Dr. John Bell on Character, Community & the Umpire's Code

Three words have anchored Dr. John Bell's graduation speech for decades: dream big, make a plan, work like a dog. In Part 2, the Port Jervis superintendent and Little League World Series umpire connects the dots between the diamond and real life — why kids need to get hosed by a bad call sometimes, what helicopter parents are actually taking away from their children, and how a thick skin and a friendly handshake make you a better umpire and a better leader. Plus: the Bell family legacy of community service that spans four generations and counting. 

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SPEAKER_03 0:03

Welcome back to the Progress Report. Today we continue our conversation with Dr. John Bell, superintendent of the Port Jervis City School District in Port Jervis, New York, and a former Little League World Series umpire. In episode one, we talked about his deep family roots in Little League, his long road to Williamsport, and the dream that took 13 years of applications before it finally became a reality. In this episode, we take the conversation a step further. What does it feel like to make calls on one of Youth Sports' biggest stages with tens of thousands in the stands and millions watching on television? How does an umpire stay calm when every pitch, every play, and every call matters? And what can those moments teach us about leadership, fairness, communication, and responsibility? Dr. Bell has spent his life working with young people as a teacher, principal, assistant, superintendent, superintendent, coach, volunteer, and umpire. Today we talk about the lessons that connect all of those roles and why Little League remains about so much more than baseball. John, little league, little league's about baseball, but it's also, I mean, we've kind of hit on a lot of it, sportsmanship, discipline, community, learning how to win and lose, how to how to deal, I mean, really ultimately how to deal with life as an adult. Um, what do you think kids gain from that experience of being part of uh Little League or or pop warner football beyond the game itself?

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Well, I I I've said many times, and I talked to the kids about it in school, that I wouldn't be where I am today without sports. I learned so many valuable lessons from sports, you know, and not just the sportsmanship and the teamwork. And I was a terrible loser when I was a little kid. And my older brother used to beat the snot out of me because of it. So, you know, he'd we'd win us, we'd win a softball game, but I'd be pissed because of the way I whatever. And then he'd smack me around and I'd get I'd it'd cure me real quick. You know, that's what's nice about having an older brother who was a much better athlete. He put me in my place when I needed it. But but you know, just the the idea of of setting goals and developing a plan and and and and bouncing back when things don't go well. You know, you're struggling, you're losing one nothing, nobody can touch the guy, the guy's striking you out. And as a little kid, it kind of is like a gut check. Are we going down or are we gonna fight like hell to find a way to win? You know, and that's life skills that everybody needs. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

And even as you, as you, you know, to to look at at your your career, um, your professional career beyond uh becoming an ump, but like right starting as a teacher and and the journey that you you've gone through since teaching at Eldred all the way to where you are today, you that that did not come without its own, you know, and and Rob Rob and I both could say the same thing without the occasional knock on the chin where it's like I can curl up in a ball right now and cry, or my my dad always would be like, stand up, dust it off, shake it off, keep going, right? And if you don't keep going, and we we we miss our young people, I think. Uh we we do a disservice to our young people because a lot of them do not um have that mentality as they come into adulthood um for a multitude of reasons, but anyway, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

I I agree a hundred percent. And you know, I've actually said this with my boys that there's been times where I wasn't their coach, and a coach maybe didn't bat them in the spot that I thought they deserved to be in, or they didn't play the position that I thought they deserved, or didn't start, or whatever. And you still feel it is anytime, anytime there's a you know what you you perceive as a disservice to your kid, it's gonna hurt. But I really have kept myself from saying anything because I say, you know what, this is good for them. It's good. I always say to parent, it's good for your kid to kind of get hosed by a coach from time to time because it's gonna happen in life. Learn how to get hosed, learn how to get hosed by a bad call from an umpire and be able to shake the dust off and move on. Um, you know, a a coach doesn't play you at a position. I think to where when we were kids, it was okay, you want to play Port Jervis Little League or Port Jervis Little League, like like there was no other option. Where today it's you know, kids are leaving little leagues because they um I wasn't happy with this here, and it's you know, or leaving this travel team and starting their own travel team. And I think you're seeing that now at the collegiate level too, with the with the player portal. Yeah, it's very much become a disposable society. And I really think for young kids out there, if you can be one of the tough ones that knows how to handle being knocked down, knows how to handle maybe not getting your fair shake on a certain incident and being able to kind of, okay, that I wasn't treated fairly there, but I'm gonna use that to drive me. Right. Um, I think those kids are gonna have a leg up on these other kids that are constantly, well, if I don't like it, I'm just gonna leave because there is a point in life where you can't do that anymore and be successful.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

And and sometimes I'll have uh we might have a student say, I don't like my teacher, or my teacher doesn't like me. And I say, Hey, you're gonna have bosses that you don't like. And you know what? You can't just quit and go home because you got a family and a mortgage and things of that nature when you're working. So you got to learn to work through this. They may not be your favorite teacher of all time, but every teacher's different and every teacher reaches a different segment of kids. You gotta figure out how to work through this and survive because that's what you're gonna have to do in the workforce.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

Absolutely. I I I was at the soapbox derby on Sunday, and I was talking to the older brother of a uh longtime very, very dear friend of mine who I've known my whole life, and we were just talking, I mean, talking a lot about stuff like this, but I was saying, as someone who, you know, has managed people, I I used to try to instill in the young 20, 20 somethings that would come and work for me, when they would leave and go somewhere else. Like I I I I had a few that I tried to mentor after they they left their job with me, but I I said, you know, when I look at a resume, now I'm the polar opposite. I'm like, I'm like a rash you can't get rid of, right? I I was at I was at Fox for 12 and a half years, I was with Gopak for 10 years. I when I look at a resume and I see you were at a job for six months and a job for six months and a job for three months, and that's but that's the mentality, and part of it now is, and Rob's heard me say this a million times, with technology and social media and all of this instant gratification stuff that you know you deal with it every day in the school system as a superintendent. Our mo most people in today's society have a an attention span that is shorter than that of a goldfish, which is about eight seconds. And with that, they that that is how they they operate daily. If it if it doesn't feel good, then I'm not gonna do it. I'm quitting and I'm moving to this. And like it it's befuddling to me that that's the mentality because I I come I come from a child of the older generation, which is like, look, it's called for a reason. You gotta grind it out, put your head down, learn to deal with people, take your knocks, and yeah, it's just it's crazy, it's crazy. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Yeah, and I'll I'll tell parents all the time, I you know, because I'll work with some kids that are maybe not on our teams, but they play for other teams if they're playing for their high school coach. And you know, if if it gets ever gets to a point of abuse, you know, where the where the kids constantly being treated unfairly, then then maybe it may be a conversation, but have your kid do it. Have your kid approach the coach, have your kids, and I I even teach my players, I'll say to them, I don't mind you coming up to me or any of your coaches with the aces. I said, but here's how you're gonna do it. I said, you're gonna come up and say, I think I can help the team by doing X. Let them know that you're saying I can help the team, not just why am I not playing it short. I I think I can help the team by doing X. What do I need to do to earn X? I said, if you say that to a coach, you say that to a an administrator, a boss, they're gonna love that. They're not gonna see that as, you know, you trying to lobby for yourself. They're good, they're seeing that as I want this and I know I can help this whole organization if I can do this, but I need to know from you what do I need to do to show you that I get the opportunity to bat forth, to play short, whatever it might be. Yeah and and I and again to my point before, I think the kids that people that can learn how to do that, have those conversations with their bosses, their coaches, their administrators are gonna also have a leg up on other other other kids that you know. I can't tell you the number of coaches that I've had work for me that were in their 20s, and that when they tell me they're not gonna work for me anymore, they send me a text message. And and I'll call, I'll call them up after they send it. Not to yell at them, not to say, you know, what why aren't you working here anymore, but to but to thank them for their time and and try to end on, but and they won't answer the call. I can't tell you the numbers. And it's almost like there's this uh fear of communicating with people and and understanding that you sometimes you're gonna have an awkward conversation with somebody. And it's good to learn how to how to deal with that. And you know, I think that's lost today.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

And I think if you have those helicopter parents or the other, the new term is bulldozer parents who are trying to bulldoze everything out of the way for them to make a smooth path. Um, kids get cheated because now they go, they graduate high school, they go away to college, or they go off into the workforce or the military, and they haven't learned how to deal with those things. If they had that conversation with that teacher or that coach, they would develop those interpersonal skills to how to deal with those issues. But but if mom and dad do it for you, you're you're you're you're a hopeless soul going off into the world without any practice.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

Yep. Boy, you said it. I had a I had a coworker when I worked at at ABC that uh I left and I went to Fox, and all of my colleagues from Fox wanted to follow, or from ABC wanted to follow me, follow me over to Fox. And so at some point this guy was looking for a job. So I um stuck my neck out, gave him a recommendation, and he got a job. He got it, he got a job, and they were training him. And when they were training him, he fell asleep in front of the the board, the engineers training him, and he fell asleep in front of the board, and the engineer and the big boss said, Hey man, you can't be sleeping here. And he said, I know all this stuff, I don't need to learn anything else. So the the the big boss said, You know what? You can go home for the day, send them home. And uh what happened after that? And the guy was older than me. I'm in my at the time I was in in my mid to late 20s. The guy was probably late 30s. He he left. Oh hold on. He so he he left and he um had his mom call the job that he's been he's been not sleeping and all of this stuff, and it was crazy. And and I I really got annoyed with it because I'm like, I put my neck out on the line for you and I gave you a recommendation. Do not ever, do not ever ask me again for anything because I'm not gonna do it. And and you know, as a result of that, I I've become more scrupulous in when when someone asks me for a letter of recommendation or anything like that, because that's huge.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

I had to learn that the hard way too.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

You want to be you want to be a good, you know, good guy and you want to help this person out, you think they're a good person, and it's like okay, but are they when they actually get the opportunity, are they gonna make your words stand up? And and if they don't, right, not only are they hurting themselves, but they're hurting you, and you're hurting your credibility with with others, and that's that's not fair for the next person you want to recommend. Right, right.

SPEAKER_03 12:45

John, so so your your family's legacy is is so special, and your family is so special to me. I I loved your dad and your mom and and your grandmother, Rob probably doesn't know this, but but John's grandmother was my my babysitter through my the entirety of my childhood. And and you know, the a lot of the kids that she babysat um called her Graham. One of my one of my aunts didn't like that when I was calling her Graham. So she my whole life, I still talk about her, my auntie Lil. And I I I just special, special, special. And for me, spending so much time with your grandma and really from from an outsider's perspective, being in in the atmosphere of this little league family and community, community uh tied with roots so deep to such a special special community and and and thing. What memories stand out most to you when you think about your family's connection to Little League and and the community in in in Port Jervis and Orange County and in the district and beyond?

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Yeah, I you know it's funny because as my boys are now 28 and 26. Oh my gosh. And and so you always ask yourself as a dad, have they learned about have they learned enough about doing things for the greater good of the community? That it isn't all about just making extra money or working OT or whatever it is, but there's things you're gonna do for free because it's good for your community. And if people don't step up, how are we ever gonna get things done? You know, and and uh one time there was a kid from Madam Morris that signed up for the Boy Scouts and and he said to his mom, hey, when we signed up, Mr. Bell, meaning my dad, Mr. Bell wasn't there. And she said, Honey, why did you think Mr. Bell was gonna be there? Because everything else I belonged to, Pop Warner, Little Leg, Mr. Bell is always there. And my dad never had anything to do with the scouts, but it was so funny. So I said I wrote that as a little excerpt in one of Andrew Marata's books that it's about f dads and father figures, that it was such a cute story. You know, when I was a kid, it didn't make much sense. But as I heard it later on from my mom, I'm like, that's really funny, you know. That was just always there, you know. But no, I just think that's the way it was. It started with my grandparents. Uh, you know, you give your time, and and so many people gave their time to make Little League and Pop Wonder special for the next generation. And then it eventually became our turn to do it for the next generation. And now I'm still around, even though we're in generation four, you know, and I'm still hanging around, but and I'm still trying to help young kids become umpires and things of that nature so that we don't so the well doesn't run dry. But it yeah, I mean, it's just I guess it's the way you're raised, you know, the way you're you're raised with certain expectations. You know, certain people are raised uh to be in the construction business or they're raised to be in finance or whatever. And we were just always raised to do community service. No matter what we chose as a paid profession, the everything else always revolved around community service. And you know, we started the my brother Bob and I started the Delaware River Run as a 5K in town to try to bring people into town and a fun, healthy thing to do. And I think this was year 32 of it. Yeah. And now, you know, now my boys are always there and their girlfriends and things of that nature are volunteering now that my mom and dad are gone. The next generation has to step up and out. But there's damn bells everywhere on that day giving up their Sunday to help on the race, and it's just been that way for decades.

SPEAKER_03 16:28

Yeah, that's so cool. So, my last question for you is really for for young people, young athletes, students, um in particular, watching the Little League World Series this summer. What message would you want them to take away about hard work and character and never giving up on something that they love?

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Yeah, and I talk about this periodically at graduation. Every five years or so, I bring this speech back so that the next wave hears it. But I talk about three things. So, you know, uh, first of all, dream big, you know, have big dreams. And then the second thing is develop a plan so that you you turn your dreams into reality by developing a plan with timelines of how you're okay, in order to get here, I got to do six things. And how am I gonna when I'm what are those six things and in what order and when am I gonna do them? So it's dream big, turn your dreams into a plan, and then work like a dog, you know, back to your dog. That's the three things. And then I I've over time I've added like a little corollary, a little extra on on number three of if uh work like a dog and ignore all the naysayers who are critical of your dreams, you know, just ignore them and press up.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

That's great. That's that's an important one, too. It really is. And you know, I I have to because I know I've got a lot of uh students of mine that listen to the show and parents of of students, and and a lot of those parents are umpires, and even my students now have started to become umpires for Little League. And so I gotta ask this question here for an umpire. I mean, obviously, I think the obvious answer is, you know, know the rules and make fair calls. But what other advice would you give umpires in terms of, you know, just um dealing with coaches, dealing with players, with parents, um, you know, that type of interaction? Because obviously you being successful at what you've done is not just because you can call good balls and strikes and and safe and out, but I'm sure there's also a level of you know, keeping keeping things very neutral to not to not seem one-sided, to not, you know, be a hothead. What what advice would you give to umpires today?

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Yeah, you have to have thick skin because people are gonna say stuff. You can't let it bother you. You have to just stay true to what you believe is right. Uh, when I'm at Port Jervis Little League, it's different than anywhere else because when it's our local little league, I'm coaching the kids from behind the plate. I'm telling the catchers, hey, back up a little bit so you don't get hurt. I'm telling the batters, hey, you're too far away. Every once in a while, a catcher like, hey, you can't tell them that. I said, no, no, I tell your team that when you're up to bat too, because I look at it as I'm an extra coach on the field. This is just for our little league. Not I don't do this in all-stars. Uh, but I'm that extra coach to help all the kids when they're up in the batter's box or they're catching, or I'll say to the catcher, hey, take some time and go talk to your pitcher. He he's really he's upset. Go out there and just give him a little pep talk, you know. And I do that with both teams so that it's fair. But but my idea is I'm trying to coach them up so that they're more prepared when they go to that next level, like playing tournament all-stars and things like that, you know. And their coaches are busy. Someone's coaching third, someone's trying to get the kid in the dugout who's got french fries. Somehow he got french fries in the dugout and they're trying to police that, you know. Yeah. But in terms of just general umpiring, it's really rewarding. Um, but it can be difficult. And so if you develop the thick skin, but be super friendly, super nice, and most of the time people reciprocate. You know, when you get in the park, go right up, say, hey, my name's John. Nice to meet you, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Go to the other team. When I'm doing an all-star team, if I'm doing like a state tournament and it's like an Orange County school against uh Rockland or Westchester, I go out of my way. Say it might be Newburgh playing Nyack, but it's somewhere in Orange County. So I'm looked at as the homer. I'm the Orange County umpire. So I go out of my way beforehand and throughout the whole game to be as nice as possible to the visitors because they always think they're gonna get railroaded, you know. So and I and I get to know the guy, coach by first name. Anything wrong? Are you okay? Any questions? Everything okay? You need anything, just because when they go on the road, you're always skeptical that you're gonna get hosed in some way or another. So I go out of my way to make sure that they feel like they're gonna get a fair shot. And I think people really appreciate that, especially when the stakes are high and it's you know, you're one and done when you're in this, you know, advancing in the state tournament. So yeah, I just want them to always feel like they're gonna get a fair shot, they're not gonna get screwed over because they're in somebody else's county.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

So I like that. Absolutely, absolutely great advice.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Well, this is I had the Orange County guy say to me, I'm too nice to the visitors. I said, get over it, get over it. That's my tell them.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

I think I think to that point, John. Another piece of advice is you're never gonna make everybody happy as an umpire. That's just if you do, then then God bless you, because uh there always is gonna be somebody that's gonna disagree with something.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Yeah, same thing as superintendent.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

I used to have exactly same thing as a coach now. I mean, I see it as a coach that you know it's uh you know, you can't you can't make everybody happy, and then and part of knowing that you have to have some thick skin to know that okay, they're not happy, but did I do the Right thing. Yes, I did. I'm good with it. They can be unhappy.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Yep. I had somebody last year, one of the one of the big shots in District 19 said, Hey, you really should be talking to the crowd. And what it was, it was an all-star game, and the moms had set their bag chairs up here from one team, and moms from the other team are right here. So they're on both sides of the backstop. And the one mom was saying something. And so between the innings, I just went over and said, No, actually, what you said is not right. It's here's how it works, blah, blah, blah, blah. And somebody from District 19 is like, you know, we really don't want the umpires talking to the fans. Listen, I've been doing this 40 some years. Sure. I I agree at it. You don't want to tell your young kids because they might get themselves in a pickle. But I feel like I can put this to bed by talking to them between innings. You know, and that little bit of salesmanship to like not only to explain it to them and do it nicely so they don't feel offended, and they're like, Oh, okay, I didn't know that. You know, and then everything's good after that.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

So you know, sometimes sometimes the one of the best ways to put people's minds at ease is by educating them. And I'll I'll do that with an umpire sometime where he'll make a call, and you know, I'm not totally clear on the rule or not clear on the rule at that age level because there's different rules at different age levels, and I'll go out and ask for just clarification on the rule. And you when you have an umpire that explains it to you, and that you really feel like they're just trying to educate you, that they're not trying to defend themselves or or or bark back at you. Um, it really does make for a much better environment for everybody. And and that's great that you want to educate the educate the fans too, because it's gonna keep them calm, they're gonna realize okay, it's not a balk when he does that. Because you hear that all the time with you know, when guys start leading, it's like the pitcher steps off the rubber and people are yelling balk and they have no idea what the balk rule even is. But if you educate them, then they don't do that anymore.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

And if I can help that parent learn the rule, they may not give the next game they have, and there's a young umpire, they may not be giving that guy a ration of crap. Yeah, because now they learn the rule. So I might have helped the next guy not want to give up umpiring because he got beat up by some mom in his ear, you know. So if I can help that kid stick with it, you know, the more they do it, the the longer they do it, the more likely they are to stick with it. So the trick is how do I protect kids? And one of the ways is educating the fans to stop yelling the wrong thing, you know. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, this has been awesome, John. Thank you so much for for spending a little uh part of your part of your day with us today. And um, we'll we'll definitely uh have you back on at some point. Maybe we'll do a uh when the wor Little League World Series is over, we'll have you come give us your your uh hot take on how I am hot take on it.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Yeah, yeah. I'm watching. I usually go every year, you know. I still go every year to watch it. I usually just pick a day and go. And sometimes nobody goes with me. I'll just do the two and a half hour drive down, hang out, watch some games, get a roast beef sandwich, and then I'll drive home and I'll watch the eight o'clock game on TV. And my wife's like, Really? You were there all day, and now you're gonna watch the eight o'clock game. Well, relax, it'll be over in an hour and a half.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

You've got a passion for it, and there's something you can do for that.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

So it's a good, it's a healthy passion.

SPEAKER_03 25:11

Yeah, that's right. Absolutely. Dr. John Bell, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

Yes, thank you both. Thank you. Catching up with you. Take care.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

You too.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

You too.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

A big thank you once again to Dr. John Bell for joining us and for reminding us why Little League continues to hold such a special place in communities across America, whether on the field, in the classroom, or leading a school district. His story points back to many of the same values fairness, patience, preparation, communication, and service. And maybe that's why the Little League World Series still captures our attention year after year. It's not just about who wins or loses, it's about young people learning how to compete, how to handle pressure, how to respect the rules, respect authority, and how to be part of something bigger than themselves. Thanks for listening to the Progress Report. We'll see you next time. I'm definitely the curtain.