McFarland: Legendary Saskatchewan umpire Jerkovits celebrates 50th season in baseball
Legendary Saskatchewan umpire Elemer Jerkovits recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as an amateur umpire. Photo:X/Twitter
*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on June 13. You can read it here.
June 15, 2025
By Joe McFarland
Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
Time sure flies when you’re having fun.
Elemer Jerkovits has found a home behind the plate and all around the diamond as an umpire in Saskatchewan for 50 years.
As he suited up to be a field umpire in the Regina Red Sox home opener against the Swift Current 57’s on May 29, the Regina native was overcome with the feeling of gratitude.
From the people he’s met to the experiences he’s had, Jerkovits couldn’t help but ask himself a simple question: where did the time go?
“I’m thankful that I can still be a part of the game that I love after all these years,” he told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories.
It’s a significant milestone for a man who is still in love with the game and keen to share his experiences in hopes of inspiring the next generation of officials.
THE BOY IN BLUE
It’s incredible to think that Jerkovits’ outstanding umpiring career almost didn’t happen, had it not been for a broken arm.
Remembering the day like it was yesterday, he recalls suffering a broken arm in April 1976 while playing hockey with the Regina Riders.
With a cast on his limb, Jerkovits missed tryouts for his local baseball team, making him ineligible to join even after he was all healed.
Determined to stay in baseball, he suited up as an umpire.
“I tried it, I did a few games and found out that I liked it,” he said in a September 2020 interview with the Regina Leader-Post.
“Then in the next two years, I just started to move up to higher age groups. I was doing midget games by the time I was old enough to play in midget games. Then I was doing men’s league games before I was old enough to play in the men’s league.”
Jerkovits joined Baseball Canada’s certification program in 1982 and made his first appearance at the national level at the 1996 Canadian men’s baseball championship in Saskatoon.
He has since worked several major events including the Canada Summer Games, the Canadian Futures Showcase (previously the Toronto Blue Jays Tournament 12) and the Pan-Am Games in Toronto.
THE TIMES ARE A-CHANGIN’
Over those 50 years calling games, Jerkovits has seen plenty of the world.
He’s also seen a lot of change to his world on the diamond – most noticeably, the technology.
“When I first started umpiring, all instruction was based on passing down information from a veteran umpire to a new umpire,” Jerkovits said. “Some basic instruction was given and the rest was learned on the fly through live-game experiences.”
He says they now have many online tools at their disposal, including manuals, exams, game videos, instructional videos and tutorials.
The 2019 WCBL Umpire of the Year sees it all as tools and has created his own personal library of electronic documents to reference at a moment’s notice.
“Just the other day, I was sent a video clip from a U19 ‘AAA’ game in Regina,” he said.
“There was a collision between a runner and a fielder during a broken play on a bad throw, so I shared it with two other Regina-based umpires for comment and discussion – we had three different rulings between the three of us at first, but eventually came to a consensus on what the correct ruling should have been.”
With that in mind, it’s something they can provide to current umpires as well as store away for future umpiring clinics as he and the other veterans look to help guide the next generation of umpires.
TRUST YOUR GUT
And that’s where Jerkovits’ other passion lies: convincing a new generation of baseball enthusiasts to get behind the plate.
It’s admittedly not for the faint of heart, especially as many fans expect every call to be as perfect as Major League Baseball.
Without video review, it’s obviously not possible, but Jerkovits wants young officials to have the confidence in making the call they see with their own eyes.
“Let everyone know you are confident in what you saw and what you decided.”
“But also, don’t pretend you know everything, so be open to discussion and be ready to stop when it gets confrontational,” he says.
Jerkovits believes one way to keep learning and be reflective is to review your performance after each game.
It’s also easy to be hard on yourself, so he says you also have to remember to have fun, even when you’re going through a rough patch.
“If we aren’t having fun, why are we doing this?” says the Regina Sports Hall of Fame and Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame member.
CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES
It’s clear Jerkovits practices what he preaches, as his love of the game keeps him going.
While he’s now into his 50th season of umpiring, he doesn’t expect to slow down any time soon.
“I’ve always been a fan of the game,” he told the Leader-Post. “Watching players play the game and being on the field and being part of that is something that I always get a kick out of.”
Elemer Jerkovits (left) poses for a photo before the start of his 50th season of umpiring along with Kevin Mandzuk and Michael Smith. (Source: Twitter/X)
Jerkovits has umpired in every province except Nova Scotia and has traveled the world, including to Tokyo for the 2010 World University Championships.
If more opportunities pop up, he would like to take them but is also mindful that there are younger umpires who would benefit greatly so they can “be at our highest level of amateur umpires in Canada.”
The man behind the plate is also quick to recognize none of it would be possible without the team behind him.
“My wife, Kendra Chesney, has supported and encouraged me all these years,” Jerkovits said to SDS. “I was umpiring baseball before I met her and she supported me the entire time.”
In what can sometimes be a thankless profession, Elemer Jerkovits has continued to serve the baseball community with pride for 50 years … and counting.