimination game is considered the highest prestige. Just like there can only be 2 teams in on the field, there can only be 1 plate umpire and anytime you are assigned a plate in those situations the supervisors, teams trust you and when you are at the Olympics one could say the world trusts you.
Jim returned back to Canada where he was again called to work on the international stage once again in 1990 at the World Baseball Cup, hosted in Edmonton, Alberta. It was at this event where Jim was recognised as the 1990 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Umpire of the Year. The awards didn’t stop there, and in 1991 he was recognized as the Canadian Air Canada Amateur Official of the Year. Jim continued to work international baseball and in 1993 worked the Summer Universiade in Buffalo, New York.
In 1999, Jim once again had the opportunity to get back into professional baseball, this time working the independent professional Frontier League in his hometown of London, Ontario. It was during this season where Jim was able to make his first contribution to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. Jim was the home plate umpire when London Werewolves pitcher Brett Gray straddled the mound on a beautiful June 3rd evening at Labatt Memorial Park and struck out 25 Chillicothe Paints batters to shatter the Frontier League record by 9, and come within 2 of the all-time professional record.
Mementos from that 25-strikeout game are in both the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario. Cooperstown is home to Gray’s cap from the game, a signed baseball card and a scoresheet/program from the contest. The Canadian Hall has Gray’s jersey in a frame.” Ryan Fagan. Jim has joked that if he was ever asked, he would gladly consider giving up his indicator from that night or even yet his right arm/shoulder, as it was sore for a week after calling that many strikes in a single game.
There is no question that Jim has had a phenomenal career on the diamond, but his presence off the field has been just as influential on baseball officiating in Canada. Jim has been involved in many aspects of the Baseball Ontario & Baseball Canada umpire program offering up his expertise and knowledge to up and coming umpires. He has supervised and evaluated numerous national championships, has been all over the country teaching instructional clinics, seminars and on field sessions and continues to give back to the game of baseball as much as he can. Even well into his 70’s he recently completed his 58th season. He continues to go on the field and work with young umpires to help them develop and hone their craft so that one day they might get the chance to experience the same opportunities that he has.
Jim retired from the London Free Press in 2011. His impact on the Canadian sport scene is something that is immeasurable. At the Free Press, Jim worked the London Knights (OHL) beat, he would take the team bus with London Knights and earn the trust of many future NHL stars. He covered both amateur & professional baseball with the Detroit Tigers organization and even once wrote a story about MLB umpire Steve Palermo’s first game which, interestingly enough, was the Toronto Blue Jays’ MLB inaugural home opener at Exhibition Stadium on April 7th, 1977. In 2017 Jim was recognized for his contribution to sport when he was inducted into the
London Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the London District Baseball Association Hall of Fame.
Jim Cressman is one of the best umpires that Canada has ever produced. A man who rolled with the punches and made the best out of every situation he faced, even when it was out of his control. He helped put Canadian umpires on, and has inspired many others to become the best umpire they can be both in Canada and internationally. In closing, please consider Jim Cressman for the 2021Class of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum as an umpire/builder, and help ensure that Jim is honoured for the career, accomplishments and impact on the beautiful game of Baseball he has had in Canada.
Do you think someone belongs in our Hall of Fame? Nominate them today. The deadline is December 1st to be eligible for 2023.
https://baseballhalloffame.ca/nominations-process/
