Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a bum compared with Richie (The Ripper) Roy.
“Rippie,” as he is known to his public, has probably punched out a couple thousand people in the last 30 years of umpiring in the Island’s men’s and women’s summer softball leagues. Strikeouts (aka “punchouts”) are relatively rare in the slow-pitch leagues, but a couple here, a couple there, they add up over 30 years.
Mr. Roy has developed a well-choreographed out call that features an extended left arm and leg and a right arm which jerks backwards, accompanied by a howl that clearly informs batters that they have, in fact, struck out.
Fans love it, players love it and its campy panache injects some pain-killing humor for the hitter in the hot seat.
We caught up with Mr. Roy at War Veterans Memorial Field in Vineyard Haven before a game to discuss his career as an arbiter and to get the lowdown on “The Call.” Mr. Roy did not channel Robert DeNiro in Taxi, spending endless hours in front a mirror. His signature call sort of showed up over time.
Born in Oak Bluffs and raised in Vineyard Haven, Mr. Roy is married with a son and uses umpiring as a way to stay close to sports, particularly those involving a round stick hitting a round ball. Then there is the sense of community that develops after you have umpired games played by multiple generations in the same family.
At 50, Mr. Roy shows up as a direct, happy man. He is a shade under six feet a fit 205 pounds, courtesy of a year-round workout regimen.
“Baseball was always my game,” Mr. Roy explained. “I played four years in high school (Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, class of 1982), then I played in the old Falmouth League. Some (pro) scouts approached me, but they wanted kids who were playing in college so it didn’t work out. But we’ve got one Island kid, Tad Gold, who has turned pro so that’s good.
“Umpiring is a way to stay close to the game and the people in it. I got started umping in the league back when the team at bat in the game provided the umpire. I enjoyed doing it. I still do.”
A plumber by trade, one of several professions not particularly known for punctuality, Mr. Roy said, “I show up. People are depending on you. You need to have dedication.”
He estimated he has umpired 1,200-1,500 games over the past three decades, and he has played with a host of teams with such cosmic names as the Gonads, Treds, and Hurricanes.
Mr. Roy plies his artistry three night a week in season at Veterans Field in Vineyard Haven and at the town field in West Tisbury.
Mr. Roy is certified by the U.S. Specialized Sports as a softball umpire and as a basketball referee. He works the winter rec league basketball games on the Island as well. Arbiters are paid $40 a game, not quite your average rate for plumbing, but officiating is not about the money for Mr. Roy, particularly when you consider the potential hazards of umpiring. Players and fans can say hurtful things about umpires’ character, eyesight and lineage after a disappointing call. That’s not been a problem for Mr. Roy, veteran players said.
“I’ve been in this league 16, 17 years and I don’t think Rippie’s ever had to run (eject) anybody,” White Star player-manager Asa Zeth Vought said on Monday night. “He’s one of the better umpires in the league. I don’t always agree with his calls but he’s working every play. He tries hard all the time. How do you describe Rippie? He’s just Rippie, loves the game, not a care in the world out there. He makes it better for everybody just being here.”
While we were chatting, Mr. Roy was rearranging a photo shoot, cajoling umpires Mike Lynch and Tom Pachico into the frame. “These guys are dedicated umpires. They deserve some credit. They’ve been doing it longer than I have,” he said.
Mr. Lynch has 47 years behind the plate and Mr Pachico? “I’ve been doing this so long, I don’t even remember how long,” he said.
Mr. Roy has seen a lot of change in softball over his 30 years.
“Well, there’s no beer in the outfield anymore,” he said. “Probably that’s a good thing. And we start each at bat with a ball and one strike count on the batter. That’s done to speed the games up. Batters who amass four balls — pitches outside the strike zone — are awarded first base. Batters who amass three strikes — pitches within the strike zone — without hitting a fair ball, are declared out and get to skulk back to the bench.
“The quality of play has always been pretty good on the Island, but I’d say the players overall are fitter than in years past and there is great athleticism out there. For example, one thing I’ve noticed is it’s harder to get a double on the outfield arms today, particularly on this field. Yesterday’s double is a single today.
“Despite that, scoring is up somewhat from a few years ago. We had a 29-0 mercy rule game in the men’s league. That’s a huge score. (The “mercy rule” ends a game automatically if one men’s team is leading by 15 runs and a women’s team by 10 runs after the completion of five innings.)”
So which is better to umpire, men’s or women’s games? “Oh, no, no, no,” he said. “Not going there: I get into enough trouble as it is.”