{"id":267110,"date":"2024-03-24T22:30:40","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T05:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesofsandiego.com\/?p=267110"},"modified":"2024-03-25T08:22:43","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:22:43","slug":"start-of-little-league-is-special-at-ballfield-named-for-legendary-local-ump-shelly-curtis-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesofsandiego.com\/sports\/2024\/03\/24\/start-of-little-league-is-special-at-ballfield-named-for-legendary-local-ump-shelly-curtis-white\/","title":{"rendered":"Start of Little League Was Special at Ballfield Named for Legendary Local ‘Ump’ Shelley Curtis White"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Shelley<\/a>
Little League coaches and fans at Shelley Curtis Wright field. Photo by JW August<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shelley Curtis White<\/a> was a \u201cno-nonsense kind of guy,\u201d said family and friends who had gathered to celebrate the opening of the Little League season and the naming of a ballfield after him<\/a> — the same one where he had called balls and strikes\u00a0as part of his sixty year career umpiring across the country and around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The talk at this opening day this month was about the joy of playing baseball and the\u00a0 positive influence White had on hundreds of coaches, families and young people who played the game he loved. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The field in Southcrest on Newton Avenue now has a large painted likeness of White — and his name in big, bold blue lettering — on the building that serves as a refreshment stand and an announcer’s booth. It was as though the late umpire was looking out over the parents and the Little League teams, as well as the former ball players who attended the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n