Minor league umpires are much like minor league players. When they finally get a chance to prove their stuff in the big leagues, they want to succeed. The biggest difference is, when a player gets the call he wants to do something spectacular to impress his bosses. The mark of a great umpire is when no one notices him at all.

Chris Conroy got noticed. Normally a Triple-A umpire, Conroy got called up as a vacation replacement for this week's Cubs-Cardinals series. He hadn't had many chances before — 16 games in 2011, just one in 2010. He'd been on the periphery for an egregiously bad call last year, when crew mate Phil Cuzzi awarded a three-ball walk to Cameron Maybin, who later came around to score the only run in a 1-0 Padres win. But for Conroy, a first-inning play at the plate Tuesday night was worse. Much worse.