There is one indelible fact about umpiring in Wayne Doyle's book.

"You have to be nuts to do this," Doyle said.

But the Renfrew native and former Knoch High School principal does it anyway, putting up with heckling fans and surly coaches.

Why?

"I love it," he says. "I love it."

Doyle and another Butler County umpire on his four-man crew, Chuck Kniess of Harmony, presided over the PIAA Class AA softball championship game in Shippensburg Friday morning.

It's an honor for a crew to be selected to umpire a state championship game because it is based largely on merit.

Doyle and Kniess did many WPIAL softball games together during the season and have been working together for more than eight seasons.

"(Wayne) took me under his wings," Kniess said.

This was Doyle's third state championship game. He also worked the state title game in 1996 and 1998. But this was the first one Doyle worked behind the plate.

Since retiring as an administrator at Knoch High School in 2002, Doyle has spent his free time umpiring between 90 and 100 softball games a year, from high school all the way to the pro level.

He has done many Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference games and also has done his fair share of Big East tilts.

He travels to Akron, Ohio, to work games in the National Pro Fast-Pitch Softball League - a six team league that is growing in popularity.

But doing all those softball games at all those different levels tests Doyle's memory of the rulebook.

Each level has different rules that Doyle must recall.

"I used to do baseball games, but I don't think you can do justice to either one if you do both," Doyle said. "That's why I quit baseball 14 years ago.

"The most difficult part for me is knowing what I am doing: pro, college, high school."

Doyle recalled a high school game earlier this season when the batter called time and stepped out of the box. Doyle, however, did not grant the hitter time, but the pitcher stopped her motion anyway.

There was a runner on third and had it been a college game, a balk would have been called and the run would have scored.

But in high school, it is not a balk.

He also told the story of the California (Pa.) University softball game he worked in which a pinch hitter came to the plate with a number not on the roster.

In college, that's an out. In high school, however, it is not.

He also said being an umpire means being ready for anything.

"You sit around (during umpire meetings) and talk about the 'dream play,'" Doyle said. "These are things that could never happen, then it does. You have to be prepared for it."

Friday morning's contest was particularly stressful for the umpiring crew because Pennsylvania does not have a protest system.

"We'll take a rulebook out and read it on the field if we have to to get it right," Doyle said. "Who cares about pride?"

Kniess feels fortunate to be able to work with Doyle in Kniess' first state title game.

"I have goose bumps," Kniess said.

Kniess started umpiring for an Evans City slow-pitch league after his playing days were over.

He parlayed that into his current workload, which is about 10 to 15 WPIAL games per spring.

"I love this sport so much," Kniess said.