For Female Umps, No Field of Dreams

Forget blown calls. The real problem with umpires in the MLB, says Perry Barber: A complete lack of females. Barber, who has been in the business since 1981, works high school, college, spring training, and Independent League games—and tells DoubleX, “ We’re just going to have to storm the Bastille, baby, and flood the schools with women candidates and shatter what I call the stained-grass ceiling.”

Even women who seem to be headed to the big leagues get “hung out to dry,” she says, adding that the situation is part of a larger problem in baseball: “Why do you think there are no women coaches or managers in pro baseball? Why are there no women general managers?” she says. “It’s not because women can’t make trades or do the math or make the decisions. It’s because they don’t want ‘em!” (More Jay-ZTV stories.)