I truly will always remember Steve Austin on my personal Mount Rushmore of Umpires….He was such “My Father Figure” when I was umping. He Never yelled always Guided. He always supported me even when I kicked it. He still had my back even when I goofed, after the game he would pull me off to the side on the Golf cart at Art Van & say….”So Jimmy? What do ya think? “Steve, I might have kicked that one”…….He said “Think of the situation again and again in your mind and play it over and over in your head until your nauseous……then read the rules!!! Tomorrow we will talk about it and tell me the rule reference.” Next day we would talk…I would have the rule reference and the situation, he would proclaim “Ya see…baseball is about situations and one rule could have several within them….if you did not read the rule and if ya came back today without reading it I would know ya didnt care…but you do and thats why I love ya!!!!” He was an amazing man….the way he mentored all of the umpires that are WILLING TO LISTEN!!! If you did not want to listen he would never bad mouth or talk behind your back about others. Steve Austin was a CLASS ACT!!!! I love ya Steve!!!! Will Never forget you Brother!!

James “Jimmy” Gleason