Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: The Umpire was Blind! by Jonathan Weeks @GoddessFish

The Umpire Was Blind!

by Jonathan Weeks

GENRE: Sports history, Biography

BLURB:

In the words of former American League umpire Nestor Chylak, umpires are expected to “be perfect on the first day of the season and then get better every day.” Forced to deal with sullen managers and explosive players, they often take the blame for the failures of both. But let’s face it—umpires are only human.

For well over a century, the fortunes of Major League teams—and the fabric of baseball history itself—have been dramatically affected by the flawed decisions of officials. While the use of video replay in recent decades has reduced the number of bitter disputes, many situations remain exempt from review and are subject to swirling controversy. In the heat of the moment mistakes are often made, sometimes with monumental consequences.

Excerpt:

JOE DiMAGGIO’S 56-GAME HITTING STREAK

…“The Streak” was in serious jeopardy on multiple occasions. In fact, DiMaggio extended it during his final plate appearance nearly a dozen times. But never was he more in danger of losing it than on June 10 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. After a pair of groundouts and an infield pop-up, the Yankee icon came to bat in the seventh inning against right-hander Johnny Rigney, who was one of Chicago’s top hurlers in those days. DiMaggio smashed a sizzling grounder to third, where the sure-handed Dario Lodigiani was stationed. “Lodi” could only block it with his body, but he recovered in time to nail the Yankee centerfielder at first by a quarter of a step. Fortunately for DiMaggio, first base umpire Steve Basil saw things differently, making a “safe” call on the play.

Basil, who had turned to umpiring after his playing career stalled out at the Class-D level, was in his sixth year of major league service. Though generally even-tempered, he was not afraid to assert his authority when his calls were held in question. Never was this more apparent than in June of 1938, when he tossed three members of the St. Louis Browns out of a game for arguing balls and strikes.

According to AL arbiter Joe Rue, Basil was a bit of a tattletale who was constantly trying to curry favor with MLB officials. In particular, he had established intimate relationships with umpire supervisor Tommy Connolly and AL president William Harridge. “Basil was always playing up to Connolly,” Rue asserted bitterly. “And he’d run to Connolly and Harridge with everything.”

There was no need to seek the counsel of league officials on the date in question. In fact, the White Sox hardly protested at all as DiMaggio’s streak was extended to twenty-five games. Basil’s call proved to be of monumental importance when Joe D. grounded into a double play in his final at-bat of the day. Had Basil made the correct decision, “The Streak” would have been divided into two roughly equal halves—impressive, for sure, but not exactly the stuff that legends are made of.

The events of July 17, 1941, have attained an almost mythical quality. DiMaggio had pushed his streak to fifty-six games and was on his way to Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium in a cab when the driver, recognizing the iconic outfielder and his teammate Lefty Gomez, said ominously: “I got a feeling if you don’t get a hit in your first at-bat today, they’re going to stop you.” (Several versions of the quote exist) Flabbergasted, Gomez snapped: “Who the hell are you? What’re you trying to do—jinx him?”

…Gomez might have been on to something.

The jinx appeared in the form of Indians third baseman Ken Keltner, who made a pair of spectacular stops to rob DiMaggio. “The Streak” ended that day and “Joltin’ Joe” hit safely in his next 16 games. Many years after the fact, he claimed to have had an encounter with the mysterious Cleveland cab driver. “Now this is thirty years later,” DiMaggio asserted. “He apologized and was serious. I felt awful. He might have been spending his whole life thinking he had jinxed me, but I told him he hadn’t. My number was up.” 

Interview with Jonathan Weeks

For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?

One of my favorite chapters in The Umpire is Blind! covers some of the questionable calls made by umpires in the World Series. There are a lot of good books out there on the topic. Two of my favorites were written by Eric Enders and Josh Leventhal.

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

I have been watching baseball since I was in elementary school. Some of the decisions made by umpires have literally altered the course of baseball history. While it’s easy to get angry at officials when they make mistakes, I try to keep in mind that they are under immense pressure to make the correct call every time. Unfortunately, nobody’s perfect. I firmly believe that the use of instant replay to challenge the judgments of umpires has changed baseball in a positive way.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

When I started this project, I fully expected to be very critical of umpires. But as the book progressed, I found myself taking a sympathetic stance. Umpires work in a toxic environment, taking a lot of abuse from players, managers and fans. Art Rosenbaum of the San Francisco Chronicle once wrote that: "An umpire is a loner. The restraints of his trade impose problems not normally endured by players, coaches, management, press and others connected with organized baseball. He is a friend to none. More often, he is considered an enemy by all around him, including the fans in the stands who threaten his life." Given the undeniable truth in those statements, I find it difficult not to empathize with umpires to a great extent.

Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Thanks for following my work! I always do my best to write books that are interesting and fun.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoy writing about baseball in the early days. The game was so different then. Rules were unrefined, players were more colorful, and unusual things happened on the diamond all the time. I was genuinely surprised by some of the information I uncovered while researching this book. One of the stories I found most unusual was the ban on warm-up pitches imposed by American League president Ban Johnson in 1911. When Boston Red Sox pitcher Ed Karger tried to sneak a few practice throws in one afternoon, Stuffy McInnis of the Philadelphia A’s stepped into the batter’s box and drove one of Karger’s soft-tosses to the outfield wall. This happened between innings when most BoSox players hadn’t even taken their positions in the field yet. The umpires on duty allowed McInnis to round the bases with an inside-the-park homer. The run actually counted! I can’t imagine anything like that happening today.

Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?

I’ve always been a baseball fan, but I also love hockey. I never had a chance to play it since I was always somewhat wobbly on skates. I was pretty good at moving forward and backward, but the stopping part was problematic for me. I have a lot of respect for anybody who can carry and shoot a puck while absorbing crushing hits from opponents at high speeds. My favorite team is the Boston Bruins and I finally got around to writing a book about their greatest players. It’s being released next year through McFarland Publishers.

How long have you been writing?

I started drawing my own comics when I was around six or seven years-old, stealing a most of the storylines from the ones I had read. Since then, I have tried my hand at screenplays, novels, short stories, poetry, and children’s books. I finally had a breakthrough writing sports biographies. It has become an area of expertise for me.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany. In 2004, he migrated to Malone, NY. He continues to gripe about the frigid winter temperatures to the present day. He has published several books on the topic of baseball. He would have loved to play professionally, but lacked the talent. He still can't hit a curve ball or lay off the high heat. In the winter months, he moonlights as a hockey fan.

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