You went to Rice University in Houston. How did you get from Rice to umpiring?

When I was about to graduate from Rice, I tried to get into a number of independent leagues - not a single league even returned one of my phone calls requesting more information. The only way to get into professional baseball is to go to umpire school. I went to Jim Evans' Academy of Professional Umpiring in January 1999, after graduating from Rice in May 1998. From there, I was one of just over a dozen graduates from the Academy sent to the PBUC evaluation course in March. Between the 2 umpire schools that year, I think there were 33 of us that went to the evaluation course, and 27 or so who ended up getting jobs in professional baseball. It's up to PBUC (Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation - branch of Minor League Baseball which oversees procurement/training/evaluation/promotion of minor league umpires) to rank us and assign us to particular leagues, and they chose to send me to the Pioneer League for 1999 & 2000.

We have an education program entitled "Dirt on Their Skirts" that teaches students about the parallels between women's history in America and baseball. How much of the history of women in baseball were you aware of when you started umpiring?

I had read Pam Postema's book before going to umpire school. I really enjoyed it, and it seemed like she and I had a lot in common. I knew the names - Bernice Gera, Christine Wren, Pam Postema, and Theresa Cox. I knew a little bit about their careers. I knew about Babe Didrikson Zaharias, and how she struck out Joe DiMaggio in an exhibition game. I know about Julie Croteau, who played in the Hawaiian Winter League alongside many current Major League players, and Ila Borders, who pitched in an independent league. I knew that Major League Baseball had a history of slamming to door on women as players, umpires, scouts, GMs, etc, but I never dreamed that it would continue into the 21st century!

In 2007 you were the last female umpire in professional baseball. What steps do you think need to be taken to ensure more girls have an equal chance in baseball?

I think the biggest factor is that girls still aren't being allowed to play baseball growing up. For some reason, softball is seen as an acceptable substitute. Phil Niekro draws the parallel between baseball & softball and tennis & badminton. If I were to say that tennis is a man's game, that girls can't play tennis, they should only be allowed to play badminton, you would think I was an idiot. I mean, you need look no farther than the Williams sisters to disprove that. Yet there's this widely-accepted notion in this country that baseball is for boys only, and that girls should be content with playing softball, or playing with dolls. Baseball and softball are two different sports. If you put me on a softball field and expected me to officiate, I would be lost!
How many girls today dream of someday playing for the Red Sox, or the Cubs, or the Dodgers, or just to play in the big leagues? How many boys dream of the same thing? At least the boys get the chance to play and develop their skills. Most never will play professional baseball, but without the chance to play, they've got no shot at all.
Another argument I hear all the time is that women could never play professional baseball because they're not big enough or strong enough. Funny thing is that until a decade or so ago, that was the accepted 'law' when it came to Japanese players - they could never play in the big leagues because they're not big enough or strong enough. Well, then Hideo Nomo came to the U.S., and the tune changed to, "Japanese players might be able to pitch in the big leagues, but they could never be successful position players because they're not big enough or strong enough." Well, throw in Ichiro, Matsui, and the other Japanese players who've had success in MLB, and what was considered indisputable fact a few years ago would now label one a racist. The point is, until you give them a chance to play, you'll never know.
Yes, the average man is bigger than the average woman, just as the average American is bigger than the average Japanese, but professional baseball is not for the average, it's for the exceptional. There are so many exceptional female athletes out there - just imagine what could've been if the Williams sisters received the same coaching and opportunities to play baseball growing up as the typical American boy gets. Are you going to tell me that Serena couldn't hit it out of the park? What about Mia Hamm, Kerri Walsh, Julie Croteau, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Lisa Leslie, or any number of phenomenal female athletes?
I think the biggest key is to allow girls to play baseball growing up. Little League should be 50-50 - aside from the older kids who may be early bloomers, there really isn't much of a strength difference between boys and girls at that age. And baseball is a skill sport, not a brute strength sport. When girls are finally allowed to participate in the "National Pastime", and given the same opportunities and coaching that boys routinely receive, I think they will really surprise the American public with what they can accomplish. Just ask Phil Niekro - he knows better than anyone.
So to answer the question, once girls are allowed to play baseball, more women will be interested in umpiring baseball - it will really open up the pool of available talent.

Last March you became the first woman to umpire in a Spring Training game since Pam Postema did it 1989. What did you think of the media's attention leading up to the game?

Really, it was silly. The game really meant nothing, yet the media blew it up as though I had been promoted to the big leagues or something. The reality was, I was supposed to have been promoted to AAA and never was, and in fact was released after the season. I wonder some times if the media attention contributed to that - there was quite a bit of negative backlash from male umpires after that game.

Have you and Pam communicated at all in your time umpiring?

Yes. I finally got to meet her after my 1st year in AA - Theresa Cox set up a get-together of all the current and former professional umpires still living. Pam is absolutely a wonderful person. She's so positive, upbeat, encouraging, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Before the Spring Training game in '07, Derrek Lee was quoted by CBS News as saying about your position, "I think it's about time. Female eyes are as good as male eyes. Why can't they be umpires? Good for her." Was that typical of the response you've received, and do you notice any different treatment from players or managers?

Yes, that was pretty typical of the response I received from players, managers, coaches, scouts, front office personnel, fans, and just about everyone outside the umpire community. For the most part, I wasn't treated differently by players or managers. I had a couple of them tell me they don't feel comfortable cussing around a woman. That is a bizarre concept that I still don't understand, but if it'll shut [them] up, then I'll take it.
One of the nice things about professional baseball is that you deal with each other on an individual basis. Unlike college or high school ball, in professional baseball an umpire is never, ever, ever referred to as "blue". We expect them to call us by name, just as we address them by name. Each umpire is not just the uniform, she or he is an individual, and the players figure out pretty quickly how each individual is to be treated. You earn your reputation, good or bad, and players and managers treat you accordingly.

There's an article from 2001 describing the process of going through umpiring school. What were some of the initial challenges you encountered as you rose through the minors, and did any of those challenges surprise you - good or bad?

The biggest surprise, and the biggest challenge, was the sheer animosity I faced from some of the male umpires. The hatred and maliciousness was hard to even imagine, but I was surrounded by it every single day, and it's still there. Thankfully, I learned pretty quickly it had nothing to do with me - it was the insecure boys whose sense of manhood was threatened. Some of the most vicious boys didn't even know me.

What is your favorite memory in your baseball career so far?

Hmm, I would have to say working in John O'Donnell Stadium in 2001 in the Midwest League. It really was a dream come true to work in the Quad Cities, where I grew up, and where my desire to umpire started in the first place. Because of a flood that year, I had all of my Quad City games wiped out. I was heartbroken. But a schedule change with another crew late in the year shuffled the schedules for all of us, and I got two homestands at home in August. My first game, I had the plate, there was a whole section of people I knew sitting together heckling me (affectionately, of course), I threw out the Quad City first baseman, and we went extra innings. The picture on the front page of the sports section the next day was of me and the QC manager face-to-face arguing after the ejection. I have it framed, up in my house.

What are your plans for 2008?

Find a full-time job! I'll either be taking a position at the Rock Island Arsenal (the RIA - get it?) or back in Greece - whoever hires me first.

What advice do you have for girls who want to follow your path?

Go for it!!! But I would definitely recommend having a good support network. The next few women in professional baseball are going to face a lot of hostility, until we get enough women in the game to have some "safety in numbers" like the male umpires have. Unfortunately, the same is probably true at the amateur level. But girls and women have every right in the world to umpire baseball, whether at the professional or amateur level, and those of us who have done it are very willing to help! There is a website - http://grassceiling.wetpaint.com/ - which is still in it's infancy, but was created by umpire Kate Sargent to help female umpires connect with each other. I think as we get it growing, it will be a great tool to assist girls and women who are interested in umpiring.
Another piece of advice I think is important is to keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble, always take the high road. Umpires are under a microscope anyway - female umpires even more so. With all the extra challenges we have to overcome to succeed in baseball, it would be silly to let some poor choices get in the way. Umpiring is supposed to be about honesty and integrity anyway, so let's live it out in our own lives.