Weber - As they see em : a fans travels in the land of umpires

The entire 2006 staff of the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring deserves my thanks for putting up with a journalistic intrusion on their professional lives. Of the rosterChris Bakke, Lance Barrett, Craig Barron, Tyler Bolick, Fran Burke, Tom Clarke, Tim Daub, Shaun Francis, John Gelatt, Takashi Hirabayashi, Chris Hubler, Darren Hyman, Jason Klein, Clint Lawson, Mark Lollo, Mark Mauro, Roberto Medina, Dick Nelson, Masaki Nonaka, Brent Persinger, Brad Purdom, D. J. Reyburn, Andy Russell, Aaron Stewart, and Garrett Wilsonsome are still umpiring in the minor leagues, but most arent. They were all unfailingly helpful, however, even when they were yelling at me.

To the many umpires and baseball officials who shared their stories and opinions with me, I extend my thanks and the hope they recognize themselves in the text. Several umpires, former and current, in the major leagues and the minor leagues, who spent time with me but are not mentioned on the previous pages, should know that their contributions were substantial and necessary and that Im grateful to them: Ramon Armendariz, Brett Cavins, Marvin Hudson, Cris Jones, Jerry Layne, Jim Reynolds, and Rich Rieker.

Mike Port, Major League Baseballs vice president in charge of umpiring; Tom Leppard, director of umpire administration; and Cathy Davis, senior coordinator, handled many, many requests from me with patience and frequent, if not complete, accommodation.

Away from baseball, I had ample assistance as well. Dan Prosterman, an able young scholar, provided valuable historical research. My editor, Colin Harrison, was a reliable source of advice, tempered enthusiasm, and lunch. Oh, yeah, he also made some good suggestions about the manuscript I turned in. His assistant, Jessica Manners, handled the necessary business of being a pest on matters of book production in such a pleasant and professional way that I barely minded. An anonymous but impressively diligent copy editor launched a ferocious assault on my penchant for passive verb constructions; he or she reduced the number of awkward sentences herein by a significant percentage. My agent, Amanda Urban, a master prodder, not to mention an unflinching truth-teller, knew uncannily when to bug me and when to leave me alone.

Several friendsRick Woodward, Chris Calhoun, Amy Handelsman, Allen Steinberg, Avery Corman, and the late, alas, Walter Clarkread portions of the manuscript, offering astute (and sometimes even helpful) observations. My old pals Bill Joseph, Glenn Shambroom, and Bob Ball deserve thanks as well for no other reason than that theyre my old pals.

Im grateful to my employers at the New York Times, who agreed to hold a job open for me while I worked on the book, and then held to the bargain after I extended my absence beyond what Id anticipated. And credit (or blame) goes to Jane Karr, the editor who sent me to umpire school in the first place, unwittingly setting in motion the whole business.

Id also like to remember Lisa del Casale, who did a stranger a good turn; and (sigh) Coco, who kept the keyboard warm.

Thank you, Roie. You were there through it all.

And Id be especially remiss if I didnt thank Steve Jones and the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, where comradeship and solace were never in short supply.

Bruce Weber has worked for the New York Times since 1986 as, at different times, a magazine editor, a theater critic, and a reporter. He wrote Savion! My Life in Tap, with the dancer Savion Glover, and he was the editor of the short-story anthology Look Whos Talking. He lives in Manhattan.

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Copyright 2009 by Bruce Weber

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008041641

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-4538-5
ISBN-10: 1-4165-4538-7

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To the memory of my parents,
and
to Robert, Lynne, and Jake