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Inability to hear or speak doesn't faze umpire

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mark Wallach stresses one rule when he trains and certifies softball umpires.

"It doesn't matter what the fans say. You never talk to fans, and you never listen to them," said Wallach, who assigns umpires throughout South Florida. "So as far as umpiring goes, Peter's got a leg up on all of us. He doesn't even have to learn that."

No he doesn't, because Peter Rozynski can't hear you.

Rozynski, 55, has been deaf since age 2, when ototoxic medication he took for recurring ear infections permanently damaged his hearing. He can enunciate only basic vowel sounds, forcing him to communicate through sign language or writing.

But his disabilities are hardly an impediment on the softball diamond, where Rozynski once shined as a player and now is the reigning Rookie of the Year for the East Coast Umpires Association, the organization for Palm Beach County, Fla.'s high school umpires.

Rozynski is one of about 35 deaf umpires in the country and believed to be the only one in South Florida. And yes, he has 20/20 vision.

"I admire him, because his disability does not really get in the way at all," said Northwood University softball coach Bob Moran, whose team has seen Rozynski about a dozen times this spring. "He's very visible with his hands. He'll give you that 'out' call, and you know exactly what he's calling."

Rozynski may not be able to communicate verbally, but he's easily understandable. His strike call is a piercing "HAAA!" sound, just like most other umpires.

And he's always emphatic with his hand signals, which were developed in the 19th century so umpires could communicate with a deaf baseball star.

"I wanted to show the softball world that I have my abilities, and my deafness does not interfere," Rozynski wrote in an E-mail. "I love communicating with fans and players who have become interested in me, and I view my challenges as an opportunity to improve myself and educate others."

Rozynski admits he has a few limitations on the diamond. He can't hear foul tips. Sometimes he doesn't hear a batter call 'time,' or hear the pop of the mitt on a close play at first.

And communication lapses certainly do happen. At a recent college game, Rozynski ran across the field and yelled out his "safe" call emphatically on a close play at first. The first base coach, though, sent the runner back to the dugout.

"No no, he said safe!" came the calls from the dugout.

"Sorry, I didn't understand him!" the coach shouted back.

But Rozynski, who umpires up to 175 games a year from youths to adults, counters his deafness by being firm with his calls and taking pride in his appearance. Rozynski said he's learned not to let the communication lapses frustrate him.

"The only people that have problems communicating with him are those that are not willing to go talk to him face-to-face," said Wallach, who also is an umpire. "And you know what? That's their problem."

Rozynski is only human and will occasionally miss a call. But it's another situation in which Rozynski's deafness can be an advantage, Wallach said.

"He never hears the criticism from the fans," Wallach said. "It keeps him very even-keeled."

Just make sure you use PG-13 language if you want to argue a call.

"I can read those lips," Rozynski said. "But if they turn around and say something behind my back, it's a different story."

The diamond has always been the great equalizer for Rozynski, originally from New Jersey but now living full-time in Lake Clarke Shores, Fla. He starred at the New Jersey School for the Deaf in West Trenton, pitching his way onto the Delaware Valley All-Star baseball team despite playing for the only deaf school in the conference.

He played semi-pro baseball in the Phillies organization and later was a shoe-in MVP every year in the adult softball leagues for the deaf.

In 1988, he decided to get into umpiring after a lifetime of seeing "a ton of bad calls."

"With Peter, you never question his calls, because you know what he's calling," said Moran, the Northwood coach. "I think because of his handicap, he probably works that much harder at it."

Matt Dunbar, who assigns college softball games in South Florida, wasn't sure if Rozynski was cut out for college games when they first met last year. Rozynski said he wasn't allowed to work college games in New Jersey, either.

"I was a little skeptical at first," said Dunbar, president of the South Florida College Umpires. "But I don't get any complaints on him. One guy said he was the best umpire he had yet."

It's rare for Rozynski to get into an argument, because coaches and fellow umpires rave about his consistency. Edward Waters coach Valerie Crimes had never seen a deaf umpire until her game against Northwood a few weeks ago.

But add her to the list of people impressed with Rozynski.

"I have no idea about sign language or anything, but the way we communicated, I was very impressed," Crimes said. "I'm amazed, I really am. The ones that can hear should do a good job like him."

Ben Volin writes for The Palm Beach Post.