Umpire Category
Bob Lipsky worked for many umpire organizations during his 28-year career, including Al Goodman, Buckeye, Buckeye Metro, Wayne Rust, and Eastside. And each one quickly learned that Bob possessed all the qualities a softball official needed to excel. He took pride in his appearance, and was always clean and in the proper uniform. He knew the rules, hustled, and was in the right place at the right time to make his calls. He was fair and earned the respect of his peers and the players. He distinguished himself in championship play, never stopped learning or trying to improve the game, taught by example and in the classroom, and loved the game. Bob made it his business to attend local and national umpire clinics every year, eventually teaching and speaking at those clinics himself for over 10 years. He was a Board member of Expressway Park’s umpire association, was their umpire-in-chief for three years, and taught their classes for 15 years. He was awarded Ohio USSSA District IX Umpire of the Year honors, and served as District Umpire-In-Chief from 2008 until he retired in 2015, having worked over 17,500 games. During his career at Expressway, he worked over 10 District Championships, 55 State Championships, 100 National Invitationals, 16 National and Regional Championships, and 2 World Series. Teaching umpires became a great passion for Bob, and he was thrilled to be a part of the learning and growing process for young umpires. In another effort to improve the game, he often submitted rule change proposals to the USSSA organization for consideration. But the most rewarding part of his career, says Bob now, was that he never stopped having fun.