When Mike Corwin first crouched down behind home plate to call balls and strikes, he was wearing a starched white shirt and black tie. It was standard garb for baseball umpires at the time.

That was 1973 — 50 years and many thousands of baseball games ago. Corwin was 18 years old, a college freshman, and had recently bumped up against the limit of his athletic skills.

“Coach sat me down and told me my fastball wasn’t fast,” he laughed. “But he heard I’d done some umping.”

Corwin took the coach’s hint, hung up his cleats and threw on a new uniform. Five decades later he is still donning umpire garb, though that has mercifully evolved from the 1970s shirt-and-tie to lighter, more comfortable materials made for sunny Saturdays in Central Oregon. He umpired Ridgeview’s opening round tournament game on May 23, when the Ravens defeated Corvallis.

Tad Cockerill of the Central Oregon Officials Association said that Corwin, now 67, has been a boon to area crews since he moved to the area a decade ago. Before that, Corwin spent 40 years living and umpiring in the Corvallis area.

“I think its just his demeanor,” said Cockerill. “People enjoy seeing him out on the field. He’s looking to defuse and manage situations. If you’ve been around so long, obviously you’ve gotten good at it.”

Over the decades, Corwin has umpired small college games, five state OSAA state championships and even an ESPN-aired American Legion title game.

And he’s got too many stories to mention.

One that comes to mind took place during a close, tense game between American Legion rivals Corvallis and Albany, when a close call at first base led to an aggrieved coach coming onto the diamond and throwing a tantrum that led to an ejection. But that only started the festivities. The coach started picking up the bases and chucking them.

“First base went into right field, second base went into center field,” said Corwin. “You get the picture.”

Mostly, though, Corwin has enjoyed the work. He said high school is the “sweet spot” for umpiring, when coaches careers aren’t yet on the line, but most of the parents have spent enough time on the sidelines to know the sport and want to watch rather than badger the umpires.

He said the catcher is his “best friend” during most games, especially when parents get demonstrative.

“I can ask him ‘Whose mom is that?’” said Corwin. “The catcher always knows.”

Corwin lived in Corvallis for decades and worked for Oregon State University athletics department. He umped and worked with a number of players who went on to the major leagues, including Jacoby Ellsbury of Madras, who played ball with the Beavers before stints in the majors with the Red Sox and Yankees. MLB pitcher Kevin Gregg, who grew up in Corvallis, was a favorite of as well.

He isn’t sure how much longer he will call balls and strikes, but he knows an upcoming knee replacement will send him to the dugout for awhile.

He’s not sure if he’ll return to the field after that, but he knows his passion for baseball will

still be there.

“I’ve done this for 50 years and still haven’t seen everything,” he said.