I've written about my time in the announcers booth and operating the scoreboard both of which have been a wonderful experience for me. So when I was then asked to throw out the first pitch for one of the games, well what can I say... that was about the most exciting things to happen to me since umpiring here back in 1998.

I wish I could tell you that I threw a perfect strike but I would be stretching the truth... a lot! Before I threw the ball, I even yelled out "I'm an umpire... not a pitcher". I of course proved the point by throwing the ball !http://www.eteamz.com/llbcentral/images/FirstPitch.jpg|height=285|style=padding:10px;|align=left|width=190|src=http://www.eteamz.com/llbcentral/images/FirstPitch.jpg!short as it hit the ground in front of the plate before being scooped up by the catcher from Kentucky.

Being here in at the Central Region tournament representing Active and then being allowed to be a team host, announce games and run the scoreboard has been an absolute thrill for me. Active sent me here to try and provide a behind the scene prospective and to blog and Twitter about the games. As we begin to move into the semifinal games, I hope I've succeeded at least a little.

Representing Active as I threw out that first pitch was a very proud moment for me. As with all the baseballs I've collected from big games I've umpired in, I had the team in the "booth" autograph it for me. It will now take its honored place in my collection.