Umpires and Health

Umpire John McSherry. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

 

In April 1996, 51-year-old major-league umpire John McSherry collapsed and died while working behind the plate a few pitches into the first game of the season at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. McSherry’s weight had been listed at 328 pounds by the league, but even Richie Phillips, the head of the major-league umpires union, estimated that McSherry may have reached 380 pounds. He had been diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia, for which he had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the day after his death.

More than 10 years before he died, McSherry first admitted to feeling ill. At the time, he had difficulty identifying when he was experiencing dizziness because he spent most of his waking hours feeling dizzy. Between 1991 and 1995 McSherry left three games early, experiencing heat prostration, dizziness, and dehydration, respectively. He had lost significant weight before, but it had always returned.1

McSherry’s death sparked some conversation about the health status of the modern umpire. Umpire Jim Quick, who stood 6-feet tall and weighed 229 pounds, acknowledged that he was overweight, but he decried the fact that league officials were not in touch with the needs of umpires and criticized the poor condition of exercise equipment in dressing rooms across the league.2 A piece in the Chicago Tribune contrasted the conditioning requirements for officials in baseball, hockey, and football. Major-league umpires simply had to pass a yearly physical, while NHL and NFL officials were also put through several days of agility and conditioning testing before the start of each season.3

Besides McSherry, other umpires were known to have weight or health problems. Perhaps most notably, Eric Gregg, a major-league umpire since the 1970s, stood 6-feet-3 and had a weight that sometimes approached 400 pounds. Gregg recalled that after games he would often eat from the umpire room spread at the stadium, enjoy several beers, and then leave the stadium for a large dinner, which included more alcohol. After his close friend McSherry died, Gregg was rattled. He decided to enter a weight management program and the National League agreed to pay for it. Taking a hiatus from umpiring until July, Gregg was able to lose 60 pounds. Gregg, who lost his job in the union-led mass resignations of 1999, died of a stroke seven years later at the age of 55.4

During Ford Frick’s term as National League president, he required 270-pound umpire Dusty Boggess to lose 50 pounds before spring training in order to have his contract renewed. After the establishment of the major-league umpires union, their contract did not include weight restrictions for umpires, which limits the ability of league officials to hold umpires accountable for their weight.5 After McSherry’s death, a Chicago Tribune article said that 58 of the 64 active umpires exceeded American Heart Association guidelines for healthy weight in large-framed men; 25 of those umpires fell into the category of severely overweight. Phillips asserted that weight limits might be unfair because each person carried his weight differently, while NL Vice President Katy Feeney said that the league could not legally impose weight restrictions.6

Former Yankees and Giants athletic trainer Mark Letendre was hired as director of umpire medical services in 1999 to coordinate a new initiative for umpire health care. Letendre provides education to umpires on health-promotion topics.7 He is also on call to address in-game and postgame issues such as concussions. Dr. Laurence M. Westreich serves as a consultant on behavioral health and addiction.

Though Major League Baseball has not been able to enact specific weight restrictions for its umpires, it seems that there is at least an awareness of the importance of health in umpire training. In 2017 the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires hired physician Steve Dorsey as its medical coordinator. Dorsey’s responsibilities include teaching the school’s students about fitness, injury prevention, and nutrition. Dorsey and his son were students at the school in 2016.8

 

 

In the early years of baseball, the game’s umpires may have thought of assault as a much more pressing health risk than cardiovascular disease or obesity. Arbiters in the Deadball Era faced violence not only from upset fans, but from players and coaches. In an extreme case in 1905, Pacific Coast League umpire Bull Perrine was attacked by players in two separate incidents within two weeks. In the second incident, Perrine suffered cuts that required bandaging, and first baseman Marty Murphy was arrested and thrown out of the league.9 Perrine later made the major leagues. Nearly 10 years before Perrine’s incidents, Tom Lynch had left a major-league game after being assaulted by a player, Patsy Tebeau. Umpires were not always just on the receiving end of assaults, however. Two umpires were arrested during games for violent incidents (Tim Hurst in 1897 for throwing a bottle into the bleachers and Jack Sheridan in 1903 for fighting with a player).10

Serious in-game injuries and illnesses among umpires have been relatively rare throughout the game’s history. Cal Drummond is thought to be the only major-league umpire whose death may be related to an on-field injury. In June 1969 Drummond was umpiring a game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore when he was struck in the mask by a foul ball. He felt well enough to finish the game, but he was admitted to the hospital later that night with a head injury and he lapsed into unconsciousness for several days. After improving and flying home to South Carolina, Drummond became ill again and ultimately had surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. He recovered and was umpiring in the minor leagues in preparation for a planned return to the majors. During a May 1970 game in Des Moines, Drummond suffered a stroke involving the injured portion of his brain and he died several days later.11

The minor leagues were unkind to at least one more former major-league umpire. Ziggy Sears umpired in the major leagues between 1934 and 1945; a broken foot forced his retirement from the majors. After his major-league service, Sears was able to return to the Texas League as an umpire. During a rainy 1951 exhibition game between Dallas and Milwaukee, Sears was struck in the eye by a baseball that had been errantly thrown past first base. The injury marked the end of his professional career. Sears later sued the Dallas club for allowing the game to continue in the rain and for not providing him with timely medical care.12

A Retrosheet database tracks instances in which umpires have had to leave major-league games that were in progress. The database provides some insight into the risks umpires face on the field. Between 1871 and 2016, more than 320 umpires have left games in progress. The list includes more than just injuries and illnesses, including a few umpires who had to catch trains out of town, several others who left to attend to family concerns, and one umpire who is described as leaving due to personal reasons. (In one case, an umpire exited with his health intact but his dignity probably injured: George Moriarty left a 1936 game after he ripped his pants while bending over to dust off home plate.) Some of the descriptions in the database are listed as unknown (13 players); more than a dozen of the entries are characterized as an unknown injury; and more than two dozen umpires were experiencing unknown illnesses.13

Perhaps not surprisingly, of the known injuries in the Retrosheet database, being struck by a baseball (either batted or thrown) was the most common mechanism of injury; this scenario felled more than 130 of the umpires and typically involved foul balls striking the man behind the plate. Seven umpires were also injured by baseball bats. These included Paul Emmel, who required stitches to his head after a bat flew out of the hands of Jefry Marte in 2016. Two umpires left games never to return to major-league umpiring, Billy Williams with a broken leg in 1987 and Charlie Reliford with a torn calf muscle in 2009. Williams, who collided with pitcher Zane Smith on a play at home plate, was one of at least 14 umpires to sustain a broken bone. In one of the more unusual injuries, Jerry Neudecker required 10 stitches after his chin came into contact with a catcher’s head. Though several of the umpires injured by bats or balls took blows to the head, face or mask, only two entries (from 2008 and 2009) described the umpire as having suffered concussions. The known illnesses in the Retrosheet database are typically minor ailments like flulike illnesses. More than 20 umpires have left games early due to dehydration or heat-related issues.14

The Retrosheet database indicates that August 26, 2009, was a particularly unusual day for umpires at a game in Toronto between the Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. The game required three men to don the home-plate gear. The original plate umpire, Jerry Crawford, left the game with back spasms, so second-base umpire Tom Hallion became the plate umpire. Hallion was struck in the chest by a ball in the seventh inning. He was able to return to the game after a short delay, but Brian O’Nora took over plate duties while Hallion went to first base.15

While the Retrosheet database provides a good overview of the typical risks of umpiring, it cannot capture every sequence of events that led to the downfall of an umpire in service to the game. Lou DiMuro, who had suffered from arthritis in his hip since a 1979 home-plate collision, went for a walk to exercise his hip after a 1982 game in Arlington. He was struck by a car and killed.16

Several active umpires have faced serious illnesses that did not present themselves on the baseball diamond. In 1999 National League umpire Wally Bell was in his mid-30s and working his seventh major-league season when he underwent quintuple-bypass surgery. Eleven weeks later, Bell returned to umpiring, and he later cited his return to the field as his proudest moment. He went on to umpire in the postseason several times, including the 2006 World Series. Bell was still umpiring when, after the end of the 2013 regular season, he became the first active major-league umpire to die since McSherry. The 48-year-old had suffered a heart attack in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.17

Cancer was fatal to one active major-league umpire. Bill Kunkel was in his mid-40s when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1981. A former major-league pitcher and NBA referee, Kunkel had been umpiring in the American League since 1968. He continued to umpire through the 1984 season, twice taking leaves of absence to have cancer-related surgeries. Kunkel died of cancer on May 5, 1985.18

Though Kunkel’s story is a sad one, Lee Weyer, who entered the major leagues as one of the youngest umpires in NL history, may have experienced the most health-related misfortune during an umpiring career. In 1980 Weyer began to experience vision problems and shaking of the arms, legs, and hands. He was diagnosed with a life-threatening neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which affects vision, muscle control, and motor function. After missing most of the 1980 season to rehabilitate from the illness, Weyer had recovered enough to return to umpiring, this time wearing eyeglasses.19 Weyer later experienced more blurred vision, and he was diagnosed with diabetes, which he controlled with medication. On July 4, 1988, after umpiring an afternoon game, Weyer was playing basketball at the home of fellow umpire and close friend Ed Montague when he suffered shortness of breath. A short time later, Montague found Weyer unresponsive; he died of a heart attack at the age of 51.20

Other professional umpires have continued to work in the face of disabilities or serious chronic illnesses. After Eastern League umpire Max McLeary suffered a freak injury off the field in the 1970s that necessitated a prosthetic eye, he returned to umpiring 10 years later and ultimately spent several seasons in the independent Frontier League.21 Henry Fanning, who had only one arm, became a well-respected umpire in the Pacific Coast League.22 Current major-league crew chief (as of 2016) Tom Hallion is a type 1 diabetic.23 Longtime umpire Bill McGowan also suffered from diabetes. Jim Honochick described the impact of McGowan’s illness, saying, “There were days when he was so sick he shouldn’t even have gone out on the ball field. … When the game ended, he was completely exhausted. He couldn’t do anything on his own. You had to help him take his coat off. … He was drained, physically and emotionally drained, but he had given you the best game of umpiring you’d ever seen.”24

Just as in the general population, health problems for umpires are not limited to physical ailments. A small number of major-league umpires have experienced mental-health concerns significant enough to lead to suicide, but in each case the umpire committed suicide after his retirement from the game. Six years after he was the victim of the two attacks in the Pacific Coast League, Bull Perrine was umpiring in the major leagues when he was said to have suffered sunstroke. He had a nervous breakdown and was admitted to an insane asylum in Napa, California; he committed suicide two years later.25 Ron Luciano last umpired in the major leagues in 1979; he sought in-patient evaluation for depression in 1994 and committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in January 1995.26 Arthur Irwin, a baseball executive and former player, umpired in the National League for one month. Many years later, after being diagnosed with cancer, he boarded a steamer in Boston and is thought to have jumped overboard. Irwin’s death was punctuated by the discovery that two wives and families survived him in separate cities.27

Umpires take the various challenges facing them seriously, and umpire Ted Barrett’s doctoral dissertation for Trinity Theological Seminary surveyed major-league umpires and presented an overview of a number of such challenges.28 NL umpire Jerry Dale did something similar in the 1970s, studying the personality traits of umpires for a master’s thesis at Cal Poly Pomona. Dale found that common umpire traits included aggressiveness, assertiveness, and extroversion (the opposite of introversion). He said that successful umpires were also adept at managing difficult situations and that they adopted a forceful approach and thick skin early in their careers.29

When the National and American leagues combined into Major League Baseball, the new organization committed to make improvements in the health and conditioning of umpires, beginning with the hiring of Mark Letendre. In addition to addressing injuries, recommendations regarding nutrition, physical, and emotional health are all key to an ongoing program of wellness care.

ERIC FROST is a neonatal intensive care nurse at a Houston children’s hospital. Lacking any natural athletic prowess as a Little Leaguer many years ago, he tried to learn as much as possible about baseball strategy and rules. He spent two seasons as a very mediocre amateur umpire, and the experience left him with a deep appreciation for the men who do this thankless job.

 

Notes

1 Dave Anderson, “Sports of the Times; Will Baseball Make the Call for Umpires?” New York Times, April 4, 1996.

2 Teddy Greenstein, “Baseball’s Weighty Issue,” Chicago Tribune, April 7, 1996.

3 Ibid.

4 Richard Goldstein, “Eric Gregg, Umpire Who Battled Weight Problems, Dies at 55,” New York Times, June 6, 2006.

5 Anderson.

6 Greenstein.

7 Umpire Executives, MLB.com, mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/executives.jsp. Accessed January 17, 2017. See the article on Mark Letendre in this book.

8 Steven Dorsey, interview with Bill Nowlin, January 13, 2017.

9 Brian McKenna, Early Exits: The Premature Endings of Baseball Careers (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2007), 56.

10 Umpire Changes During Games (Injury), Retrosheet, retrosheet.org/Research/VincentD/umpgmchg.htm. Accessed January 17, 2017.

11 Larry Gerlach, “Death on the Diamond: The Cal Drummond Story,” The National Pastime 1, no. 24 (2004): 14-16.

12 “Ziggy Sears Sues Dallas Ball Club,” Bonham (Texas) Daily Favorite, April 3, 1953.

13 Umpire Changes During Games (Injury).

14 Ibid.

15 Ibid.

16 David Vincent, “So, You Want to Be an Umpire?: Retrosheet, retrosheet.org/Research/VincentD/UmpireStories.pdf. Accessed January 22, 2017.

17 Alyson Footer, “Veteran MLB Umpire Bell, 48, Dies of Heart Attack,” MLB.com, m.mlb.com/news/article/62954126//. October 15, 2013. Accessed January 17, 2017.

18 “Bill Kunkel, Former Pitcher and Umpire, Is Dead at 48,” New York Times, May 5, 1985.

19 Ira Berkow, “Sports of the Times; Lee Weyer’s Eyeglasses,” New York Times, July 8, 1988.

20 Jerome Holtzman, “Weyer Had Ball Calling Ballgames,” Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1988.

21 Ira Berkow, “Baseball; An Umpire with Everything in Perspective,” New York Times, August 6, 2003.

22 Donald Wells, Baseball’s Western Front: The Pacific Coast League During World War II (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2004), 39.

23 Famous People with Diabetes, Diabetes Daily, diabetesdaily.com/learn-about-diabetes/diabetes-and-work-life-play/famous-people-with-diabetes/. Accessed January 17, 2017.

24 Larry R. Gerlach, The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1980), 183-184.

25 McKenna, 81.

26 Barry Meisel, “No One Knows Forces That Drove Ex-Ump Luciano to Take His Life,” Seattle Times, January 27, 1995.

27 Charlie Bevis, The New England League: A Baseball History, 1885-1949 (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008), 139.

28 See the article on Ted Barrett in this book.

29 Holtzman.