An interview with one of the most iconic French baseball umpires of the 21st century. Following his recent selection to officiate at the World Baseball Classic, Baseball TV France took an interest in his opinions.
BTVF: Who are you, Serge Makouchetchev?
Hello BTVF, I am Serge MAKOUCHETCHEV, 40 years old, licensed at the Hawks de La Guerche de Bretagne (35) club and have been an international baseball umpire for over 20 years now.
BTVF: You’ve been officiating in national, European, and international competitions for over twenty years. How would you sum up your career?
Amazing!
Indeed, from my beginnings in officiating to today and tomorrow, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to beautiful cities and countries, participate in competitions of all levels, from inter-league games in France to the World Baseball Classic, but above all, meet all kinds of people with very interesting personal stories, whether they’re players, coaches, managers, umpires, or officials. All these people have brought me diverse perspectives and allowed for constructive and interesting exchanges about our sport. Officiating is also about brotherhood.
BTVF: Your experience allows you to compare baseball practices around the world. How does France stack up against other nations in terms of behavior towards umpires from players and coaches?
The behavior of teams, players, managers, etc., is generally very correct in our sport, whether in France or other countries. The officiating corps is respected. If there are some heated reactions during games, which I find completely normal, they are never too intense or aggressive (crossing the line of respect).
BTVF: These different experiences have led you to live through intense sporting emotions. What are your best and worst memories?
The answer is quite simple, but what are my best memories? I think all of them. Indeed, whether it’s receiving invitations to tournaments or championship games, to entering the field with or without an audience, but with my peers, these are always moments I appreciate.
As for my worst memories: unfortunately, it’s also easy. When I’ve made mistakes in judgments, with or without impact on the action or the game. You have to know that an umpire’s goal is what is expected of them, namely NEVER MAKE A MISTAKE. But unfortunately, in certain situations, it remains inevitable (no matter the technology deployed). In each decision/judgment made by an umpire, there are countless game factors to consider, and you know, as does the baseball community, the speed at which everything happens and at which the decision is expected is extremely short. As umpires, we do everything possible to be correctly positioned, to have the best angle on the action, but the human factor (umpires, players, etc.) and irregularities, or rather, I should say, variables, to be considered and by definition changing, can suddenly place us in the worst possible angle for a quick decision.
BTVF: You will be officiating at the World Baseball Classic, a prestigious international competition. What are the stakes for you, and what specific pressure do you expect for this event?
As an umpire, I have no stakes in this competition. If it is indeed a prestigious tournament, as an umpire, the only thing I must do is give my best, no matter the type of game or competition. Regarding pressure, let’s be honest, we’re talking about an event watched worldwide by baseball lovers, with participants (players, managers, officials) all professionals who live off this activity, not to mention the fans and the various people who bet on the games, the stats, etc. (which is illegal in France, I believe, but not in all countries). My mentor had the following phrase about officiating:
“Work hard but work smart, every single pitch means something to someone”
On a professional and global scale, you will understand that this is very, very true.
BTVF: The French baseball community evolves in fits and starts in terms of skill level, which is true for players and umpires alike. How do you see its current evolution?
I think French baseball is constantly evolving (whether positively or negatively), but this evolution is the result of the work of an entire population of volunteers that we must all salute, whether they are volunteers from the clubs or the federation (I also salute the federation’s employees who make all this possible). From a gameplay perspective, it’s the disparity in skill level between clubs and teams that is the main cause of the difference and this up-and-down evolution. Indeed, there are first the major clubs in large sports agglomerations that, in my opinion, benefit from significant help to set up structures that constantly improve their level and visibility, thus allowing the recruitment of good foreign talent, helping both the development of young players and bringing their playing experience to games. Then there are the smaller structures where volunteers indeed give a lot of their time, but among these volunteers, it’s important to note the multi-role players who, from an activity load perspective, inevitably slow down the actions taken or the time available for development.
To answer the initial question: I think the evolution is positive, but efforts are still needed to reduce the gap in gameplay level between teams. Officials also need to keep working hard. The level is much better than it was years ago, but we still need to improve. There is good potential, but what’s lacking for officials is the opportunity to work as a team. Many foreign federations organize a moment of conviviality once a year, combining the useful (training/conferences with prestigious guests) with the pleasant, also allowing the building of something essential for officials as in all teams, cohesion or brotherhood. Umpires are a team in their own right, and team cohesion work is necessary in our activity because few people outside of officiating can truly understand the work of umpires and the pressure management we also face (not just negative pressure, but also the pressure aimed at improving the activity, responding to the expectations of all match actors like players, managers, coaches, but also other officials, or even spectators).
BTVF: Given the practices you encounter in different nationalities and baseball federations, what would be, in your opinion, the major areas for improvement that France could implement to improve?
I still think that to this day, we lack communication at the level of our championship. Whether it’s the federation or the clubs, I think it’s at the communication level that we need to work. Regarding umpires, this is also very true. Take the example of the Czech Republic, which, in my opinion, is the country where baseball has seen the greatest growth among European federations, and this simply through communication.
BTVF: What can we wish you?
Success in the actions undertaken in the field of officiating, and always managing to give 100% and more for upcoming games and other actions.
Thank you to you and to all the people who will read this article, as well as to all the licensed players, volunteers, and employees of our federation and our clubs without whom our sport would not be where it is today.
