The Last of the Former Umpires

Just wrapping up the history of umpires. I'll continue to have a say about the current umpires and will put noteworthy stuff on the men in blue who umpire the 2008 major league season. I just wanted to give a wink to a couple more umpires who I thought represented themselves and the big leagues rather well.

First mention goes to Shag Crawford. Henry Charles Shag Crawford. (Born: 8/30/1916.
Died: 7/11/2007)

Worked in the National League from 1956 to 1975.
Was notable for getting a low crouch and resting his hands on the back of the catcher in front of him.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he played football and baseball and was into boxing. In fact, he was a catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system.

He served in the US Navy during WWII, and was on the destroyer Walke when its bridge was struck by a Japanese kamikaze on January 6, 1945, during the invasion of Luzon, the largest and most economically and politically important island on the Philippines. Commanding Officer George Fleming Davis suffered fatal injuries and was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the US government, similar to the British Victoria Cross or the French Legion of Honor. (Established by Napoleon Bonaparte, the renowned Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into 5 various degrees. (1) Chevalier (knight), (2) Officier (Officer), (3) Commandeur (Commander), (4)Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and (5) Grand -Croix (Grand Cross). The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie (Honour and Fatherland).)

During Shag's major league umpire career there isn't a whole lot of information and that may be because of the way Shag ended his stay with the big leagues. In 1975, Crawford was relieved of his duties for refusing to work the World Series that year, due to a new rotational system implemented for selection of World Series umpires vs. the traditional assignment by merit.

His sons Jerry (major league ump since 1976) and Joey (NBA ref since 1977) are sports officials like their dad.
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Marty Springstead. Born in Nyack, New York on 7/9/1937.

This former major league umpire worked in the American League with the huge outside chest protector used by home plate umpires. His tenure was from 1966 thru 1985 inclusive.

Not much was said about Marty but I remember the guy having quite the personality and being a very good balls and strikes umpire. He made a homer like Monte Moore comment on many occasions how the strike zone was the same for both teams. And with Moore that must have been a stretch.

There was one noteworthy thing mentioned about Marty Springstead. It was that he was the youngest umpire ever to serve as crew chief in the World Series, heading the staff for the 1973 Series at the age of 36 years and 3 months.

Like Emmett Ashford, Chris Pelekoudas, Shag Crawford, Nestor Chylak, Tom Gorman and Al Barlick, I remember Marty being an umpire who had fun at the ballpark. Not a guy who wanted to see himself on SportsCenter, even though there wasn't a SportsCenter back then. I think the quality of person these guys were that none of them would have altered their styles just to see themselves on the big screen the way today's men in blue give every indiciation of hamming it up or refusing to change a blown call all in the name of looking good.

When I spent some time in an umpire clinic, in Cocoa Cocoa Beach, FLA, it was stressed that getting the call right was not as important as how you looked, where you were positioned, making the call. When I asked a couple of minor league umpires- who would be big league umps that year- they wouldn't commit as to how they interpreted what was being taught. I had always felt okay with whatever approach was taken TO GET THE CALL RIGHT. It just wasn't happening at this umpire school so I left early because I didn't feel there was any reason to stay and if I waited any longer I wouldn't have been reimbursed the money I spent to be there.

Umpiring is a very important part of baseball. The men selected to represent what is considered the "big leagues," even though there are things that happen that aren't exactly big league, are there to do a job. Or to reiterate one of Nestor Chylak's quotes how he felt honestly that he never called one wrong, in his heart. That the way he saw it, an umpire must be perfect on the first day of the season and then get better every day. That's the way to umpire. No more or no less. A fun-loving, upbeat personality is always welcome, just leave the "attitude" in the clubhouse.

(thanks to Wikipedia encyclopedia's on-line)

Kevin Marquez

My Recollection of these Various Umpires

Growing up in the mid-1960s I can recall easily the names of the umpires as described by San Francisco Giants' announcers: Lon Simmons, Russ Hodges and Bill Thompson. When the A's arrived in Oakland for the 1967 season I'd listen to Monte Moore (disliked and mistrusted by some of the players and accused of being owner Charlie Finley's mole ) and Al Helfer (known as NBC's "Mr. Radio Baseball") when the Giants were either not playing or their game was over or had yet to start.

Al Barlick. Born 4/2/1915 and Died 12/27/1995. Worked in the National League for 28 seasons (1940-43, 1946-1955, 1958-1971).

Born in Springfield, IL, Barlick served in the US Coast Guard during World War II. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
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Emmett Ashford. (Born 11/23/1914..Died 3/1/1980) Nicknamed "Ash," Emmett was the first African-American umpire in major league baseball. He umped in the Southwestern Int'l League and then the Pacific Coast League for many years before being hired by the American League in 1961. He remained an umpire until mandatory retirement upon turning 56 years of age in 1970.

He brought a new style to being an umpire. He dressed impeccably, wore jewelry, including flashy cuff links and exaggerated his calls with gestures. (Remember the Leslie Neilson character in Naked Gun? I believe the idea was borrowed from Ashford's style.) Per Wikipedia: While some observers believed that his race prevented him from working in the majors earlier than he did, others maintained that his flashy style actually delayed his major league debut due to general disdain for umpires to draw attention to themselves.

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Thomas David Gorman. Born 3/16/1919. Died 8/11/1986. Father of Brian Gorman.

Grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York city. Served in the Army as a member of the 16th infantry during World War II.

An injury in 1946 ended his playing career (he was a lefty who pitched 5-innings in 4-games with the 1939 New York Giants) he was faced with the choice of returning to New York city to become a plumber or take advantage of some news of an umpiring position in the New England League. His wife persuaded him to take the umpire position for the 1947 season at $180 per month.

He was an umpire from 1951-1976, and then as league supervisor.

His most famous World Series, in which he umpired, was when he called balls and strikes as Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famer) struck out a World Series-record 17 Detroit Tigers.

During a game in the 1962 season, Gorman discovered that the Giants were having their groundskeepers water down the Candlestick Park infield to slow down Los Angeles Dodger star Maury Wills; Gorman stopped the game for an hour and a half to allow the field to dry out.

Gorman umpired 9 no-hitters. He was the left field umpire for Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

He was the home plate umpire on June 15, 1952, when the St.Louis Cardinals set a National League record by overcoming an 11-0 deficit to beat the Giants 14-12. Two weeks later on June 29, 1952, he was there when the Cubs scored 7 runs with 2 out in the 9th inning to beat the Cincinnati Redlegs, 9-8.

Two years later on August 8, 1954, he was again the home plate umpire when the Reds gave up a record 12 runs (all of them unearned) after there were 2 out and no one on base in the 8th inning of a 20-7 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers; the inning ended only when Gil Hodges' bid for a grand slam was caught high off the centerfield wall. (Name of person catching the ball was not mentioned. They remembered to mention the victim (Hodges) getting robbed but forgot to put the name of the culprit. I am indebted to Wikipedia for being a place to remind me of things and keeping my account accurate but occasionally they fumble.)

On May 2, 1956, he was behind the plate as the Giants and Cubs used 48 players in a 6-5, 17 inning, Giants victory. In that game, Cubs outfielder Don Hoak struck out a record 6 times against 6 different pitchers.
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Chris Pelekoudas. Born 1/23/1918..Died 11/30/1984.
Born in Chicago, IL into a family of 14 children. He had an unsuccessful tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals, known as the Gas House Gang, in 1934.

Worked in the National League from 1960-1975.

He may be best remembered for ordering an apparent Hammerin' Hank Aaron home run to be nullified on August 18, 1965, because the Hammer stepped out of the batter's box when he made contact; Pelekoudas had warned Aaron on the previous 2 pitches.

Pelekoudas was also the first umpire to ever eject Gaylord Perry from a game for using an illegal greasy substance on the ball.

He was the home plate umpire on the day (4/30/1961) when Willie Howard Mays, Jr. hit 4 home runs in Milwaukee's County Stadium.

He umpired 6 no-hitters but was not behind the plate for one of them.

Pelekoudas spent most of his career residing in Sunnyvale, California.
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Nestor George Chylak, Jr. Born: 5/11/1922 Died: 2/17/1982
Born in Olyphant, PA of Ukranian descent. Attended the university of Scranton.
During WWII, he served in the Army in Europe; in the Battle of the Bulge he was wounded by shrapnel from an exploding shell, an injury which nearly cost him his sight. For that he earned the Silver Star and (4th highest military decoration. It's also the 3rd highest award given for valor in the face of the enemy. For gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States of America.) a Purple Heart.

Among his noteworthy games were: Sandy Koufax's final game in the 1966 World Series vs. Baltimore Orioles. Unfortunately for Koufax, in one of his games pitched in that forgettable series- if you bleed Dodger blue, that is- Willie Davis made 3 errors while roaming the grounds of centerfield.

Chylak was to umpire "Ten Cent Beer Night" in Cleveland but it became necessary to declare a forfeit due to constant fighting which spread onto the field and which saw Chylak get hit over the head with a chair (what was in the beer that enabled someone to rip out a chair from the grandstands?); and the first major league game played in Toronto, Canada.
In 1977, during a snowstorm at Exhibition Stadium, Chylak was the home plate ump for that monumental game.

Three Nestor Chylak quotes:
"I umpired for 25 years and can honestly say I never called one wrong in my heart. The way I see it, an umpire must be perfect on the first day of the season and then get better every day."

"Ballplayers will cheat under any circumstances if they think they can get away with it. Our job is to prevent it."

"This must be the only job in America that everybody knows how to do better than the guy who's doing it."


(thanks again, Wikipedia, for all the information I am able to remind myself of so as to be as accurate as possible.

Kevin Marquez

Jocko Conlan: A Player then an Umpire

Jocko Conlan (born December 6, 1899.... Died on April 16, 1989.)

Before working as an umpire he played for the Chicago White Sox in 1934 and 1935. His lifetime statistics were: AB: 365 H: 96 R: 55 HR: 0... He attempted 5 stolen bases and was t'rown out 5 times...

His umpiring career was in the National League. He worked from 1941-1965.

Conlan was the plate umpire when Gil Hodges hit four home runs on August 31, 1950. He was also an umpire when Willie Mays hit four home runs in Milwaukee, on April 30, 1961.

Jocko Conlan was known for several trademarks:

(1) Instead of a regular dress tie, like most umpires of his day wore, he wore a natty bow tie throughout his career.

(2) He made "out" calls with his left hand versus the traditional right hand used by every other umpire.

(3) He was the last National League umpire allowed to wear the outside protector. (Makes me wonder why it was okay for Jocko and not Beans Reardon. The double-standard that plays favorites with some while others are left holding the trash bag. Perhaps it was the name Jocko, a clowny, funtime moniker loved by all?)

Jocko's name, was mentioned several times in a fictitious baseball game celebrated in the 1962 song, "The Los Angeles Dodgers," recorded by Danny Kaye. (It's possible the song derived from the fact that Jocko and Leo "the Lip" Durocher were considered colorful characters and sometimes the two would clash.)

From all accounts it sounds like Jocko was fun. Those who played when he umped did too!
Atta boy Jocko, this brew's for you!

Kevin Marquez

Thomas Henry Connolly

Born 12/31/1870. Died on April 28, 1961.

Connolly officiated in the National League during 1898 thru and including 1900. This was followed by 31 years of service in the American League from 1901-1931. He established the high standards for which the circuit's arbiters became known and solidified the reputation for integrity of umpires in the major leagues.

Although he had begun his career by showing that he was willing to remove players from the field- he ejected 10 in his first season- he came to earn great respect from the players and once went 10 full seasons without needing to throw a player out of a game. He also showed an ability to stand firm against the toughest players in defense of the rules; On September 11, 1912, he called Ty Cobb out for stepping across home plate while batting, after Cobb had hit an RBI triple on the third pitch of what was to be an intentional walk. During the ensuing argument, Connolly was struck in the mouth by a bottle thrown by a Tiger fan.

That Connolly wasn't so prone to toss players tells me he had a sense of humor. He was able to make adjustments to the games at-hand and tried working with the players. Where a guy like Klemm was chosen to be the exemplary umpire by the powers that be, he really wasn't in the eyes of the players. They tried joshing around with him and all it got them was thrown out of the game. But with Tommy Connolly, they could kid around and it must have made it fun to play ball. So if the two umpires were teamed together, it may have been thought that Klemm was the glue that held the game together when in fact it was Connolly.

Hats off to Tommy Connolly. This brew's for you!

Kevin Marquez

Kiljoy Klem

Born William Joseph Klimm on 2/22/1874. Died on 9/16/1951.

Known as "Father of Baseball umpires," as he was a major league umpire in the National League from 1905-1941. He had the longest career of any major league umpire at 37 years until Bruce Froemming, lead Attitude-in-need-of-adjustment of the current major leauge umpries, tied him. Klemm was also the oldest man to umpire until Froemming surpassed that as well. Froemming must have modeled his career after the zero tolerance, no-nonsense, sense of humor lacking Klem, as the similarities from this fan's perspective are frightening.

But Klem didn't rub many people-aside from the players- wrong, as he was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire as he used arm signals while working behind the plate and was one of the first umpires to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside his shirt- a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the National League. (Jack Sheridan was the crossword answer, in the USA Today/Sports Weekly, for inventor of inside protector and yet he got no credit from Wikipedia and yet Klem gets some acclaim. What gives?)

Klem was the last umpire to routinely work the plate in all games. (Traditionally the crew chief always worked the plate; today, umpire crews rotate from home-to third, to second then first.) Klem called balls and strikes in 5 no-hitters, a National League record that was later tied by Harry Wendelstedt (Hunter's dad). (Of course, Giants' fans remember Wendelstedt as the umpire who declared that Dick Dietz had not made an attempt to get out of the way of a Don Drysdale pitch, thus extending Drysdale's consecutive scoreless innings streak. Nowadays, many batters look to make no effort to get out of the way and yet are awarded first base. Which makes the Wendelstedt call the worst in baseball history.)

Klem was the home plate umpire on September 16, 1924, when Jim Bottomley, of the St. Louis Cardinals, had a record 12 runs batted in.

He had a number of nicknames (some probably not fit for print) but his favorite was "the Old Arbitrator."
His jowly appearance also led some players to call him "Catfish." Klem despised the latter name and was notorious for ejecting players whom he caught using it. One particular incident involved a player who Klem ejected after he caught the player drawing a picture of a catfish with his foot in the infield dirt. (Now, to me, that sounds hillarious but the uptight Klem saw this as a reason to dismiss the character whose foot etched what he thought was a likeness of Klem.)

Bill Klemm also dismissed catcher Al Lopez from a game after Lopez pasted a photo he clipped from a newspaper onto home plate, which showed Klem clearly blowing a call involving Lopez. The catcher had covered the plate with dirt and waited for Klem to dust off the dish before he got the heave ho. (Again, funny stuff, but not to kiljoy Klemm.)

Kevin Marquez

Green Cathedrals by Philip L. Lowry ...lots of pictures and facts

From the book by Philip L. Lowry, Green Cathedrals

During the first era, that of the classic ballpark, the construction of Forbes Field (1909), Shibe Park (1909), League Park (1910), Griffith Stadium (1911), Polo Grounds (1911), Crosley Field (1912), Fenway Park (1912), Tiger Stadium (1912), Ebbetts Field (1913) and Wrigley Field (1914), were initiated by enterprising ballclub owners who saw the financial advantage of achieving larger attendance.

The classic ballpark was integrated into the neighborhood. Ballparks took on an asymmetrical form as dictated by the property lines of the site. Fenway's Green Monster, bordering Landsdowne Street, literally added a new dimension to baseball, as did League Park's 40-foot high right field wall, located only 290 feet from home plate.

Prior to this era ballparks were typified by small wooden bleachers surrounded by a fence. Even though the ballparks were intimate, this type of construction suffered from its combustibility and was limited in size by its structural properties.

According to the author, 'the single greatest achievement of this era was that of the upper deck. This contrivance allowed more people to sit closer to the action of the diamond than was ever dreamed possible in the wooden-seat era.' (The use of structural steel made the seats relatively fireproof.)

The plans on how to build the parks...

If each spectator looks directly over the heads of those in front of him/her, the seat deck would become unnecessarily steep. The compromise seat deck takes on a concave parabolic shape that becomes increasingly steep as the seat deck is moved closer and or higher with respect to the game or event.

Trade-offs for the upper deck...

Supports for the upper deck must extend to the lower level if one level is over the other level, so some seats are lost altogether in the lower level and some are unfortunately situated behind columns.

If the upper deck is cantilevered columns are eliminated but other problems arise. Pedestrian movement also becomes a costly item. Ramps, escalators and raised concourses with toilet and concession stands become very expensive.

Super stadium / Modern stadium...
Candlestick Park (1960), Dodger Stadium (1962), RFK Stadium-Washington,DC (1962), Astrodome (1965), Busch Stadium (1966), Three Rivers Stadium (1970), and its nearly identical cousin, Riverfront Stadium (1970).

Concrete came into its own. Such innovations as: admixtures, high-strength lightweight concrete, sophisticated reinforcing design, air entrainment and the use of computer design have allowed concrete to compete favorably with structural steel.

It is no longer necessary to construct massive footings to support a typical heavy concrete structure. New developments in reniforcing steel design-in conjuction with the use of computers- enabled concrete to span greater distances and work as a more-effective cantilever.

Massive relocation of typical American city's population to the suburbs, a greater dependence on the automobile and its attendant parking requirements also fostered the "stand alone" stadium concept.

Since form followed function and function was symmetry, it simply followed that the playing field configuration also became symmetrical. Modern contrivances accomplished two significant things: (1) it helped foster a caste system with respect to spectators. The caste system was created in essence when loges became a necessary evil for funding purposes.
(2) wreaked havoc with upper deck seating geometries.

RFK Stadium first incorporated "column free" viewing in 1962.

In order for columns to be eliminated, two conditions occur. (1) Upper deck must be cantilevered from the back of the lower seat deck and (2) the roof over the upper deck must be limited to the amount of roof element that can be cantilevered from the back of the seat deck.

When loges are installed under the upper deck, those people sitting in the back of the lower deck suffer from "tunnel vision."

A third era of stadiums has emerged. Regenerated classic ballparks, replete with natural grass fields, asymmetrical playing fields and old-fashioned facades. The "loge" is still with us, and it seems to be multiplying at an ever-increasing rate. Private financing at least of the magnitude of 50%, will ensure that the loge will be with us for years to come.

In review:
Ballparks: to fulfill their purpose in our National pastime they must be allowed to have their own personalities and characteristics or be unique and asymmetrical.

Stereotyped symmetrical ballparks are wretchedly poor ballparks. Architects around 1910 were constrained by urban streets that were already in place. They made asymmetrical yet unique ballparks that are better for baseball than the symmetrical concrete slabs of sterile, ugly ashtrays that were built in the 1970s, 1980s and beginning of the 1990s.

Lowry goes on to say...The subtleties of the game of baseball are incredibly beautiful and balanced. However, if Royals Stadium is cloned every time a new ballpark is built in the coming decades- if every fence is 12' tall, if every outfield is shaped like a round half circle, if every foul line is 330 feet, if every power alley is 385 feet, if every centerfield fence is 410 feet from home plate and if every playing surface is an astroturf carpet- the precious subleties that make baseball the wonderful game it is will gradually be eroded and eventually destroyed and the beauty of the game horribly scarred.


Green Cathedrals by Philip L. Lowry is good reading and the pictures are full of stories all by themselves. ( Yes, I borrowed that from the title of a Rod Stewart album...Every Picture Tells a Story.)


Kevin Marquez

Jack Sheridan: First to Crouch vs. Stand behind Catcher

For Jack Sheridan, his file on Wikipedia only lists the year in which he was born as 1862. It lists the day he died as November 2, 1914.

Born in Decatur, IL but during his childhood he and his family moved to San Jose, CA.

He began his career by umpiring in the Southern League in 1885, then officiated in the California League from 1886-1889, after which he gained his first major league experience in the sole season of the Player's League in 1890.

Nearly all games in that era used a single umpire and the most outstanding officials generally moved from league to league, going wherever the league presidents were perceived as being most supportive, both in salary and in affirming the umpires' field authority. After returning to the California League for the 1891 season, Sheridan umpired in the National League in 1892, then again in the Southern League in 1893.

In 1894-95 he umpired in the Western League, where he first became associated with that league's president, Ban Johnson. Johnson was fiercely supportive of his umpiring staff, and apart from a brief return to the NL in 1896-97, Sheridan preferred to umpire in Johnson's league (the AL) for the remainder of his career.

In 1901, the Western League added several eastern cities and renamed itself the American League, and through a series of signings of National League players successfully established itself as a rival major league. In contrast to the rowdier NL, where umps were routinely subjected to great abuse with little backing from the league office, Johnson staunchly defended his field officials and insisted that players and local authorities maintain respect for them.

Over his 14 seasons as the dean of American League umpires, Sheridan became the prototype of the 20th century ump. Whereas umpires in the 19th century had worked behind the plate in a standing position , believing that it helped them to better observe the flight of the ball, Sheridan established the practice of crouching while calling balls and strikes, a move which was quickly adopted universally due to its effectiveness. He was also remarkable in that he refused to use any sort of protection other than a mask, and was agile enough to reportedly never be hit by a foul tip. He became the standard after which other umpires patterned themselves; after arriving in the AL at age 22, in 1906, Billy Evans regularly worked in a team with Sheridan for several years in order to study under the senior umpire, with Sheridan usually working behind the plate and Evans on the bases. Both Evans and fellow Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem regarded Sheridan as the game's greatest umpire.

Along with Bob Emslie (a name who has popped up with the mention of other umpires. Emslie was affectionately referred to as Blind Bob. Emslie had played in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia A's) and Tim Hurst, Jack Sheridan is one of only three (3) umps who umpired both before 1893, when the pitching distance was only 50 feet, and also after the National League and American League recognized one another as major leagues in 1903.

Sheridan suffered sunstroke while umpiring a game at Chicago in August 1914, and never fully recovered from the affliction.

Jack Sheridan is acredited with inventing the inside chest protector. Interestingly, Wikipedia doesn't make mention of this achievement.

Kevin Marquez