Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Friday, July 04, 2008
After 46 years as an official, Kosidowski to retire, spend more time with family
 Jon Kosidowski calls a play at second base during a Cotter softball game on May 24 in Austin, Minn. |
It was 20 years ago, but Jon Kosidowski and his son, Jeff, still argue about it today.
It was a Cotter High School baseball game. It was the second inning.
Jon was umping behind the plate. Jeff was batting. It was a full count.
Jeff contends the pitch was way high. Jon saw it differently and called his son out on strikes.
“The ball comes in nose high, and ‘Strike three!’ ” Jeff said. “I turned, looked and almost yelled, ‘What? Dad!’
“Everyone in the Cotter stands was just laughing and saying ‘What a bad call.’ The next time up, I didn’t let him say anything. I went up, swung at the first pitch and got a double.”
It was one of the rare times when Jon officiated one of his kids’ games, but it is one of many great memories in a long officiating career.
“Jeff won’t let me forget it,” Jon said. “It comes up all the time. ‘Dad, you took care of me, didn’t you?’ he’d say.”
Jon Kosidowski has had a lot of names over the years. He’s been known as ref, ump, blue, zebra, stripes, and probably other names like, moron or idiot.
After 46 years of officiating sports, Kosidowski has retired. He is hanging up the whistle and turning in the clicker.
Now, the only names he’s going to go by are Dad and Grandpa. He can spend the majority of time with his wife, nine kids and 14 grandkids.
“It was time,” Kosidowski said. “My wife just retired. I’ve been retired for five years. I don’t have to live an umpiring schedule anymore.”
Kosidowski is a 1959 graduate of Cotter and became an All-American baseball player at Winona State, going to the national tournament three years in a row.
He actually was on top of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference record books for most consecutive scoreless innings as a pitcher. Then his son, Jeff, took over that honor years later, beating dad by one-third of an inning.
Kosidowski got into officiating in college just to make some extra cash.
“I had no idea I’d do it that long,” Kosidowski said.
He’s officiated baseball, basketball, softball and football for the Minnesota State High School League, becoming highly respected in the field.
Along with his officiating duties, Kosidowski conducted clinics and served on the national rules committee for high school softball.
“When a high school league turns to assign someone to be part of the national rules meeting, it’s people like Jon that come to mind,” said MSHSL associate director Lisa Lissimore, who has worked with Kosidowski for 19 years. “You just don’t fall into those positions. You have to be an expert.”
And Kosidowski was.
“He knows the rules and, most importantly, he knows how to apply them,” said Larry Ebert, who umpired with Kosidowski the past four years. “He missed his calling. I told him several times he should have been a politician. He can wiggle out of things like you wouldn’t believe. If a coach has a problem with a call or an interpretation with a rule, Jon always seemed to win. And umpires are supposed to win, I suppose.
“In the four years, I cannot recall one really heated argument, and I think that says a lot about him being at the top of his game.”
After 46 years, Kosidowski picked up a few things to get out of tough situations. When it was a fan who gave him a hard time, Kosidowski had a peculiar way of handling the situation.
“I would carry a whistle with me in my pocket,” he said. “Once in a while, if someone would smart off, I’d throw them the whistle and ask them to join me.”
Aside from the games — where Kosidowski mentioned having to throw out a parent at a freshman game and being yelled at by a superintendent for throwing out a player in a blowout basketball game — a lot of Kosidowski’s stories were simply about getting to the games.
One time he ended up in Melrose, Wis., when he was supposed to officiate in Alma, Wis. Another time he and his partner found themselves completely buried by snow in a ditch.
“Fortunately a farmer was in the area and got us out,” Kosidowski said. “We never missed a beat.”
Kosidowski didn’t miss much in 46 years — maybe just that nose-high called third strike. Maybe he’ll miss the game, but he can still watch all those grandkids from the stands. Maybe he’ll even yell at the officials himself.
“I’ll call some balls and strikes from the stands,” he joked.
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