Umpires: Classic Baseball Stories from the Men Who Made the Calls

By John C. Skipper

They are known by a variety of names, many of them unprintable. Like the big league players, they are the very best in their profession and spend years honing their craft, yet some fans pretend to believe they are incompetent boobs. They are the men in blue on the baseball diamond, major league umpires.

In this work, nineteen umps provide their unique insight on some of the most important and pivotal moments in baseball history. Don Denkinger recounts his call that turned the 1985 World Series. "Red" Flaherty and Bill Kinnamon recall the excitement of Roger Maris' 61st homer. From these men and Bill Jackowski, Bill Haller, John Rice, Dutch Rennert, John Kibler, Bill Valentine, Terry Cooney, Andy Olsen, Marty Springstead, Doug Harvey, Ken Burkhart, Ed Runge, Hank Morgenweck, Art Frantz, Jerry Neudecker, and Steamboat Johnson, we get a different view of the game and a new appreciation for the job the umpires do on a daily basis.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786403640
• ISBN13: 9780786403646
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Eyes Behind the Plate

If you love the game of baseball, you know umpires are core to its history. They make good calls and bad calls, but “the why” behind those calls is often a mystery. John Skipper, the author of this book, is an expert in sports journalism and took on a monumental task bringing light to this often controversial subject. The resulting page-turner is a testament to his insights surrounding the often invisible tales that create wins and losses in game-changing situations.