The story of Rathdrum resident Don Salzman as a baseball umpire begins like most.

A need for an umpire, a parent calling to the crowd and a volunteer coming forward.

Eight years later, along with a few clinics and more games under his belt, Salzman, 50, will take another step in his climb to umpiring a Little League World Series.

SALZMAN WILL represent the state of Idaho in the Little League Intermediate West Regional tournament in Nogales, Ariz., scheduled for July 18-25.

"I'd never played the game of baseball in my life," Salzman said. "So it was new to me. I understood the game then, but not as well as I do now."

On that particular evening in 2006 while watching his daughter's Little League game, an umpire short, Salzman stepped in.

"Basically a dad called out to the stands during one of my daughter's games, and so I got interested in it," Salzman said. "I went to a few clinics with some local staff and started here in Rathdrum and Coeur d'Alene, and it has progressed from there. Allen VanDuyne got me hooked in with the right people and got me going. I enjoyed it, and I still do and have progressed through the ranks and went to some clinics in San Bernardino (Calif.; site of the Little League West and Northwest regional tournaments)."

Salzman also has umpired high school, American Legion and travel baseball games in the last four years.

"I enjoy doing it," Salzman said. "I really look forward to coming back every spring. We basically start in late winter with high school, but I look forward to it and enjoy it. What brings me back in the camaraderie with the fellow umpires. It's a close family and a great group of guys."

Salzman added that Torben Begines and Brian Rounds - both of which have umpired regionals in San Bernardino - have been helpful along the way as well.

"They're a great group of friends," Salzman said. "They're really helped me in every facet of the game."

THE REGIONAL tournament is right in the middle of monsoon season.

"They told us to expect temperatures in the mid to high 100s, but bring a jacket," Salzman said. "If it's raining out and 100 degrees, I still won't be wearing a coat."

Intermediate is for players 12-13 years old, and is one level above Little League, which has its World Series broadcast nationally on ESPN and KXLY.

In Intermediate, players can lead off and steal, whereas in the younger leagues, players must stay at the base until the ball is thrown. The bases are 70 feet, instead of 60 in Little League, and the pitching rubber is 50 feet from home plate, instead of 46 in Little League.

"When I sent my application in to do a regional, I sent in for both intermediate and juniors (13-14 year olds)," Salzman said. "We'll work two games a day and games are in the evenings, which is nice. Hopefully it cools off a little bit."

Umpires will also get a day off and travel to an Arizona Diamondbacks game in Phoenix on one of the nights during the tournament.

FOR SALZMAN, his hard work in a short time has paid off.

"I never thought this would happen eight years ago," Salzman said. "Not even four or five years ago, but I've recently started working toward this and went to a week-long clinic in San Bernardino and to one in Pendleton, Ore.," Salzman said. "I've worked a lot under Torben and Brian and learned as much as I could and done what they've told me to do to get to this level."

Regionals is just one step toward his ultimate goal of calling a World Series.

"I'd love to do a Juniors World Series, either in Tyler, Mich., or South Carolina," Salzman said. "But you've got to do a regional before you can do a World Series, so you've got to do your steps up."

Begines has already given Salzman some tips on how to handle the tournament.

"Torben's told me several times to make sure to take some time and really enjoy it," Salzman said. "Have fun. Don't go down there to be the best umpire they've ever seen and to impress anyone. Just do what you normally do, and how you do it and do what got you there."

While Salzman holds out hope on the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., he figures his best chances is either at the Junior or Intermediate level.

"I'd love to do Williamsport, everyone would love to do Williamsport," Salzman said. "I actually went back there when Torben was selected (in 2012). It would be wonderful. I'd love to do it, but I don't know that I'll ever get there. There's a lot of people that would rather do those (Junior or Intermediate) games because they're closer games, on a bigger field. It's not near the hoopla of Williamsport and it's not as big of a show because it's not on ESPN or ABC (KXLY), but it still holds a lot of fun and I am looking forward to getting that chance if it comes someday."

He doesn't plan on slowing down toward that goal after regionals.

"As long as my knees hold out, I'll keep doing it into retirement," Salzman said. "Once I retire, I might do a little more of it and retire to the south where the seasons are longer and doing more of it. But I don't have any plans of doing a regional or World Series and being done. It's just one step in a process."

The first coming when he stepped off the bleachers and got involved.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8716, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.