Houlton

BANGOR, Maine — Chris Parker thought last summer’s assignment to Guam for the Asia-Pacific Little League Baseball Championships would represent his last overseas umpiring assignment.

It turns out that was just his last overseas umpiring assignment for 2011.

Parker, a volunteer Little League umpire for 33 years, is in Kutno, Poland, this week to umpire in the European Little League Baseball Championships.

It’s the latest major assignment for the the Bangor resident, who previously umpired in the 2009 Little League World Series, and also has worked at the Little League Softball World Series in 2001 as well as a Little League softball regional in 2000 and a Little League baseball regional in 2004.

Parker is one of three umpires from Maine District 3 who have been selected to work in various regional tournaments.

Rob Curtis of Searsport has been selected to work in the age 11-12 Eastern Regional Baseball Championships at Bristol, Conn., while fellow District 3 umpire Troy Richardson of Brewer will work the Big League Baseball (ages 17-18) Eastern regional at Dover, Del. Also, District 6 umpire Alex Pufhal will work the Junior Baseball Eastern Regional in Freehold, N.J.

Five umpires from the state will participate in various Little League softball tournaments, a group headed by Wayne Parslow of Lyman and District 4, who will be part of the crew working the Senior League Softball World Series to be held Aug. 5-11 at Lower Sussex, Del.

Lou Dublin of Cherryfield and District 1 has been assigned to the Junior League (ages 13-14) Eastern Regional at West Haven, Conn., while Ed Parra of Appleton and District 2 was selected to umpire in the Big League Softball Eastern regional at Waldorf, Md.

David Willey of North Berwick and District 4 will be part of the umpiring crew for the 11-12 Eastern Regional Softball Championships at Bristol, Conn., while Michael Healy of Portland and District 6 will work the Senior League Eastern regional at Worcester, Mass.

Two Mainers are among the 109 umpires who will work the nine Little League World Series events this summer.

Troy Lare of Hermon and William Finley of Portland were among the honorees named Tuesday by Little League headquarters. Lare is scheduled to umpire in the Big League Baseball World Series to be held July 28-Aug. 4 at Easley, South Carolina, while Finley will work the Little League Baseball World Series set for Aug. 20-30 at Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Also announced Tuesday was the umpiring crew for the Senior League Baseball World Series, which will be held Aug. 2-8 at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.

That crew will consist of Adam Carlson (Bothell, Washington), Dan Collins (Tallahassee, Florida), Thomas Curtis (Livermore, California), Greg Hatcher (Beaumont, Texas), James Hinojosa (Romulus, Michigan), Wayne Kardel (North Port, Florida), Curtis Lamontagne (Cypress, Texas), Brian Logan (Farmington, Connecticut), Manuel Rosario-Ortiz (Cayey, Puerto Rico), Scott Strache (Chicago Ridge, Illinois), Michael Welch (New Salem, Massachusetts) and Michael Yamata (Coquitlam, British Columbia).

The process for selection to work a World Series begins with a recommendation from the district administrator to work within their district in above-state tournaments. The regional office considers all nominated umpires before selecting those who most closely meet the selection criteria.

Umpires selected to work a regional tournament will receive an evaluation during the tournament from one or more evaluators designated by the tournament director. An umpire can receive one of two recommendations on the evaluation: recommend working another regional tournament or recommend a World Series. Once an umpire has earned a World Series recommendation, he or she must indicate that they wish to be considered.

An umpire is eligible to be selected for a World Series assignment once every four years, but being chosen to work a Little League Baseball World Series is a one-time opportunity. Umpires volunteer their time each year to officiate games around the world.

Little League International is supporting all volunteer umpires at all nine World Series for the first time this year with a $400 travel stipend to help offset the costs for attending their respective World Series.

Clark Cole of Hermon is one of 12 umpires from around the United States and Latin America selected to work at the 12th annual Junior League Softball World Series, to be held Aug. 15-21 at Kirkland, Wash.

Cole, a veteran coach and umpire in the Bangor area, has been umpiring at Junior League level (ages 13-14) in Maine District 3 for the past six or seven years, and last summer worked the Junior League’s Eastern Regional tournament at West Haven, Conn.

“I don’t think I expected it this quickly,” said Cole of this year’s World Series appointment. “I was picked for the regional last year and got to work the plate in the championship game, and they told me to put in for the World Series this year so I did.

“You’re talking just 12 umpires for a World Series, so it’s an honor to be selected.”

Cole is one of at least two Maine District 3 umpires who have been tapped for such postseason duty this summer.

Bill Juilli of Brewer has been assigned to work at the Senior League Baseball U.S. East Regional to be held in early August in New Jersey.

Appointment as a member of a World Series umpiring crtew is considered the highest honor Little League Baseball and Softball can bestow on an umpire.

To be considered for selection, an umpire must have previously worked a recent regional in the same Little League division as the World Series for which they are being considered. An umpire is eligible to be selected for a World Series assignment once every four years.

Cole will leave for Kirkland, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, on Aug. 13 to arrive in time for pre-tournament meetings the day before the event begins.

The Junior League Softball World Series is formatted the same as the Senior League Baseball World Series that will be held for the ninth consecutive year at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor this summer, also Aug. 15-21.

The tournament features a 10-team field with five U.S. regional champions, a host team and international representatives from Canada, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe-Middle East-Africa.

The teams are divided into two five-team pools that play five days of pool play leading to a semifinal around and then the championship game.

The umpires for all Little League World Series are volunteers, and are not reimbursed for travel expenses, and between travel costs, a rental car and other expenses, Cole expects his eight-day trip to Washington could cost him “a couple thousand dollars.”

“It’s Little League, and you know when you put in the paperwork that it could cost you quite a bit, especially if it’s a cross country trip,” Cole said. “But I’m sure the experience will be well worth it.”

Cole, who also umpires during the high school season, expects he will have worked more than 60 games this season before making his World Series debut.

Last year, he umpired 74 contests from the start of the school season through the Junior League East Regional championship game.

Cole said he would have one familiar colleague on the Junior League Softball World Series umpiring crew in Fred Lesser of West Deptford, N.J.

Lesser and Cole worked together during last summer’s East Regional.

Other members of the 2010 JLWS umpiring crew will be Miles Darnall of Dade City, Fla.; Gary Eldred of Moreno Valley, Calif., Orlando Hernandez of Coconut Creek, Fla., Greg Hodges of Needville, Texas, Raymond Laramie of Hammond, Ind., Gilbert Paulina of Willemstad, Curacao, George Rohr of George West, Texas, Mark Saurer of Louisville, Ky., Eric Snively of Pilot Rock, Ore., and Gerard Takiguchi of Dublin, Calif.