Local ump relishes World Series stage

One of Kelly Gonzales' jobs is to make the right calls, and not just as an insurance claims adjuster.

Gonzales is a highly respected umpire in college baseball and for Las Vegas' American Legion program and this year was selected as one of eight umpires to call the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

"You're always under pressure to make the right decision," said Gonzales, who began officiating junior college games in 1990 and has worked primarily in the Pac-10, Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences since moving to Nevada in 1993. "You're here to make the correct decision, and that's what it's all about."

The 50-year-old umpire was named to the officiating crew of the final CWS to be played at Rosenblatt Stadium by an NCAA baseball committee, with recommendations from each conference and after receiving reviews by national coordinators of Division I baseball, according to the website umpire-empire.com.

"It's a tremendous honor," Gonzales said of being selected by his peers. "I'm very, very lucky and very fortunate to experience what I have for the last couple of days here. It's unbelievable."

Gonzales also referees high school football with the Southern Nevada Officials Association, but the former right-handed pitcher for Oregon's Pacific University has maintained an affinity for America's pastime his whole life.

"I've been doing this for a while, and I've learned in my early stages of umpiring that you can be a fan of baseball," said Gonzales, a Los Angeles Dodgers supporter.

While the ethics of his work won't allow him to be a fan of any college or high school team, Gonzales says, "I'm a fan of major league baseball, and I feel that's OK."

But he's not only a spectator and former player of the sport. Gonzales' knowledge of the rules of the game has made him a highly respected local umpire, says close friend Gary Mouden, the commissioner of Las Vegas' American Legion, where Gonzales serves on the board of directors.

"The first thing about Kelly is that he has a real good sense and feel for the game," Mouden said. "You have to anticipate sometimes, and he's very good at that. He's one of the better plate umpires; he's got good eyesight and good reactionary movements to him.

"You very seldom see him out of position in order to make a call."

Gonzales has worked at numerous postseason regional and super regional sites in the past, primarily at Southeastern Conference schools Louisiana State, Florida and Georgia, among others.

"I've been lucky to travel and see some places I never would have dreamed of going to, to be honest," he said. "It's been a lot of fun, and I've met a lot of fine people."

Gonzales was the plate umpire in Oklahoma's 4-3 win over South Carolina on Sunday, a game that was delayed several times because of inclement weather.

"It's been a long time since I've seen thunderstorms like that -- it lights up the sky," he said of the opening week's weather in Omaha. "Rain was going sideways during the storm. It wasn't cold, but it was very windy."

He was the first-base umpire in UCLA's 11-3 rout of Florida last Saturday and started at second base for the Gamecocks' 11-4 upset of No. 1 seed Arizona State on Tuesday before moving to home plate in the seventh inning when the starting umpire left the game because of heat illness.

"There's a lot of electricity in the air," Gonzales said. "(The fans in Omaha are) truly fans of the game of baseball. ... The majority of our fans are fans of baseball. They love to see good plays and to see good teams. Every time there's an outstanding play, it gets really loud."

Contact reporter Sean Walker at
swalker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.