So much for the umpire being the boss.
A couple of summers ago at Seaman Stadium, a baseball fan kicked dirt on the shoes of Western Major Baseball League umpire Brian Whitnack.
Whitnack didn’t throw her out of the game, in fact he took Tammy home so he could spend the rest of his life with her.
Tammy and Brian Whitnack were married on July 24, 2009 before an Okotoks Dawgs’ game at Seaman Stadium. Whitnack was there as a groom, not to call balls and strikes. However, he did get the umpire treatment from his new wife of about eight seconds.
“A lot of fans didn’t see it, but Tammy kicked dirt on my shoes at the very end of the ceremony,” said Brian, from his Lethbridge home. “At the ball diamond I’m the boss, but at home, she is the boss.”
The kicking of the dirt wasn’t out of disrespect for her husband, but out of her love of baseball, especially her beloved Oakland A’s and Billy Ball which she watched when she grew up in the 1970s and 80s while living in San Jose.
“It came from Billy Martin when he managed the A’s and he used to kick dirt on the umpire,” Tammy said with a laugh. “He used to always get thrown out of the game. I was pretty sure Brian wasn’t going to throw me out.”
She admitted while living in San Jose she never imagined getting married in a place called Okotoks and walking under a wedding arch made of ballplayers holding Louisville Sluggers.
“My friends all thought it was great,” she said. “We all had a good time.”
The Whitnacks were pinch-hitters for the Dawgs. An earlier couple got cold feet about getting married so Brian and Tammy agreed to step up to the plate.
Literally. They took their vows at home plate.
“I’m good friends with Jim Amy, (Dawg vice-president of concessions) and he asked us to fill in,” Brian said. “At first we didn’t want a big show, we were just going to fly down to Las Vegas and get married. Now I think we are both pretty happy we did it this way. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
In regards to July 24, 2009, to paraphrase Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks: “It was a great day for two.”
“The Dawgs treated us very well,” Brian said. “We got all sorts of things, a suite at the Deerfoot casino, pictures, Dawgs jerseys, airfare voucher to where we wanted to go with WestJet, a holiday package… The one thing all our friends said was: ‘It was very unique.’”
The Whitnacks would love to spend their second anniversary on July 24 by enjoying a hot dog at Seaman Stadium. However, the schedule makers have the Dawgs playing in Yorkton on July 24.
“We will try to make it to a game this year,” Tammy said.
