Canadian umpire Trevor Grieve set to work second World Baseball Classic
TORONTO — Canadian umpire Trevor Grieve won’t forget the summer he spent working in the minor leagues surviving on three things: Pizza Hut, Chinese buffets and sandwiches purchased in bulk at the nearest grocery store.
The Toronto native had a $20 per diem and didn’t want to leave himself broke, so he and a partner would rotate through the three spots, always hoping they didn’t have to tackle the physical job at home plate on the same day they had indulged in a heavy Chinese buffet.
Grieve spent almost four seasons working around the minor leagues before retiring in 2004. But he does continue to umpire now and then and will be travelling to Tokyo on March 11 to work the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
“It was really tough living on the road. I didn’t enjoy several of the years that I was there,” Grieve said. “I was missing a lot of weddings, I was missing some funerals, some close family. And I think that was sort of the topper for me was life was passing me by and you’re on the road for anywhere from five to eight months of the year. You didn’t get time off.”