Baseball Victoria Hall of Fame Umpires: Barry Smith

Barry Smith’s service as an umpire and administrator extended over 42 years.  He umpired nearly 1400 games of Baseball at Domestic, National and International levels.  Barry was a Baseball Umpires Association of Victoria member for 42 years, serving as a Committee Member for 33 Years of which 25 years were as Vice President.

He was the Director of Umpiring for the VBA for 30 years as well as the National Director of Umpiring for 4 Years. He also served as VBA Pennant Committee Member for 34 years. His tireless efforts contributed greatly to lifting the understanding of the rules and in their application to game situations.

Barry was responsible for introducing a preseason meeting of all Club coaches to discuss rule changes and interpretations to reduce heated arguments on field and to strengthen the on-field relationships between umpires and players.

From his first game as an A Grade umpire, Barry was always immaculately dressed and wore the latest protective equipment. He quickly became known as the “Beatle” due to his hair style and flared trousers made popular the famous rock group of the time.

After his retirement from active involvement as an umpire and administrator, he continued to pursue his passion for the game working on the Legacy Committee charged with the responsibility of collecting the documents and recording the history of the Game in Victoria. Barry was elected as a Life Member of the Victorian Baseball Association in 1988 and his services to Baseball was recognized with the award of the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.