Craig Mills was once known for a stupid human trick that he learned as a boy at the Highland View Golf Course.

He would balance one golf ball on top of another. He would hit the bottom ball, and the top ball would fly straight in the air. He would catch it with a toy basketball hoop on his head.

That trick was good enough for a trip to New York to perform on the “Late Show with David Letterman” in May of 2001.

While Craig performed the trick in front of Dave and the audience at the frigid Ed Sullivan Theater, he did not make the in the final show.

When it comes to umpiring baseball, though, it seems like Craig always makes the cut.

He has umpired some big tournaments in college baseball, and he was selected to work a handful of American Legion World Series tournaments.

Craig is a 1983 graduate of Butte Central. The son of Art and Carol Mills attended Emerson and Hillcrest before going to South Central Junior High and Butte Central.

He is a recently retired teacher in Burley, Idaho, where he taught political science, among other things. While he recently turned 59 and has overcome some serious health issues, Craig is still umpiring baseball games.

This past weekend, he was in Dillon to umpire the Maybelle Arthur Tournament. He also spent some quality time with some old classmates at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Listen in to this podcast to hear him talk about his parents and his brother Brad, a member of the Eastern Oregon University Hall of Fame for his baseball achievements. Listen as he talks about playing Legion ball in Butte and getting into umpiring.

Listen as he talks about umpiring with his son Jake, also an accomplished college baseball player.

Listen in as he talks about his appearance on Letterman.

Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.