There's another Milwaukee connection to
this Northern Star story. Brian Hammel was once with the Milwaukee Bucks.
From managing the NIU men’s basketball team to officiating the World Series, Dan Bellino’s career has taken him far beyond what he thought was possible.
A 2000 College of Business graduate, Bellino originally envisioned a career as a college basketball coach or something pertaining to law. While at NIU, he served as manager of the Huskie men’s basketball team under former head coach Brian Hammel, an opportunity that opened his eyes to the world of officiating.
“One of my jobs under coach Hammel’s staff was to introduce myself to the officials every time they arrived, show them where to go, make sure if they needed anything they were taken care of,,” Bellino said. “I got to know those guys and started to realize that they’re pretty cool people.”
Those conversations eventually led Bellino to officiate college basketball games, although his career would take him to another sport. After graduating from NIU, he pursued baseball umpiring, eventually reaching Major League Baseball in 2008.
Career development is career development, irrespective of the career ladder.
The journey required a commitment to improving, even when progress was not guaranteed.
Bellino said working in the minor leagues meant traveling to smaller cities, often without knowing if an opportunity to go to the big leagues would ever come.
He learned to evaluate his shortcomings and determine what needed to improve.
“You should never be content with what you’re doing,” Bellino said. “You should always set goals and strive to achieve them.”
That approach carried Bellino through the minor leagues and into a career that has included baseball’s biggest stage.
In 2021, Bellino got the call to work his first World Series and then returned to the Fall Classic in 2026. Between appearances, he was promoted to crew chief in 2023 and became president of the MLB Umpires Association in 2025.
Becoming a crew chief brought a newfound sense of responsibility and, rather than focusing solely on his own work on the field, Bellino became responsible for helping his entire crew succeed.
“You are responsible for everybody, so you kind of put yourself last,” Bellino said. “You make sure that you put your crewmates in a position to succeed.”
He described the duty as one that requires supporting fellow umpires without overstepping boundaries, while serving as a safety net when situations arise.
I was not paying close enough attention to the umpires
most frequently challenged by Brewer catcher and World Series most valuable player William Contreras nor whether there was a pattern to video review of
plays at second base that figured in the outcome of several World Series games.
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