Gustafson dedicates life to softball

By John Behling
The pitch comes in slow and high, the batter connects but miscalculates, chipping the top of the ball and deflecting it to the plate. The ball rebounds and strikes the bat again on the backswing.
In a second the umpire will have to make a call. To maintain control over the game the official must make his determination instantly and confidently. If he doesnít, team managers will be all over him. What is his ruling?
ìIt was a very rare situation,î said Bob Gustafson, Chisago County recreation director for 13 years and softball umpire of 35 years. Gustafson came upon this situation in a recent game.
A batter can only hit the ball once, even if itís by accident, Gustafson explained to the coaches. The batter was out.
The best umpires are those who have played the game for a long time, those who can call upon obscure rules and handle a variety of situations.
At 63, Gustafson has been in the game his whole life.
His career of officiating started in Duluth 35 years ago where he helped out nearby leagues by umping, while playing on his own nine-man team. Gustafson pitched and his four brothers, a step-brother and a couple church friends made up the team.
He was a strong hitter, usually filling the third or fourth position in the batting order, but he couldnít quite handle a ìriser.î
ìUnless you know enough to swing above the ball, youíre either going to miss it or hit a pop up,î Gustafson said. ìIíd move myself to the end of the order if it was against a guy who could throw a smoking riser.î
Fast pitch softball 30 years ago differed greatly from what dominates league play today. It was a pitcherís game. Curve-balls, risers and dangerous fast balls kept batters weary and scores close.
ìIn those days youíd get a score of 3-2. Now we have scores like 24-14,î Gustafson said. Modified fast-pitch leagues like those in Chisago County force a straight delivery and ban windmill or snap pitching. This has made for a hitterís game, enticing a wide range of people who are more interested in having fun than competing.
ìMy emphasis is on recreation,î Gustafson said.
Gustafson still plays every Thursday in a church league, but the bulk of his time is spent making sure everyone else is able to play.
In 1989, Chisago County Recreation Director Tom Marcio, who coordinated softball leagues in the area, resigned. The county board decided not to fill his position, dropping the Chisago County Recreation Department and the countywide softball league.
Gustafson says he was appalled by their decision and compelled to run for county commissioner, a position he now holds.
Without a countywide league, intercity play could not happen, harming smaller towns like Stacy, which only has two teams.
Gustafson decided to take over Marcioís responsibilities on a temporary volunteer basis. Twelve years later, he continues his mission without pay.
Gustafson coordinates more than 100 teams in eight youth leagues and four adult leagues, His duties include registering more than 1,500 players with the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), ordering equipment and scheduling 24 fields across Chisago County.
His league duties begin in late winter with the first coachís meetings. In that session, coaches hammer out rules and discuss the yearís changes. For each season he will have to update and distribute 11 different rule books.
During the year Gustafson enforces league rules, reprimanding coaches, players and umpires who are in violation. He must have each teamís roster in to the ASA for them to be eligible for post-season regional play.
He also umpires sporadically as needed.
One of the newer rules that Gustafson and his umpires enforce is the statewide no swearing rule. A batter that is caught cussing is immediately called out along with the next batter. A defensive player who lets a curse slip will have their teamís first batter marked out on their next at-bat.
Gustafson says this rule has been effective, making teams police themselves in cleaning up their language. It has also produced some creativity in the way of frustrated remarks.
In 1997, Gustafsonís organization came under scrutiny by the Minnesota Stateís Attorney. An inquiry was started into the Chisago County Recreation Association, a non-profit organization Gustafson had organized to cover the costs of running a league.
Gustafson was accused of co-mingling funds and not complying with an audit.
Gustafson responded by saying the only way he could purchase equipment was by using a personal credit card, and reimbursing himself from the organizationís fund. He claimed the auditís expense, which he estimates was $3,000, was unreasonable for the associationís budget of $5,000.
Gustafson said the claims against himself were based on the assumption that his organization received tax exemption from the federal government, which was never true, he said.
All claims against Gustafson have since been dropped.
Now Gustafson runs the county league privately, handling each city on a contract basis and putting a considerable amount of his own money into the program.
Gustafson believes that softball leagues are important for developing skills at a young age and for keeping kids busy and out of trouble in the summer.
ìIf you donít give kids something to do, theyíll find something to do,î Gustafson said.
He said he hopes someone will take over his position in the future, fearing that with his absence the league would again fall apart.
ìIf I didnít do it, it [the league] wouldnít be there,î Gustafson said.

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