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NEW YORK-If Rodney Dangerfield
wants to know what it's really like to get no
respect, he should try being an umpire. It
was probably Abner Doubleday who first
said, "Nobody loves an umpire." It's a
cliche that has stood the test of time. This
spring, umpires decided that they wanted
more money, and better working condi-
tions. Almost to a man, league presidents,
club owners, managers, players and fans
throughout the world of baseball reacted
alike. They yawned, and turned the sports
page to the article dealing with the latest
complaint by Marvin Miller about how
badly treated the players are.
The simple truth is that umpires are not
only unappreciated, most people don't
know the difference between a good one
and a bad one. Too often the yardstick is
how many arguments an umpire gets into
on the field. The fallacy there is that a good
umpire might get 10 close decisions in a
game, with either team getting upset be-
cause the call went them .. On the
other hand, an umpire of far less ability
might not have a tough call for several
days.
Good umpiring sometimes involves stick-
ing one's neck out, and there are umpires
who are aggressive, ar1d umpires who
aren't. A good example of that came one
day in the Polo Grounds. Whitey Lockman
was playing first base for the Giants, and
tried the hidden-ball trick on a runner. The
runner took a short lead, Lockman tagged
him, and the runner promptly stepped back
on the bag. Now, Lockman turned to the
first base umpire, but he had his back to the
play. How about the man behind the plate?
He was getting a fresh supply of baseballs
at the time. The man at second? He was
kicking the base into proper alignment.
BY NOW, LOCKMAN was frustrated. He
looked across the diamond to third base,
where he found umpire Frank Dascoli look-
ing him right in the eye. pascoli hollered,
"Do you have the ball?" Lockman opened
his glove to reveal it. "You're out" yelled
Dascoli . A pretty ,good rhubarb followed,
and one that could have easily been avoid-
ed, if an umpire had .chosen to overlook his
duty.
What prompts a man to take up umpir-
ing? If his goals .are wealth, fame, proximi-
ty to home and family, or the respect of his
neighbor, then he has shown early an
ity to make good decisions. The simple
truth is that, as a group, umpires probably
love baseball more t han any of the players,
executives or fans whose sentiments are so
frequently quoted. They have to.
The role of the umpire has changed over
the years, but not as much as the other
facets of the game. The umpire of today
faces the same challenges tl)at umpires did,
say, 75 years ago. That was when the Na-
t_ional brought up a young man
named William J. Kl em, the most legend-
ary of all the arbiters in the game' s history.
The National League was said to be domi-
nated by Giants' Manager John McGraw,
an outstanding t actician and an equally
outstanding bully. In the v ery first game in
'which McGraw and Klem appeared on the
same field, all' went swimmingly for about
five innings. At that point, a Klem decision
ruffled McGraw, and a pretty good argu-
ment was going on when McGraw' s choice
of adjectives became a little. too choice for
Klem, who ejected the manager .
NOW McGRAW'S RAGE really took over,
and shaking his fist under the nose of, the
rookie umpire, McGraw bellowed, "I'll get
your job for this." Just that quickly, Klem
said, "If it's that easy to get, then I don't
want it. " Whether McGraw did, in fact, try
to get Klem's job isn't documented. The
record books show that McGraw managed
for another quarter of a century, and Kl.em
umpired for .10 years beyond McGraw' s de-
parture.
. From his first week in t he big _leagues,
when he was challenged by McGraw, until
his retirement, "The Old Arbitrator," as
Klem liked to be called, lost very few.verbal
battles. Maybe one of them was to a young
pitcher named .Danny MacFayden, a jour-
neyman who was employed at the time by
the Boston Braves.
MacFayden had a reputation among the
umpires as being an easycgoing fellow, and
not a But this day, Klem
called one of his pitches a ball, ,and Mac-
Fayden came storming off the mound. As
he charged the plate, he was not only call-
ing Klem a variety of names, but he also
took off the glasses that he wore, and was
obvious ly offering them to Klem.
Braves' Manager Bill McKechnie ran in
to try a nd save his pitcher from being
Lhruwn out. He pushed MacFayden aside
and took up the case for the defense. Mc-
Kechnie pointed out that Danny was .not a
bad sort of guy, and the gesture with the
glasses had been a reflex thing, and not
meant to embarrass Klem. McKechnie
seemed to be doing pretty well with his
plea, and Klem said, " I know he's not
usually a troublesome fellow, and I just
wish he hadn' t been hollering so loud when
he charged me." At which point, the con-
servation was joined by MacFayden, who
had been listening to the discussion. Said
Danny, "I hollered that loud in case your
ears were as bad as your eyes." Case
closed.
THE CLICHE ABOUT the existence of
the umpire is, "the greatest applause you
can get is silence." Let me give you a con-
crete example of the truth of that. Polls-re-
cently named the third game of the 1951 Na-
tional League playoff as the No. 1 sports
thrill of t he century. That was the gart:le in
which Bobby Thomson hit the ninth-i11ning
home r un off Ralph Branca to g ive the
Giants a pennant over the Dodgers. There
can be no question that, for the men who
played in that game, it has to stand as their
outstanding career memory.
In the early 1960s, I conducted a little in-
formal poll. I asked some people to tell me
who was the umpire behind the plate in that
game. I asked Thomson. I asked Branca. I
asked Rube Walker, who was catching
when the ba ll was hit. I asked Jackie Robin-
son and Gil Hodges. Not one of them could
tell me. Not one of the men jn that game
that I asked could remember tha t the plate
umpire was LQu Jorda., The fact that he
wasn't remembered would have made
Jorda very happy. Such is .the life of the
umpire. . .
Jorda, incidentally. used to tell of his
early years as a triinor league umpire, and
an experience that he had once in a small
Louisiana town. It seems that Jorda was
umpiring behind the plate, and on a close
play at home, Jorda called the home team
runner out. It . was an uri popular decision,
and one fan took it so much to heart that he
charged home plate, carrying a knife. The
players from both benches, carrying bats,
went to the umpire's protection, and finally
the game was resumed.
That evening, after supper, Jorda walked
down to the office of the local sheriff. He
introd.uced himself, explained what had
w
The fact that nobody re-
membered who the plate um-
pire was in the third game of
tht: 1951 N.L. playoffs would
have made Jorda very
happy. Such is the life of the
umpire.
that afternoon, and mentioned
that he would like to see about a little more
police protection at the ball park. The sher-
iff was a little evasive, and finally he asked
Jorda if lt was his intent to press charges.
Jorda assured him that it was. After some
stammering,- the sheriff said, "Well, Mister
Jorda, this is a little embarrassing. You see,
that-fellow who charged you today _is one of
my deputies. " Jorda a nd said,
"Well, sheriff, in that case what J'd like to
request is a little less police protection at
the ball park."
WHEN THE UMPIRES went into battle
this spring, they couldn't have been too sur-
prised that the support from the media was
something less than enthusiastic. Second-
guessing umpires always has been more
fun than supporting them. Years ago,
Scotty Robb and Artie Gore were umpiring
-an International League game in Toronto.
There were a lot of't:lose calls, and they all
went against the home team. The next day,
the Toronto paper carried a headline read-
ing; "Maple Leafs Jobbed, Robbed and
Gored."
What are umpires like? Obviously, there
are no answers to that -question. They are
all different, and they all approach their .
work diffl;!r!;!ntly. AI. Barlick took his work
very seriously, and, for him, that was ob-
viously - ' approach, because nobody
eve For others, how
e , ther ere ferent approaches.
- man who backed up for
no man, and tolerated no abuse on a ball
field .. By the same token, Hurley would
carry candy in his uniform pocket, and was
not above. sharing it with some ballplayers.
Yogi Berra, for example, always took some
of >Hurley's candy before a game, and five.
minutes later the two of might be at
war.
Candy was not the Bill Byron way. Byron
fancied himself a singer, and would occa-
sionally break into a song when the spirit
moved him. He was especially fond of a lit-
tle ditty that never made the Hit parade,
which haci a lyric that went, "You'll learn
before you get much older, that you can't
hit the ball with the bat on your shoulder."
Picture if you will how that must have .
sounded to a batter who just took a third
strike with men on base. Byron was once
puriched in the mouth by an unappreciative
music critic.named Ty Cobb.
THEN THERE WAS. George Levi Mager-
kurth, the sage of Moline, Ill. Bill Klem al-
ways maintained that Magerkurth was an
outstanding "mechanical" ump.ire. By that,
Klem meant that Mage was usually in posi-
tion, .and usually got the call right. Mage's
problem was in the handling of situations,
and somehow those situations always
seemed to follow Mage arourid. One of the
classics of baseball photography is a picture
of Mage, flat on his back behind home plate
in Ebbets Field, while a_ guy who has
jumped out of the stands is sitting on
Mage's chest pummeling him.
And then. there the day in Cincinnati,
when Magerkurth took all he was going. to
take. Mage was a huge man, and the old
ball park in Cincinnati was a hot box. This
d!iY Mage found himself taking an intolera-
ble amount of abuse from a box behind
home plate. Finally, Mag.e couldn't take it
any more. He walked to the box where
there were two guys sitting, and threw his
best righthand punch. It landed, too. The
trouble. was Mage hit the wrong guy. He had
a 50-50 ri ji:ht, and he blew it .
. It sa1d .-somethmg for the popularity of
Mage, or the lack of popularity of his heck-
lers, tliat fans in Cincinnati took up a col-
lection to pay the fine Mage was assessed
by the league president.
But fqr some, it wasn't easy to find an
outlet for the pressures of' the job: Maybe
the most famous exa!llple was Bob Emslie.
Emslie was a Canadian who umpired in the
National League for over 30 years. But the
job took such a toil on his nerves that Ems-
lie reached a point where every hair root in
his body died. He had not a single hair any-
where on his body.
WHEN BILL KLEM h e t at the
league was going to release s lie , he went
to the :league president plea d for his
friend. Klem was told t it was Emslie's
doctor who had recom nded his dismiss-
al, due primarily to the ressures of
ing behind home plate In those days, um-
pires worked only in irs, so the plate as-
signment came ar at least every other
day. Klem voluntee to take Emslie with
him, and to work the plate every day and let
Emslie work the bases. was ,the ar-
(Continued on Page. tO, Column I)
*
THE SPORTING NEWS, MAY 26, 1979
*
7
TITIS MATERIAL IS SUBJECT
TO 'I7E u-:Nl'!'bD
..
So when he learned Henderson was going to be inducted along with Jim Rice and the late
Joe Gordon, he phoned his father and urged him to meet him there.
"I saw an opportunity to create a new father-son memory, so we went," Garry
Gewirtzman said.
It also gave new life to the photo ot Aron on Henderson's lap, which by now had been
enlarged, framed, autographed, and an award winner at a dermatology conference photo
competition. They decided to turn it into a T -shirt that they could both wear at the
induction.
"It is definitely not inconspicuous," Aron Gewirtzman said of the shirt, which led dozens
of people to stop them each day to hear the story behind it.
It also got them a write-up on the Boston Globe's baseball blog, a big achievement
considering they were there to cheer for a former Yankee, archrivals of the Boston Red
Sox. Aron's eight years at medical school in Boston convinced the reporter to write the
story.
"The reaction to the shitt was way beyond what I expected," his dad said.
Of all the people who did see it, Henderson was not one of them. With an estimated
21 ,000 fans packing Cooperstown for the weekend, the logistics made it impossible.
"It would have been the icing on the cake, but I wasn't too disappointed because I wasn't
expecting it," Aron said.
Baseball lore linked to umpire
The Republican, Mass.
August 12, 2009
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On Aug. 19 there will be an anniversary of sorts that involves Major League Baseball and
the late :ffill-BJ, a Holyoke man who officiated in the maj ors for a number
of years.
You see, Aug. 19,1951, 58 years ago, Bill Veeck, then the wild man owner of the very
sad St. Louis Browns, signed a dwarf named Eddie Gaedel to a major league contract,
added him to the team's roster and sent him to bat as a pinch hitter in the second game of
a double header against Detroit.
Gaedel, who was born in Chicago in 1925, was there in truth as part of a promotion for
the American League's 50th am1iversary. The stunt was thought up by Veeck and he
didn't tell anybody he was going to do it. The event was sponsored by a St. Louis beer
company and, supposedly, there were better than 18,000 fans in Sportsman's Park that
day, a banner day for the Browns, who three or four years later would move to Baltimore
and become the Orioles.
Veeck, who had also previously owned the Cleveland Indians and had brought the first
African-American to the American League in the presence of Larry Doby, was known for
his zany promotions, like Ladies Big Hat Day and Bring Your Pet to the Park. He was not
your run-of-the-mill owner.
Anyway, back to the dwarf incident:
Gaedel appeared from the dugout during the game with a small bat on his shoulder and
walked toward the plate. Hurley, amazed at the situation, questioned what was going on
and Browns manager Zack Taylor showed Hurley a signed major league contract and the
Browns roster with Gaedel's name on it. Hurley had no choice but to let the guy bat.
The famous picture of the little guy at bat, with Tiger catcher Bob Swift and Hurley
behind him, is displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. , and many,
many copies of it have been circulated through the years.
Tiger pitcher Bob Cain, as nonplussed as everybody else, walked Gaedel on four pitches
and Jim Delsing ran for the little man and Gaedel went into the dugout. Except for minor
jobs he got from Veeck for the next few years, Gaedel disappeared from sight.
Gaedel died in 1961, the victim of a robbery attempt gone bad in Chicago.
Hurley would delight later on in telling friends, especially Holyokers, the story of that
day.
As for V eeck, he went on to later own the Chicago White Sox and eventually got out of
baseball. He ran Suffolk Downs in Boston for a while and later wrote several books.
So, baseball, in some way, will mark the day that the little man walked against the Tigers.
Time for baseball to 'Let my Pete go'
By Jack Slayton
The Daily Post-Athenian, TN
August 12, 2009
As Moses might say, it's time to "Let my Pete go."
Since he was accused of betting on baseball games some 20 years ago, Pete Rose has
been banned from the sport, including having his name being left out of the Hall of Fame
balloting.
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Umpires' Reports Never Mince (Bad) Words
rangement made, and Klem
worked the phde every ay for 13 years.
(Today's umpires work e plate one game
in four, and feel the loa is heavy.)
The question of wh is and who isn't a
good umpire is not a easy one to answer.
Nestor Chylak, one of he best in the history
of the game, once sai it was the only job in
the world where you e expected to be per
feci when you are h ed, and then to im-
prove as time goes on
Shortly after Warre Giles became presi-
dent of the National L ague, he attempted
an experiment. He dre up a questionnaire;
asking each of th managers and
coaches in the league t rate his umpires.
Needless to say, this w something less
than a hit with the arbiters.
When a reasonable time had elapsed,
Giles found that he had not received a ques-
tionnaire back from the Pittsburgh manag-
er, Fred Haney. Giles picked up the phone
'to check on the delay. Said Haney, "I didn't
send it back because I threw it in the waste
basket. I'm in last place. got more to
worry about than your umpires. If you want
a real challenge, you tiy to rate my ball-
players.''
ONE OF THE interesting things to th'
about the next time you see a
umpire having a "rhubarb," when
the game is over, the umpire must write a
report on it. He not only has to put down
what caused the but also
what was said. And they don't write, "He
used bad language." They write down what
that bad language was. It's a wonder the
mailman doesn't get third-degree burris
just delivering it.
I remember one report very well. It was
from umpire Lee Ballanfant, and covered a
rather unpleasant meeting with a young in-
fielder named Gene Mauch. (Yes, that
Gene Mauch.) Ballanfant went into great
detail explaining to the league president
that Mau.ch had used vile language, and
cited that vile language, chapter and verse.
The report dosed with a recommendat.ion

Umpiring is the only job in
the world where you are ex-
pected to be perfect when
you are hi _red and then im-
prove as time goes on.
-Nestor Chylak
tlmt Mauch be fined for his actions and his
ords. After his signature, Ballanfant
added a P .S. "Boss: If you take his money,
you better take some of mine, too. I gave ..
him as good as he gave me."
The simple truth is that umpires
learn to deal with more than one form of
protest. All unhappy players and managers
do not charge umpires, breathing. fire and
brimstone. Some speak. quietly, some
w'bine, some con. And some have developed
Young lde.aS
(Continued From Page 2)
Johnson predicts that when Julio Cruz gets
his batting average up to .250 or .255, he'll
steal 80 bases. There's more than wishful
thinking behind the belief that Julio' s aver-
age will grow. He has been switching only
two Years. He could be another Maury

increases in all offense categories ... . Reg-
gie Smith will be told to make a public apol-
ogy for his recent outburst. In a money dis-
pute with the Dodger front office, he told
newsmen, "I don' t give a damn whether we
win or lose!" Such remarks are detrimental
to baseball's public image and could attract
the attention of Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.
a pretty good change of pace.
Certainly you would expect Eddie Stanky
to be one of the great brimstone-breathers
of all time, and he c_ould be 'pretty ferocious.
But Stanky had other approaches, too.
There was, and is, a rule that bars manag-
ers from complaining to pIate umpires
about ball-and-strike decisions. (That rule,
incidentally, was aimed primarily at Mel
Ott when he was managing the Giants. It
wasn't merely that Ott complained from
the dugout {)n behalf of his hitters. He also
yelled for pitches he thought his pitchers
should have gotten, and Ott was playing
right field at the time.) .
BACK TO STANKY. He was managing
the and Wally Moon was the bat-
ter. Umpire Larry Goetz called a strike on
Moon, and Moon showed that he thought
the pitch had been inside by drawing a line
in the batter's box with his bat. Just that
quick, Goetz had his mask off, and his face
up Moon's. Sa.id Goetz, " Look,
busher, don't you draw any lines on me, or
you and that bat are both going to the club-
house."
At this point, on the dead run, came Man-
ager Stanky. He spoke directly to his play-
er, saying, "Wally, I told you you can't get
on this fellow. Some umpires you can yell
at, but not this guy. I've told you that time
and again." All the while Goetz is standing
there, listening, and getting the feeling that
his heels are being pumped up. Finally, as
he was aboutto leave, Stanky said to Goetz,
"The pitch was inside, Larry. "
"Whoa," said Goetz. "Manager, that was
a great speech. The only trouble is that it
ran one sentence too long. You're out of
here."
Stanky, who thought he was going to get
away with it, suddenly blew his stack. He
said to Goetz; "What is this, Larry, a dicta-
torship?" "No," said Goetz, "it's a game,
and it' s played with rules, and you just
broke one of them. And now you're gone."
Goetz, incidentally, once had a very inter-
esting analysis of that well-known umpire
analyst, Leo Durocher. Durocher had made
a public statement (what else is new?)
about the National League umpidng staff,
saying that some of them considered them"
selves as his enemies. He mentioned eight
of .the 16 men then on the staff. When
Jimmy Cannon z for a reaction;
Larry said Leo had left g t names off the
list.
THEN. CANNON ASK D Goetz if he
thought that Durocher wo ld have made a
good umpire, and Goet said, "Well, he.
might. He's very quick. e probably calls
the balk as quick as any, umpire, and he's
got a pretty good know dge of the rules.
But I don't think Leo h the kind of sense
of humor you need to be n umpire. This is a
pretty tough job, and i you can' t laugh at
yourself once in a whil , it'll get you. "
The simple truth is at umpires are just
like everyone else, i most ways. I have
seen them do selfisll things, I have seen
them do generous things. I remember a
time when Bill Haller made an appearance
_on a Joe Garagiola TV show. When the time
came for Haller to be paid for his appear-
ance, he said, " I read where they' ve started
a fund for those two cops that were shot
down in New York. Just send my fee to that
fund."
Umpires can be close friends, or the exact
opposite. When the Houston baseball writ-
ers gave their Bill Klem Award toBeans
Reardon, Beansie said, "It's nice to get the
award, but the truth is that he (Kiem) hated
my guts, and I hated his." As usual, Beansie
was telling the '
It is somewhat surprising that umpires
rarely move ahead -in baseball. John
Heydler went from umpiring to the presi-
dency of the National League, .but you sel-
dom hear about umpires moving into big
jobs with ball clubs.
THERE WAS ONE in particular. Hank
O'Day umpired in the National League for
about 30 years, but there were two breaks in
that tenure. He spent one year managing
the Cincinnati Reds, and another managing
the Chicago Cubs. O'Day was a highly re-
garded umpire, and I once asked Bill Klem
how O'Day treated umpires when he was a
manager. Said Klem, "He was the worst."
Whic;h goes to show, I guess, that nobody
loves an umpire-not even another umpire.
_)
('Phl)to bv Vln .D' Add<rlol
.,....,,, ___ , tribu'te was paid: to retired American League umpire, Edwin H. (Eddie) Hurley m Holyoke on
..... , .. .. More than 600 persons funeral services for the man.who spent 19 years in the rna-
leagues. Lower photo shows stene during services in st. Jerome cemetery. At top are members of
Rutley "family with former umpiring colleagues. From left are, John Flaherty, Mrs. Hurley, Miss
Marie ltudey and Mrs. J. Frarids Doyle, his daughters, Eddie Hurley, Jr., Hank Soar and Augie
Guglielmo.
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.: Finat Tribute Paid to Umpir
: . .
:!By PAUL DONOGHUE artd those who. sent messages Pat, who now officiates in medical miracles are p&-
w . : . . of sympathy would have meant New Jersey; went ,to Yankee formed every day . . . they
.ltlOLYOKE- Uus cLty, .mena lot to Eddie Hurley. Stadium one day with that function in a key unit at ' the
1
f, .... m the sports world, But the Kid from New Jersey familiar, "Do you remember hos.pitat . . . .
1
r tives and friends ...,. and and the Kids from Boston i:ne?'' . . rJiese were the . kil.ls who
a- .. . d troin . New J.ersey and who spent' almost three days Eqdie Hurley did remember were at Eddie Hurley's bedside
folt kids. froJl1. J3oston were in. H.olyok.e,. woqld have really and for the past five years has front the day he entered that
aiil!<mg more ..than 600 persons made Eddie Hurley .{>rotid. kept up his friendship. hospital and they .were there
. paid firial. tribute to . There are -countless stories . Passario just sobbed, "He Hurley when he
r red A!_llencan League about Hurley,'s helping was like a father to me, he d1ed on Wednesday. .
'Qf;p1re Edwm H. (Eddie) hand to young umpires. Eddie couldn't do enough for me." They loved Eddie Hurley,
H\!fley Saturday. was Jike a father to many of And he related many of the they loved his family - and
Rev. William O'Shea these umpires .who are now things Eddie Hurley had done they had to be here during
a Mass' i11 working in the major leagues. for him these few short these final days of sorrow ...
H141t <;hurcll.. the par1sh in BUt, how aQout .the kid who years. . J'he tributes will continue to
'
rchilhvhere .Eddie Hurley never . made. it to the major The Four Kids fron; Boston; flow . . . there will be many
. up. . leagues? Well they are something else. words of condolences but none
. Abbot Attends That's Pat Passario - the Eddie Hurley y,ras a tough as sincere as the : Kid from
'Jis long - frjend, Abbot from New Jersey. man. He roughed millions of New. J ersey and .the. Four K;ids
Getald F. McCarthy, O.S.B. of The Hurley family for many miles across the country, he from BQston . . ,
sr,: Anselm's Abbey, Man- y e a :r:: only 1mew about many a st?rm on Eddie Hurley il proud
c!Jster . H., was amop..g who . from ,time to the playmg field, he ij!e man
1
atld the. acts of the Kid
.. gy m }lanc!u ary. Th1s b?J-e wo. a letter to respect of the top b1g league fr?m: New and the Four
fO: er southpaw pttcher, who h1s favonte umptre or who players - .he was a great K1ds from Boston would have
p ed hi the Holyoke sandlots wouW :always send a Christ- baseball man. made him real proud.
wJl J!urJey; ha.d to ma.Sor . But these last . five He would have been proud
cdihe badchome for his friend. On Fnday - this K1d from were the toughest for Eddie too when Mrs. Helen Ewld
who spent 19 .New 'Jersey came to Holyoke Hurley, his family and for all organist at . Sacred Heart
yl!ors in the big leagues, had tO ;pay his last respects. who were close to him. Church; struck out her final
friends. Tributes and Pat Passario is a 24-year-old And these Kids from Boston notes on the organ, "Take Mel
of were school. teacher, whose life - are four nurses who worked Out to the Ball Game. " when
stl!tl arriving at. tn!l . Hurley ,;imbition was to be a major in the Intensive Care Unit at the . mourners . filed from,
he!fue on Saturday niglit from league umpire. University Hospital, Boston. [
all:over the country. . . This young man spotted a They are tough too ... they And proud when a group of
a i s : .: former em on the sp(>rts page work in a hospital where Little Leaguers waved and
.John Flaherty, of . a New York newspaper. !said, "Bye, Ed,'' as the funeral
Hittk Soar, .AI . Salerno, p or t.i n g Eddie Hurley's cortege turned into St. J erome
Dllduro and Augie Guglielmo death: . . - . ,Cemetery. . I
wJe a11 here. . _ He went from his Fairlawn, : This was a sad day, but'!
,fthers who couldn' t come N .. J. home to Newark Airport ' Eddie Hurley would.have been
called the Hurley family and. was instructed to fly to :very happy with this tribute. 1
oroo sent of. . Then, he found out it
1
--- --- - -
d*nces, The list was im. was the wrong .airport and
.- . rented a car and . drove to
r t 1 r e d Amencan League Holyoke. . . ..
pJtsident Who . hired Eddie . Rat, still stunned by his
Hlil!fley as an umpire, the friend's death, told how he met
Btton Red Sox, the Minnesota Eddie Hurley at Al Sommers'
'IlPins, who sent scout Bob Baseball School in 1964. .
as a representative to Things didn' t go as Pat
th,'e funeral, Joe Cronin, Pas.sario. plaimed. He had to
AJerican . League prE!sident; give up_llopes of becoming an
Cg . .. ,B .... ola. nd,, _ the Boston umpire to help his family after
of . Bas.eball Writers, his own father died.
C.C ;Hubbard, Tom Haller, H urley heJ.ped this
UCry Napp, Bob Stewart, youngster at that school in 1964
A.lie Gore; Sam Carrigan, and said, "Feel free to call on
Ty Venwn, . all men who me anytime I can be of help."
w!-ked. with Eddie Hurley in, ----- __ __ ...... __ _
til maJor leagues. i
'S,nd the list goes on . . '
from Western Mass. !
there too . . . Gus Win.l
Jimmy Sullivan, Ted
Biilynkiewicz, Red Kenney,
Lucey; spo . rtswriter-s, Joe
Lii!Rose and. Garey Brown .
. .agaili the list. goes on.
Kid From New Jersey .
nd, at Eddie Hurley's
ral too, were that kid from
Jersey - Pat Passario
-::!and four . kids fro.m :ao,ston
-; Pat Henderson, Siejlhie.
Sfltt\'artz, Marty Morrison and.
Elie Chapmar(..;... tour yqurtg,
r s e s .. Jr6m. University!:
where Hurley died on;
Wednesday. , .
'fit'i' finpressive list of thos.el '
who came, those who called, I
ED HURLEY
New Rule .Retires
McKinley,

By CI.,J.f.FORD KACHLINE
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
Like certain segments of industry,
the American League has establish-
ed a mandatory retirement age.
No, the league doesn' t plan .to
force Hoyt Wilhelm or any other
player to quit just because
past his fortieth birthday. But
A. L. directors have that
umpires must retir:e when they reach
age 55.
The first indications that such a
decision had b e e n reached came
when Joe Paparella announce.d his
retirement on New Year's Day. Since.
then it has been two Qther
arbiters-Ed Hurley and Bill
McKinley-have been cut from the
American League staf.f.
Notification came in the form of
a letter from President Joe Cronin
at the turn of the year. The letter
said in part: "In order to put the
new' increased umpire pension plan
Into effect, it is the responsibility
of the American League office to
abide by the retirement age of 55.
Therefore, it is necessary for me
to plan for your retirement to start
effective' January 1, 1966.''
Paparella 56 Years Old
Paparella, a veteran of 20
sons in the A. L., observed h1s f1fty
sixth birthday last March, while
'McKinley was 55 in May and Hurley
reached that age in September. : Me
Kinley joined the 'j).lnior loop in Au-
gust, 1946, and Hurley began the
following spring.
"I would have liked to work a few
more years," commented McKinley,
"but the abrupt announcement didn't
make me too unhappy in view of the
incr.eased pension."
Under the league's improved bene-
fits, .each of the trio will receive
benefits ranging from approximately
$4,850 to $5,1()() annually.
McKinley, who worked 2,200 con-
secutive American League games
before illness ended his streak on
September l, 1960, was 'the senior
member of the. circuit's arbiters for
a 48-hour period.
Letter for McKinley
"I was having a showing of . the
World Series movie in Youngstown-
on January 3," related McKinley,
who lives in Kinsman, 0. "In the
Sunday paper (January 2), .sports
editor Lawrence Stolle reported tha't
I had become the dean of the
league's umpires as a result of Pap-
arella's resignation the day before.
"But when I returned home on
Tuesday (January 4) and checked
my mail, I found the letter advising
t hat I was being retired."
Prior to being revised at the -
league's December meeting 'in Mi
..
. A BETTER DEAL FOR lJIJIPJR.ES
L
. How many business concerns retire their employes automat-
Jeally at age 55, with 20-year veteran{! collecting pensions ranging
from $!$,000 to $6,000 a year? . Those are the terms of the American
League umpire r etirement plan, whicp. mtist . be among the most
generous anywhere. -
';l'l;lree umpires recently were compelled to retire under new
})l'OVIsJons the pl_an-Joe Paparella, -Ed Hurley and McKin-
l ey. Each rece1ve a araund $5,000 per year. From
on, rehrmg umps will receive more because benefits were
b<?osted to .Per from $250, retroactive to 1964, at. the
wmter meetings m M1am1 Beach.
Under those conditions, mandatory r etirement is no bleak
prospect, even if the arbiter might have preferred working a few
more. years. Few .employes under the executive level can anticipate
a cushiOn as this one. The National League
.setup, Whi<:h. does not reqmre retirement at 55, is similarly liberal.
Baseball c:an . take a bow. It has improved the umpire's lot
tremendously m recent years. ':rhe impressive pension benefits are
()nly of the.story. The umpire development plan in the minors
has_ h1ked salanes and provided real incentive by establishing a
ratmg system, Minor league umps now have r eason to believe that
ability will be r ewarded with pr omo.tions.
Baseball is sure to be the long-run beneficiary.
THE: S_PORTING NEWS, . JAa'WARY 1966. *
-
ami Beach, the A. L. pension plan
provided that an .umpire was en
titled to $250 per year for every
season of service. This was boosted
to $300 per year, retroactive to the
1964 season, at the Miami Beach
se5sion and the . retirement age was
lowered from 60 to 55.
At the time, however, it was an
nounced that retirement at 55 was
not compulsory a11d that an arbiter
could build up added benefits by
continuing on the job.
Act.uaries Made Ruling
Later, actuaries handling the plan
the league that retirement
at 55 should be made mandatory,
Public Relations Director J oe Me
Kenney has disclosed. The directors
then adopted the recommendation.
The arbitrary retirement of Papa-
Hurley and McKinley still
leaves 20 umpires on the American
League staff. The circuit had two
out on option last season:-Al Smith
and Sam Carrigan. In addition,. it
purchased Emmett Ashford from the
Pacific Coast League i.n September.
Ashford, . the majors' first Negro
arbiter, .may \iave a short major
league care!')r a $ a result of the com.
pulsory retirement age. He ls listed
as 51 years old.
THE BLOW that mada the Dodgers world -Johnson connected off Jim Kaat. Eart Batte'{ is
champicms came in the fourth inning wben lou the catcher, .,W.urle.x the umpire_-
55 Retirement Umps'
Idea, Cronin Claims
. .2- ..z t>/ 9CC---
BOSTON, Mass.
The protest by. umpire Ed Hurley over his retire-
ment at 55 by the American League has fallen upon the
sympathetic ears of Joe Cronin. But there's nothing the
A. L. president can do about it, he says, claiming the
ret irement idea was the umpires' to begin with.
"Last August," said Cronin, "a committee repre-
senting ihe umpires came into the office and asked for
20 different points. Call them fringe benefits it you like.
One of the benefits they was retirement at 55 with
a pension.
''I took up all 20 points with them and told them
rd have to sit down with the insurance company to get
the cost of such a plan. Ed Hurln
"I had any number of meetings with the insurance peopff' and Ia1er on,
at one of our league meetings, I presented the umpires' proposal to the club
owners." Cronin said the owners agreed to put up $300,000 for the pension
plan. They also agree4 to include past service.
''In order to put this new pension plan into practice," Cronin continued,
"I thought it only senl:;ible to hire three new umpires, which we did,
That meant we had to make room for them. So we simply went by the
same plan the umpires themselves proposed and retired three who had
reached the age of 55. asked for it themselves."
. *
. Umpire Paparella Requested His Retirement
ln addition to Hurley, who is just 55, Joe Paparella, 56, and Bill Mc-
Kinley, 55, also retired. Paparella said he asked for retirement, but Mc-
Kinley asserted that. he, like Hurley, was asked to retire.
Under the pension plan, each will receive about $5,000 a year.
Hurley said tliat it was his unders tanding that when the A. L. made
the retirement age 55, it was on a voluntary basis. Enforced retirement
would not come until an ump had reached 60.
But Cronin interprets the whole thing differently. "There W;lS noth-
ing personal in all this,'' the A. J,.. prexy said. "It was all business." The
National League does not have a compulsory retirement age.
Hurley, from his home in Holyoke, Mass., is not about to stop fight-
ing for what he believes is a bad (leal. .
As part of his formal protest, Hurley called on the new
William Eckert, to present his side of the story. .
"I got absolutely no satisfaction from the commissioner," Hurley re-
ported. ''In fact, the :a:nan made me wait_ hours to keep the appoint-
ment he'd set up himself." ; .. . . ,
* TKE SPORTING. NEWS, FEBRUARY 26, 1966 * 29
Bitter Hurley Plans to Fi9ht -rr.N.
'Retirement' as A. L. Untpire
By RUSSELL SCHNEIDER
CLEVELAND, 0.
The American League on Janu.
ary 1 announced the "retirement"
of three veteran umpires-Joe Pap-
arella, Ed Hurley and Bill McKin
ley.
Hurley, however, wants the
world to know, "I haven't retired;
they are forcmg meto retire. They
want to put me in a wheelchair,
but I'm not ready to get into it.
"I'm gomg to fight this thing
all the way to the commissioner's
office if I have to," Ed told THE
SPORTING NEWS from his home in
Holyoke, Mass.
"And if I don't get any
tion from him .(William Eckert),
I'll hire an attorney," Hurley
vowed.
"I'm just sick about this. I can't
sleep at night. I talk to people and
I can't carry an intelligent conver-
sation because .it's always on my
mind." ,
Hurley, who turned 55 last sej,.
tember, based much of liis resent-
ment on the manner In which he
was informed of his "retirement.''
.. . .
Voice Reveals Emotions
"I don't know of any business in
the world that would do something
like this to a man. Even a dog gets
more consideration than we did,"
he continued in a voice that some-
times quavered and betrayed his
emotions.
Obviously, here was a man who
was not only angry and bitter, but
also deeply hurt. disappointed, dis-
couraged, distraught. .
"Why, even if an umpire is fired
-if he' s the worst in the business
-he gets ten days' notice. We got
two days," Hurley lamented, re-
calling his notification letter last
December 29.
''Still, they say we retired. Well,
I didn't.'.'
His problem goes back to the
major-minor league meetings in
Florida last December. That's
when the American LeagUe low
ered its retirement age for umpires
from 60 to 55-but left It on a vol-
untary basis. In other words, if
an umpire wanted to work until
age 60, he could.
" . .
Pension Beoeflts H'iked
At the same time, the pension
benefits. were increased so that
Paparella, Hurley and MCKinley
could receive about $5,000 a year
when they hung Up their blue
suits.
Hurley found it interesting,. but
decided he didn't want to quit yet.
" I've worked all my life at being
a good umpire. I think l'in in the
prime of' my career. As far as I
know, I've done .a gQOd job.
"At least, nobody-including Joe
Cronin-has tolc;l me otherwise. In
fact, Joe (Cronin) has told me
many times, 'You're. one of my
b e t t e r umpires,' ! Hurley re-
counted.
Shortly after. the meetings-and

he said was that the dectsion was
made by the directors, that he had
nothing to do with it.
;,1 just can't unqerstand it."
Then Hurley warned that the
A. L. might be in trouble in 1966.
league is only as good as
its umpires. They've lost three .
men who represent nearly 60 years
of experience," Ed pointed out. He
began his career in 1947, whlle
Paparella broke into the A. L. in
19<M. McKinley started in the mid
die of tllat season.
.. . .
" Two Young Newcnmen
They'll be replaced by two young
men from the SOuthern League,
Martin Springstead, 28, and Jerome
Neudecker, 35, and by Emmett
Ashford from the Pacific Coast
League.
The latter, the first Negro Utn
pire to make the major leagues, is
51-whtch raised another question
In Hurley's mind.
Ed Hurley "I have nothing against the man;
if he's good enough to earn his way
it must have been tater than .De- into the American League, that' s
cember 23-the A. L. directors fine.
made retirement at 55 mandatory. "More credit to hiln. But how
Thus, Cronin sent letters to Hurley long can he work?
and McKinley advising them that "Four more years and then he's
their retirement date- was January got to retire," Hurley answered
1. Pap-arella already had decided his own. question. "That's not fair,
to take advantage of the opportun- either. Not to him or to us."
ity to quit.
As far as Springstead and Neu.
Hurley was stunned. At first he decker are concerned, Rutley said
asked this reporter to hold his re- this: "They' re both young and
marks in confidence, "at least un- . they'll really be on the
til I've had a chance to get over Hurley also alluded io an editor-
the shock. I wouldn't want ta say ial in the January 29 issue of THE
anything I'd be sorry for. " SPORTING NEWs which praised
A week later, however, he was baseball for ''A Better Deal For
still stunned ... and still angry, Umpires."
bitter and deeply hurt. That's when "In it they said, 'Baseball can
he agreed to tell his story. take a bow,' whrch it can for rais-
,.
ing the pension benefits and let
AvalJable toN. L. ting a man retire at 55 if he waf1ts
Also to reveal that he's avail
to,-" Hurley commented.
able to Warren Giles and the Na
"' "
tiona! League if they' re mterested NQ Bows for Handling
in hiring an experienced major "But I'll tell you this. Nobody-
league umpire.
certainly not Cronin-can take a
The National League has no bow for the way this thing was
compulsory. retirement age for handled.
umpires.
"I've dedicated my life to base-
"I honestly believe there never ball, to being a good umpire, and
was a more dedicated American to have someone smash it all down
leaguer than I, but if Mr. GUes like this, the way they did, 1 just
will have me, I'd go over there in can't believe it.
a minute.
'
1
This is the time of an umpire's
''And I'll tell you something else. career when . he's something; as .
If I did, nobody would have to be long as he' s physically. able to do
. ashamed of me or my work. I a good job-and I am. I'm in good
promise you that," Hurley as- shape and I've always worked hard
serted. ,
to keep myself in good shape."
He said h& knows the A. L. di Hurley's voice quavered and
rectors made retirement ai 55 com- trembled again as he r.epeate.d, one
pulsory after December 23 be- more time, " I don't understand it
cause, " I visited Joe (Cronin) that . . I can't get over it I don't
day and he never said a word to think I ever will.''
me about it.
Before he replaced the t elephone
"Then I get a Jetter six days l'eceiver, Ed had one request.
later that says I'm through on Jan- "if you write anything about this,
uary 1.
please- say that a man who has
"At the end of it, be had the dedicated his life to baseball cer
nerve to thank me for my loyalty- tainly deserves something better
bow cold-blooded can a man be?" than this.
Hurley wondered aloud.
"And say that this iSi right from
. "I asked Cronin about it and all heart." FeB . (Z. ,lqfo'
TIDS MATERIAL IS SUBJECT
TO TilE UNITED STATES
COPYRIGHf LAW; FUlmtBR
R.EPRODUCI'ION IN VIOLATION
OF111AT lAW IS PROHIBITBD
I Bitter Hurley Plans to Fight

' etirement' as A. U1npire
1.2--;9( t

By RUSSELL SCHNEIDER
he said was that the decision was
CLEVELAND 0.
by the that he had
'
nothmg to do wtth it.
The American League on Janu-
"I just can't understand it."
ary 1 announced the "retirement"
Then Hurley warned that the
of three veteran umpires-Joe Pap-
A. L. might be in trouble in 1966.
arella, Ed Hurley and Bill McKin
"Any league is only as good as
ley.
its umpires. They've lost three
Hurley, however, wants the
who represent nearly 60 years
world to know, "I haven't retired;
of experience," Ed pointed out. He
they are forcing me to retire. They
began !lis career . .in 1947, while
want to put me in a . wheelchair,
Paparella broke into the A. L. in
but I'm not ready to get ilitQ it.
1946. McKinley started' in. the mid-
"l'm going to fight this thing
dle of that season:
all the way to the commissioner's
office if I have tq," Ed told THE
SPORTING NEWS from his home in
Holyoke, Mass.
"And if I don't get any satisfac-
tion from him (William Eckert),
I'll hire an attorney , Hui'ley
vowed.
"I' m just sick about I can't
sleep at night. I talk to people
I can't carry an intelligent conver-
sation It' s always on my
mind."
Hurley, who turned 55 last Sep-
tember, based much of his resent-
ment on the manner in which he
was informed of his "retirement.''
. . ..
Voice Reveals Emotions
"I don't know of any busi.itess in
the world that would do something
like this to a man. Even a dog gets
more consideration than we did,"
he continued in a voice that some-
times quavered and betrayed! his
emotions.
Obviously, here was a man who
was not only angry and bitter, but
also deeply hurt. disappointed, dis-
couraged, distraught.
even if an umpire is fired
- if he's the worst in the business
-he gets ten days notice. We got
two days,'' Hurley lamented, re
calling his notification letter last
December 29,
"Still, they say we retired. Well,
I didn't."
His problem goes back to the
major-minor league meetings in
Florida last December. That's
when the American League low-
ered its retirement age for umpires
from 60 to 55-but left it on a v.ol.
untary basis. In other words, if
an umpire wanted to work until
age 60, he could.
*
Pension Benefits Hiked
At the same time, the pension
benefits were increased so that
Paparella, Hurley and McKinley
could receive about $5,000 a year
when they hung up their blue
suits.
Hurley found it interesting, but
decided he didn't want to quit yet.
"I've worked all my life at being
a good umpire. I think I' m In ,the
prime of my career. As far as I
know, !'ve done a. good job. .
"At least, nobody-including Joe
Cronin-has told me otherwise. In
fact, Joe (Cronin) has told me
many times, 'You're one of my
b e t t e r umpires, " Hurley re:
. counted.

Shortly after the
.., t ,
Ed Hurley
it must have been later than De-
cember 23-the A. L. directors
made retirement.'at 55 mandatory.
Thus, Cronin sent. letters to Hurley
and McKinley advising them that
their . retirement date was January
1. Paparella already had decided
to take . advantage of the opportun-
ity to quit.
Hurley was stunned. At first he
asked this reporter to hold his re-
marks in confidence, ".at least un-
til I've had a .chance to get over
the shock. I wouldn't want to say
anything I'd be sorry for."
A week later, however, be was
still stunned . . and still angry,
bitter and deeply hurt. That's when
he agreed to tell his story.
. .. ..
Avallable to N. L.
Also to reveal that he's avail-
able to Warren Giles and the Na-
Two Young New()Omera
be replaced by two young
men from the Southern League; ..
Martin Springstead, 28, and Jerome
Neudecker, .35; .and by Emmett
Ashford from .the Pacific Coast


. The l atter, the first Negro um-
pire to make the major leagues, is
51..,-which raised another question.
in Hurley's mind.
"I have nothing against the m!_in;
if he's good enough to earn his way
into the American League, that's
fine.
"More credit to . him. But how
long can he work?
"Four more yE;ars and then he's
got to retire,'' Hurley answered
his own question. "That's not fair,
either. Not to him or to us."
As far as Springstead and Neu.
decker .are concerned, Hurley said
this: "They're both young and
they'll really be on the spot." .
Hurley also alluded to an editor-
ial in the January 29 Issue of THE
SPORTING NEWS which praised
baseball for "A Better Deal For
Umpires."
"In it they . said, 'Baseball can
take a bow,' which it can for rais,
ing the pension benefits and. -let
ting a man retire at 55 lf he wants
to," Hurley commented.
tional League if they're interested No Bows for Handllttg.
in hiring an experienced major "But I'll tell you this. Nobody--.
league umpire.
certainly not Cronin-can take a
The National League has no bow for the way this thing was
compulsory retirement age for handled.
umpires.
"I've my life to base-
"! honestly believe there never ball, to being a good umpire, and
was a more dedicated American to have someone smash it all down
leaguer than I, but if Mr. Giles like this, the way they did, I just
will have me, I'd go over there in can't believe it.
a minute.
"This is the time of an umpire's
I'll tell you somethirig else. career when he's something, as
If. I did, nobody would have to be long as he's physically able to do
ashamed of me or my work. I a good job-and I am. I'm in good
promise you that,'' Hurley as- shape and I've 11lways worked hard
serted.
to keep myself in good shape,"
He said he knows the A. L. di- Hurley's voice quavered and
rectors made retirement at' 55 com- trembled again as he repeated, one
pulsory December 23 be- more time, "I don't understand it
cause, "I visited Joe (Cronin) that ... I can't get over it I don't
day and he never said a word to think I ever will . ..,
me about it.
Before he replaceq the telephone
"Then I get a letter six days receiver, Ed had 1>ne request. .
later that says I'm through on J an- "If you write anything about this,
uary 1.
please say that a .111an who has
"At the end of it, he had the dedicated his life to baseball cer
nerve to thank me for my l oyalty- tainly deserves something better
how cold-blooded can a man be?" than this.
Hurley wondered aloud. "And say that this Is right .from
"I asked Cronin about jt and all my heart."
Ex-Ump Hurley
-To Serve 11s As
Rood Secretary
1- :<! - - /9(. 7
By JOE MeGUFF
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
. T h e Athletic.s
have announced .
several . changes
in front - office
personnel. Ed
l.l u r ley, former
Americ an
League umpire.
has been hired
as an adminis
trative assistant,

replacing J a y
Hankins w h o Ed Hurley
left the' A's to join tTle Cleveland
organization as a scout. Hurley will
serV-e as road secretary,
scout and will handle special assign-
ments.
Hurley, who is 58, umpired in the
American League for 19 years. The
t.mericaa League retired him at the.
ofthe 1965 season. Hurley made
a strong protest and at one time
threatened to take legal action. Han-
kint had served the A' s in a va-
riety of capacities. At the t ime he
resigned, he was serving as roa<l
iecretary and sharing the public re-
lations job with .Carl Finley.
Mrs. McClure. to Retire
Mrs. Gertrude .. Mc.Ciure, ticket
manager; w.ill retire on February 1
and will be replaced by Rodney
Parris!t, who was ticket . manager
at the University of Alabama for .
the last four years. Mrs. .McClure
will continue to wor)t for the A's
as an advisor to Parrish.
. Mrs. McClure sajd . she had ad-
vised Owner . Charles Finiey pf her
desire to relinquish at some of
ber duties. She said there is a pos-
sibility she will go Jnto full retire-
ment at the end of the year. Fin-
ley aaid Mrs. McClure _can have a
job with the A' s as long as she
wishea:
1
Mrs. McClure ioined the Kansas
City Blues as ticket manager In 1938
and bas served in that capacity ever
since for Kansas City's minor and
major league t eams.
Hurley Does Turnabout
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ed
Hurley, the retired u m p i"';";'
turned road secretary for the
. Athletics, has changed his phil-
osophy of life to meet the new
challenge. "When you're an
umpire,'' he recalled, "you're
expected to be a rat and I was
one. Now I'm expected to be
a good guy and I' m being orie.
At least I'm trying."
B
II
-.5- '
HURRAH FOR FINLEY
Edi tor of THI!. SPORTING N!!.ws
Hats off _to Kansas City A's
Charley Fmley and THE S
NEws t p
1
PORTING
.
0
m ey for hiring ex-A L
rurle_y and THE
ING NE s or covering th
dismissal of Hurley from d:e
ump staff -due to . "old ,
age at a
mere 55, . . EDWARD J. SMITH
Weathersfreld, COnn . .2 l f'-/9
6
?
'I Was .
All to
Declared Ed
---
By CLIF KEANE
In tbe Boston Globe
BOSTON, MllS!I.
The first time Ed H!.!rley ever
talked to Charlie Finley, it w.as
raining, but Finley said, "Never
mind ... It will. clear up soon," and it
did. The other time, it was bleak
-again, but pretty soon Finley called
Hurley and everything was bright
again. . .
"I know one. thjng,'' Hurley
his Holyoke home, "I will be
forever grateful to Charlie Finley-
He brought me back. from the dearl.
I was just about gooe."
Finley and umpires have always
been quite deadly enemies. But
this -business of h avin g Finley
brighten . tnin.gs again .. for Hurley
-Finley another -side
tion. Hurley all but broke down and
cried wnile he told this Story.
,;r' was umpiring a game 'In Kan-
sas City six year,s ag!J, said Hurley,
wno was bounced unceremoniously
last season by Joe Cronin. "lt was
raining hard. .
- "The phone rang In the umpires'
room. I answered Jt.
' ' 'Who's this?' 1 asked . .
' *
"It's Your Park"
,; 'Charlie. Finley,' c a m the an-
swer. 'I'd like to ask a question. I
want to hold -this game as long: .as
possi ble. I. hear it will clear at 3
o' clock. Will you wait that long?'
. " 'Mr . .. Finley: I said, and he
;. : -. broke in to say:. tall . Charlje,
please.' I said, 'This Is your park.
You may wait as long as you please,
We will certainly wait until 3
o'clock.'" . .
Hurley hung up. He waited until
five minutes before three. It clear-
ed. .Finley was right. The game
was played. . .
A year ago, while l.o5 Angeles was
pl!lying Minnesota, Finley up
With. Hurley. They talked in gen
eralities. Hurley was working. He
liad no reason to get personal about
anything. . .
.....
MandatGry
Then came the Cronin firing be-
cause of age, and Hurley was stump-
ed. He did work for two months
for 'the Twins last J uly and August,
but no more. Nothing he was of-
fered sounded up his all ey. Where
to go?
But not t...O long agO, Hurley heard
that Jay Hankins had gone to .Cleve-
land. Jay was Finley's traveling
secretary, scout and trouble-shooter.
Hurley liked the possibilities.
So he .called Finley. But Charlie
wasn't in. Hurley hoped he would
call-baclt. Ed had left the message

Gore, Court. Guard, Keeps.
Eye on Boston Strangler
CAMBRIDGE, l\'1ass.- T.he uni-
form looked strange, but there
was no mistaking the facial ex-
. pression. Yes, there ori th.e
f ront pages of Boston newspa
pers was the picture of Artie
Gore, former National League
umpire, wearing handcuffs.
Gore was on the r ight 'side of
the handcuffs, . however. Artie
is a court officer in Middlesex
County. Mass., now and he was
pictured s i t t i n g in Superior
Court . guarding a prisoner on
triaL The prisoner, called
Boston Strangler, " was on trial
on assault charges in a sensa-
tional case.
. ., .
CHARLIE FINLEY
that he would like llo hear from
Finley.
Finley did call back and, when
Hurley answered the phone, the first
thing he . said. was: "Yes, Mr. Fin-
ley" and Finley shot right back with
"Call me Charlie.''
Tbe job was outlined. Hurley
was to travel with the team. Pos-
sibly there would be times when,
say, a local kid in a Boston school
was eyed as a prospect. It would
ED HURLEY
be to go out and watch
.the kid play.
There might be other things to do
for Hurley. He was going 1:0 be a
trouble-shooter of sorts. "Do you
want a job like that?" Finley asked.
"I sure do, Mr. .Finley," said
Hurley,' and again he was told: "Call
me Charlie."
"If .YOU want it," said Finley, "the
job is yours.''
Hurley said. he . so happy he
could hardly say thanks to the
man. for haviog given him a job.
" Honest," said Hurley, " this man
has saved my life. I war/ going to
pieces wondering what I could do.
Then, all of a sudden, this job pops
up ri)lht back in big league base-
ball where I belong.
"I don't know how to express my-
.self," he said. . "I can just thank
God it happened.

. McKinley With ludlans
"Charlie also said, 'You aren't
working FOR me, Eddie. You are
working WITH me; understand?' I
hope I do," said Huriey, who- at 58
was cut from the umpiring ranks
along with Joe Paparella and Bill .
McKinley.
is counting his cou-
pons, he has plenty of dough," said
Hurley. "And McKinley is working
' with the cleveland club.
"I'll tell you this," said Hurley.
"This man Charlie will not get 100
cent from me. He' ll get more.
No . man ever had a more faithful
servant than I will be for this man."
Nice goin' ryt:r. Finley--er, Charlie.
... . .

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THIS !viATERIAL IS SUB.mcT
TO UNlT.bD STATI".:S
J __ 7. ; :rv: "::!r.::):
r .. rr .t.
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... .:: .... ..
40 * THE SPORTING. NEWS,
c
..
-
tD
-<
Ouf of l.eff Field by Stun Isaacs .y
LiHie Things Mea!l,
A Lot to Ed Hurley 'b\
. Dimn ' I of the Senators was thrown out of a game by
umpir d Hurley t' other night for yelling to his pitcher, "Make
sure et th over the middle of the plate, or it won't be
. called a . nybody who knows Hurley would know this was
a kind of cleat t wish by O'Connell. Hurley threw him out. .
"I demand respect," Hurley said recently in explailiing the code
by which he. works. "I don't take abuse, but
otherwise I'm reasonable."
Hurley is one of the more interesting urn
pires. Beneath that anonymous blue uniform is a
man of dedication, with a particular quirk that
makes him liable t
0
get himself mixed up in all
sorts of shenanigans.
Hurley likes things neat. He is compulsive
. about it. Not onlv his .clothes and his surround-
ings, but the layotlt of the ballpark fall under his
nit-picking eyes.
. There was the tilne last spring when a few
of the Phillies warmed up oo the outfield' grass staa .....
in the midst of the game. Hurley told Phils' , . .
manager Gene Mauch to get- them out of the way. Mauch .told
Hurley he'd feel awfully' silly t elling grown men to move. during a
spring training game. So Hurley answered, . can't make them
move? 'Veil, all right, then, you get out of here. If you can't manage
.your club, wlw needs you here?" Out went Mauch, stunned.
Hurley once interrupted a game just as 11 pitclter going
to release a ball, because be spOtted a flaw in the bullpen.
He made Bobby' Shantz pick up and put away the jacket be
had placed on tlte ground beside him while warming up ..
The same kind of keen eye by Hurley resulted in what stands'
as one of the monumental umpire botches of all time. fn. 1960,
just before a pitch to Ted Kluszewski, Hurley called tirile from his
third-base p,osition because he noticed a couple of White Sox players
warming. up too close to the foul line. The pitcher threw the b.all .
anyway and Kluszewski hit a game-winning home nm that was
nullified.
The White Sox screamed to no avail. " I'm sorry as all hell,"
Hurley said to manager AI Lopez, "but if he had . popped out on.
that pitch, I also would have called it no pitch.'' The next day,
Lopez recalls, "I met Hurley on street. He . apologized to me
again. He said he was sorry that he had butt in that way, but that
he couldn't help it. It's the only wav he knows how to do his. job."
"I'm dedicated," Hurley says. '' I love this game. It's provided
me with a good enough living to send three kids through college.
Maybe I take it too seriousl y, but it's the. only .way I know how to be."
Off the field, Hurley is a gregarious guy who is one of the
lively participants in the pre-game banter that marks the conversations
between players and umpires as they pass eaclt other on their way
to the dressing room. In action, he is one of the quickest of the
umpires to take offense; h,e is also one of the most willing to ,discuss
a play if he thinks a man has a legitimate_ beef and goes. about it
"withollt abusing my position."
There was a rookie in Baltimore named. Frank Zupo, who
found out about Hurley. As Hurley walked on the field iu Zupo's
path before a game, the rookie jokingly faked a tlnow him.
Out of the game went the fre.sh Icid Zupo, umpire
Hurley.
At Cleveland earlier this year, -the ' indians .were amazed to see
bullpen catcher Enrique l:iquierdo come sheepishly to the dugout
from the bullpen. Though he . wasn't on the Indian roster, Izquierdo
had been thrown out of the game by Hurley for refusing to pick up
some loose baseballs that lay at his feet while he warmed. up
pitcher.
Former Washington manager Cookie Lavagetto says, "He used
to insist on us the lines in the ori-deck circle. :No other
umpire ever bothered, about it. He's a good umpire and he is up on
the rules, but he's too technical."
"I know that I go after things that other umpires wouldn't
bother with/' Hurler says, "but my job .is to enforce the r!lles. If
others want to do it another way, that's not my business."
The 1959 Hudey-Turley incident, is one which showed a
particular side of the umpire. Taking exception to Bob Tudey's
bl.eating on his . calls, sneered at the pitcher, "I'm . not
going to throw you out; I'm going to let them knock you out."
The next day, Hurley walked out to the outfield during batting
practice to apologize to Turley. . . . .
Luis Arroyo once didn' t heed Hurley'i call to come in from Ehe
bullpen, throwing four extra. pitcnes before coming out of the bullpen.
\ Vhen he took his warm-up. pitches on the mound, Hurley allowed
him only four, than the customary eight. "Tite time you
think you can put one over on me, you got another think coming,"
. .
Handicappers of Ed Hurley form were surprised early this year.
Jim Coates t ook exception to Hurley's calls by raising his fingers to
his throat, a gesture t o indicate that he thought Hurley had Choked.
Normally, this infuriates an umpire; But not this ttme.
''He gets knocked for doubles and a homer," Hurley said with
a laugh, "and then he blames me for bad calls. I liked that."
... .. Newsday
A
... .... 0
Maybe Dressen a:atd Du;-ley
l:;an Toss Kisses
CJ - 1-/9,$
DETROIT, Mich. - Charlie r-.'"!'---'--....,....,
Dressen wlll be 65 years old
on September 20 and Umpire
Ed. Hurley celebrates bls fifty-
third birthday on the same day.
Someone at Tiger Stadium
got the Idea that It would be
wonderful if they could cele-
brate together.
Dressen and Hurley have
been on friendly t erll\B this
summer, forgetting the 1959
DrNaM World's Series incident in
which Hurley ejected Dressen from the game
Dodger third base coach.
A check was made to see If Hurley was to umpire' In Detroit on
I
September 20.
. "Cal advises that there Is no chance of Ed Hurley be-
mg In DetrOit on September 20," reported Joe McKenney American
. League public relat ions chief. "Maybe be and Dressen' can throw
kisses to one another from afar." WATSON SPOELSTRA.
......... .... .
*
THE SPORTING NEWS, SEPTEMBER 7, 1963
n!I-------B
Yogi Cinch to Be Thumbed
1
by Hurley, Swami
*
15
NEW YORK, N. Y.-Before the '.SENOR, UMP STAGE LOUDliASSLE
.Swami &ends the turban out to M. Al'lAGER AI .!..orei of the White
the cleaners, the. ball of. Sox and Hitrlo;y, veteran
fers a bonus predtchon. LelliUe uinpitc, staged
The first time Yogi Berra Is a boisterous rhubarb which cont inued
h eave d out of a ball game i for two full innines, covering about
chances are eJCcellent the j 18 minutes, during. the. Chicagoans'
. making the heave-ho will b l(amc w lth . the Or Joles at Sarasota,.

Th h . e . C), April 8. The squabble began when
e arge . against e "'- Hu rley, working at second base, up-
reshman man':ger wtll be funda held a. r:lecision. ' by . plate umpiie Jim
.He Will be accused of Odom on an infiel d fly. Lopez, seated
umpmng from the . bench, on a chah adjacent to the White Sox
As a catcher, Yogi was wont d:' g'out, exchar_>ged insults in a l ong-
to lend a hand on calling balls 1 dtslance shouting contest which could
and strikes, . whether the . be -9_b eard b.x,
b h
. d th umpire . n - Lr- -- / .. T
m e plate wanted the ""' - - - '
SIS lance or not.
The urge to continue this cus.
tom from the d11gout will be so
&trong Yogi will do his umpiring
shortly after . the season starts,
And most likely on a day when
Hurley, an who dearly
to do his own is
cal!mg them behind tne plate,


'Civilian Thumbed by Ump;
Turna Out.to Be' Joe Brown
FORT MYERS, FJa.-Darkneu
halted a gllme. here between the . .
Pirates and the Athletics, March
18, at 4:50 p.m., with the . score
tied, 4 to 4, after U innings. Bitt I
this was just part of a weird I
afternoon. I
American League Umpire Ed .'.
working at f.! r s t ba'Se;'
cnaseo Pitcher Bob Veale off the I
Pirate bullpen bench for "re-
rnl}rks." However, when Hurley
learned Veale was .due to. pitch
later in the game, be relented and
allow(:d him to r eturn for his .
warniups.
Pirate General Manager Joe
Brown also got the thumb from
Hurley when he strolled to the
bull-pen bench in the fifth inning,
attired in a shirt and Bermuda
shorts.
Hurley didn't know who Brown
was when he asked blm to leave
and they exchanged some harsh
comments. Later, when Hurley
was notified Brown was the
rates' boss, be said he was sorry
about the incident , but t hat
Brown had no busi ness on the
bull-pen bench in "civilian" at-
tire.
Some of !be Pirates, who con-
gregated in the empty right field
stands in uniforms, were ordered
out of the seats by Second Base
Umpire Frank Walsh of the Na-
tional League.
Strangely, with Danny Mur-
taugh in the Pirates' dugout and
Jimmie Dykes in the Athlet ics'
dugout, everything was calm
there. LES BIEDERMAN. .
-
PICKS UP l7c
Ed Hurley received an un-
expec&!d d(v,derid for hi work
at tbitd in the Tigers' 2-0
wln .over the Senator., July 20 .
Throurbout the game, Detroit fans
tossed coln3 in Hyrley'l direction. He
stuffed em ln hJs pocket and after
the eam discovered he was 17 cent
richer. j'- 7_._/9?.$"
aries
dians in the World Series. But it
wasn't really a happy club, as
things later developed.
Southworth had received an emo-
tional shock in 1945 after his son,
Lt. CoL Billy Southworth, was
killed when his B-29 crashed in
Flushing Bay, N .Y., while trying
to make an emergency landing.
Southworth started finding solace
in the bQttle.
By 1949, there was much unhap-
piness among the Braves' players
and Southworth, citing illness, left
the club on a leave of absence
August 16 and returned to his Sun-
bury home.
Club Flnlsbed FOIUth
The Braves finished foUrth and
came in for a small World Series
share. They promptly voted South-
worth only a half-share, incurring
the wrath of Commissioner Happy
Chandler.
Chandler stepped In and ordered
a full spare for the pilot.
"Those divisions voted by the
players are sent to the commis-
sioner's office so that he can see
if justice is done," Chandler said..
"And that's what 'I did. I gave
Southworth a full share."
The Braves had cut their melon
into 37 shares of $331 each.
Southworth was not indignant, at
least on the surface, bY. the snub.
"I suppose some of the boys
felt that inasmuch as 1 hadn' t
been with the team all season,"
he stated, "that I wasn't entitled
to a full share. But I'm not angry
with them. lf that's the way -they
wanted it, well, that's the way it
sbould have been."
There was little doubt that
1949 team had no liking for South-
worth, whose methods were some-
times described as autocratic.
Ed Rumill, sports editor of the
Christian Science Monitor, which
is published in Boston, said in Au-
gust, 1949:
"An off-the-record. poll among
the Braves revealed the startling
fact that nowhere could I find a
1i1an whu huped t!Jat Billy South-
worth would return as manager
of the club in 1950. The poll was
unanimously against it! "
Replaced by Holmes
But Southworth did return in
1950 and stayed until June, 1951,
when he was replaced by Tommy
Holmes.
What may have been upsetting
to some-or all-<1f the Braves was
Southworth's regimen at training
camp. He demanded top physical
condition, working his men hard-
er and longer than most other
pilots. He was a meticulous teach-
er, too, and all of this apparently
carried over the regular
season.
After giving up the pilot. reins,
he remained with the Braves' or-
ganization as a scout through 1956.
Southworth, w h o was THE
S?vRTlNG N&ws' Manager of the
Year in 1941 and 1942, touched
many bases in his tours as a play
er or rnabr.
1-teams
he played for were 'PQl:lmouth
Toledo, Birmingham, Rochester:
Columbus and Asheville. He man-
aged Rochester, Columbus, Ashe-
ville and Memphis.
t'"'EdWu. Hurley, often
mpira lhtring is 19
years in the American ague,
died November 12 in B after
a long illness.
Hurley, who was 61 and a resi-
dent of Holyoke, Mass., w re-
tired by the A. L. in a stor y in-
cident after the 1965 as .
On December 29, 19 , Hurley
and two other vetera . L. umps,
S, NOVEMBER. 29, 1969 *
Billy _Southworth
Bill McKlnley and Joe Paparella,
received n from League Pres-
ident Joe Cronin t they were
being retired effecti January 1,
1966. For Hurley and cKinley,
the retirement notice c m e as
something of a shock. P arella,
however, had planned to r re.
What caused the resultant torm
-in Hurley's case-was the rule
governing retirement.
Lowered Retirement Age
The A. L. had lowered its re re-
ment age for umps from 60 to ,
but left it on a voluntary b s
until age 60, when retirement
came mandatory. A. L. drrecto ,
however, made 55 the mandato
limit at a meeting in Decembe ,
1965, and so Hurley and the o
ers were dropped.
. Hurley was outraged, blastin
and threatening to take th
matter to court. He even appeale
to William Eckert, then commi
sioner,. but the retirement stood.
"Even a dog gets more cons! -
eration than we did," said Hu -
ley, . who claimed at the time
was 55. Records, however, sh
he was 57. _
. "Even when an limpire is fire , " .
said Hurley, "he gets ten ys'
notice. We got two. I'll tell ou
this. Nobody--certainly not ron
in-can take a bow for thefway
this thing was handled. way
they did it, I just can't belieye it."
Hurley's retirement pay .was in
the neighborhood .. of $5,000./ As one
of the vetc:rans, his umpifing sal-
ary was about $16,000. '
He was 'as capable
and f i r m ump, but one w h o
wouldn't take ll)Uch from play-
"All I ever did w
he recalled not l g ago, " was
try to do a capa le job. I tried
to conduct myse so I deserved
the respect of children. How
could I ask th ir respect, then
let some manag r or player make
a jackass out f me?"
Although Hu ey probably had
more than his hare of controver-
and thrilli experiences, the
thmg that st out in his mind
was a bizarre i cident that occur-
red in 1951.
Hu'rley was hind the plate
when Bill Veeck, then owner of
the Browns, sent midget Eddie
Gaede! to the plate as a batter.
Hurley at first balked-and so did
the Browns' cpponent, the Tigers--
but when St. Louis Manager .Zach
Taylor produced a bona-fide con-
tract, Hurley allowed Gaede! to
bat. The midget drew a walk.
Before entering the American
League in 1947, Hudey, ho had
played only semi-p bal was an
arbiter in the Can dian
League, Eastern Le e nd Amer-
ican Association. As A. L. ump,
he worked in four or!d Series
and three All-Star games.
After his forced retirement, he
was a scout for the Twins in 1966.
and trav::.z::tary of the Ath-
letics in 1967.
Johnny oc , gave
more than 2,000 autographed base-
balls free to handicapped children
over a 22-year period, died recent-
ly in St. Petersburg, Fla.
. 79, a retired govern-
ment employe and a native of
Framingham, Mass., was known to
hundreds of players; Each spring
he would camp outside the visitors'
clubhouse at AI Lang Field in St.
Petersburg and have the players
autograph baseballs.
The noble hobby started quite by
accident. O'Connor and Edd Roush,
the Hall of Farner, were stand-
ing outside Lang Field chatting
when a ball flew over the waiL
"There was a little girl in a
wheelchair," O'Connor recalled,
"and Roush grabbed the ball and
offered it to the youngster. He
. also asked if she would like to
have it autographed and when she
said yes, Roush went into the park
to get the signatures.. But when
he came back, she was gone. He
gave the ball to me and told me
to see if I could find the little girl
and give it to ber. I did and I've
been giving kids baseballs ever
since.'
Never-Eading Supply
O'Connor's source of baseballs
was amazing. Some he purchased,
some he begged and others were
given to him. Often he would buy
a ball for $1 or $2 from a young-
ster who had retrieved it following
a homer or a foul that went out
of the park.
His only source of money was a
small pension. He never sold a
ball nor would he entertain the
thought of selling one.
"It would be wrong if I s o I d
one," .he said. "They are for the
kids alone."
He had a special affection for
young polio victims in the days
when the disease was prevalent.
But he also sent baseballs to other
handicapped youngsters, e v e n
those who were blind.
All he would ask is that the
child receiving .the. ball send a
note of acknowledgement to him
or one of the players who had
signed the ball.
At his stand outside the club-
house, O'Connor would keep his
baseballs In special holes in an
old wooden soda box. Each player
would sign as he entered or left
the clubhouse and the hall would
be put in its slot. No one ever
refused and frequently a player
would give O'Connor the name
of a youngster to whom a ball
could be sent.
O' Connor, an infantry veteran
of World War I, kept the names
and addresses of youngsters in a
dog-eared notebook.
He w a s particularly pleased
when he would receive a reply
from a cripp!ed boy who express-
ed a desire to become a baseball
player when "I don't have to wear
braces any more."
"That's all the thanks I ever
need," said O'Connor.
Mrs. F r a D c e s Schriever, for
many years the personal secre-
tary of the late J. G. Taylor Spink,
publisher of THE. SPORTING NEWS,
died in a rest home in suburban St.
Louis November 14.
Mrs. Schriever was described as
having "the patience of a saint''
in working with ber dynamic boss.
She was calm and pleasant-voiced
In contrast to Spink' s gruff and ex-
plosive nature. She matched him
in IOJ!g hours on the job, took care
of his correspondence and main-
tained his personal files.
Spink was a champion in placing
long-distance telephone calls. Mrs.
Schriever handled the calls and
her voice was known to baseball
officials and sportswriters all over
the country. Many of them be-
came her friend and knew her by
her first name.
It is doubtful if any secretary
equaled Mrs. Schriever in her
ability to track down people she .,
. .
young . umpire wanted he _went :o Eddie
Hurley.nf be wanted to learn. the JOb the wa'! tt should
be done, he sought out -the old master for advtce.
that's how it was toward the end of the career of
Edwin H. Hurley of Holyoke, who <lied Wednesday at 61 ..
. The man from ,232. l3eech $t. carried quite. a repu-
tation. as a major . league umpire. He worked -in the
Amei'icim League for 19 years before retirii)g in 1966.- . ..
I .
Baseball men knew him as a tough-minded umpire,
always ready to stand up for his rights, and . the rights
of his colleagues. They knew him as a battler,a, worthy
adversary on any issue. H.e was a man of integrity.
Above all, Hurley the --: and how to
enforce it. He was a good umpire, probably the best of
his time.
'
Toward the end. pf his career, Eddie known
for his willingness to work with the young guys on the
way up. He always had the dgbt advice for them.
So it was that Marty Springstead of Suffern, N. Y.,
called Mrs. Jiurley on Wednesday to express his
patby. He had heard of Eddie's death, and the news
shook him.
Springstead is a member of the American League's
umpiring staff. He came along after Ed's retirement. Yet,
he remembered very well how Hurley had counseled him
when he was a rookie umpire in Florida during spring
training, getting ready to go into the minor leagues.
"I'll forget the help he gave me," Springstead
told Mrs. Hurley.
Hurley had a colorful career, flecked with memor
able mciderits. He was, for example, the man be\lind .the
19, 1951. Huriey behind plate', Gaedelat bat
"'
in 1951 when owner' Bill Veeck of the . St. Louis
sent midget Eddie Gaedtll to the plate as a pinch
hitter.

. . Hurley tried to keep the farce from taking plac.e, but
Gaede! . produced a bonafide American League contract,
and Hurley had to allow him to bat. He walked on four
pitches from Detroit's Bob Cain.

. Eddie alsb was behind the plate for one of the biggest
cro\;}'ds in baseball history. That was on Oct. 4, 1959,
when 92,394 saw the Dodgers beat the White Sox, 5-4, ln
the :third game of the World Series. Hurley worked in .
four World Series.

. , .was day in Kansas City when . Gino
Ctmoh came .to the plate brandishing a. bright green bat.
The .of this brought back of tbe travesty
of Eddie Gaede!. Once more, Hurley faced a bizarre sit-
uation, and once more he reacted with gusto.
"You won't use that l;>at," he told ''it's "ille-
,
_,
A debate ensued, and Hurley won. The green lilat
went ba,ck into the rack. The A's protested Hurley's rul-
ing, fQUP.<}.he was right. The American League office
backed him up ort that one.
Fearless Was H<!- .
There were, of course, incidents when Hurley did not
get backing from his superiors. such cases, he would
let them know a.bout it. . He respected his bosses _:_ um-
pire-in-chief Cal. Hubbard and AL president Joe Croriin-
but feared them not. l-Ie. could tell them off as easily as
he could read out a ballpl,ayer.
TI1at was the Hurley trademark, fearlessness under
fire. . . .
. ; . -.
rated Jqe DiMaggio as the: greatest ballphwer
he watched, a11d Ted -Williams as the hest hitter. He had
great respect for Williams' attitude at the plate.
. ' .
,, - 1 ' ' ' , .
He would never back at an umpire, no matter
what yot.J would say. ; ''You could call a
strike in the dirt, and Williams wouldn't turn aroU?d."
h.ad much to dO" with getting more money for
all umptres. m the league. He led the fight for a decent
wage. He ahyays went:first class. .
Hurley is gone, but the 'of his color
ful urripi.dngcareer will linger. He was quite a man .. .
you that.
---- ----'----- -
THE SPRINGF!ELp. UNION,. SPRINGFIELD, . MASS., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1969
tlurley:
new
By Ed RumUI
Chief spOTts columnist of
T he Chr istian Science Monitor
have"started something . .
Atr--Amer1can League umpire for 8 years
prior to his r etirement at the end of the 1965
s eason, Hurley is moving into a new career
as an executive with the Kansas City Ath
letics.
"1 know what I'll be doing,
though Mr. Finley [A's owner] already has
. given me several titles," sa.id Hurley. "But
I'm real excited about it. I was too young to
sit around and do nothing, and i just
couldn't get in anything outside
of baseball."
Suddenly forced into retirement in "11is
miq50s. by a new league rule, Hurley is
happier than an orphan with a new toy.
He smiled broadly when it was suggested
that he .may be ope!llng a new field for re
tired umpires..
"Well," he continued, thoughtfully, "" I
don't J.<now why we [retired umpires]
shouldn't have something to contr ibute_ to
some other phase of the-gaiile. We've been.
clos e to the .game at . the players' level and
we make a lot of fl' iends while moving fr om
town to town. 1 like to th1nk that my expe
rience can be an asset to .the Kansas City
club.
"I know this much. -I'm .going to give this
new job, wh'atever_it may include, everything
I've got, l have great appreciation
for the opportunity-that Mr. Finley has given
me. The inactivity had me walking around
in circles. I- needed a new interest."
Dobson: golf pro
Joe Dobson was a rugged, _ curly haired
fai:m boy out of Oklahoma when he joined
the Cleveland Indians' pitching staff in
the spring of 1939. ,
He had exceptional natural talent . He
could throw ha.rd and his curve ball ex
ploded. Few hurler s of his or any era could
throw as effective a breaking ball.
But Joe had something else, He had a
tremendous feeling for baseball and for vic
t ory. No ever put more effort into


Hurley Does Turnabout
KANSAS -CITY, Mo. - Ed
Hurley, the retired u m prF'e
turned road secretary for the
Athletics, has changed his phil
osophy of life to meet the new
challenge. "When you're an
umpire," he recalled, "you're
expected to be a rat and I was
one. Now I'm expected to be
a good guy and I'm being one.
At least I'm trying."
;; .
J- t, /9hJ
field for
Hot- league:
f
the game. J oe knew only one way to play.
But ever since his release by the Chicago
White Sox in tlie early '50s (he also had a
10-year stretch with the Boston Red Sox)
Dobson has been aw.ay from baseball. He
has done anumber of things, He ran a store
and cabins in New Hampshire for a
and now he is .the pro and manager of the
Kearsarge Valley Country Club in North
Sutton, N.H.
"It's an old -course which is being rebuilt
and rejuvenated, " Dobson explained during
a recent visit to Fenway Park. "When
business picks up, I'll hire a more ex
per.ien.ced pro. _But r ight I'm it."
J oe wtll do well at this new venture, ()f
. course; becavse he is giving it all of. his time
and energy, But an old pounder of the big
league beat has to wonder. why baseball
doesn't have room for such a dedicated
mim. His experience and determination
Jl\USt be worth s orpethlng to a ball club, and
especially a club that is putting an ;iCCent
!In il'outh. . . -
_A great . baseball area '
The Red Sox have gotter.. out of the habit
of drawing a million. customels to their
American 'League at Fenway Park
in recent years. But there ample evidence
that Boston" and New England are still a
hotbed of baseball.
' The American League a few weeks back
introduced a 27-minute promotional color
motion picture entitled "The Name of the
Game is Fun," . a lively film that features
some of _the sport's most-popular
The demand for showings by schools, clubs,
. and other .groups has been overwhelming.
Now "The World Series of 1966" is .also
.available as a color film. As usual, this
soJJnd. picture is all about the last October
classic, with closeup and slow-motion bits
to emphasize the mor e cr.uCiai phiys. It, too,
is already in great demand.
But perha.ps the most concrete sign of
diamond interest in the northeast corner of
the nation is found in the annual baseball
writers' dilmer. The demand :for tickets has
never been greater.
Back in November, when the Boston
scribes first started lining up their Jan. 26
head table for the main ballroom of the
Sheraton,Plaia Hotel, progress was_ dis-
coura-gingly slow. There was even brief talk
of canceling the dinner. But things have
been moving fast of li;lte and now every fa11
in this. area wants to go.
a million gate at Fenw.ay
be a cmch lf the Red Sox would give their
public just -a little more to Cheer.about.
Ex-Ump Hurley Wears Two Hats With A's
.. Ed Hurley, who spent a lifetime umpiring in the A. L., now is doing
a double-duty job for the A's-publicity and traveling secretary. "I
never knew baseball could be so much fun," needles Ed, whenever he
m_eets one of his former umpiring buddies. Hurley loves to spin yarns
With older players. He bumped into Yogi Berra the other day and
related the time he kicked Yogi out of a game in St. Louis (St. Louis
in the A. L). That gives you some idea of when this happened .
Yogi, it whirled around to protest a call, and bumped Hurley.
"I had to flag him for that," says Ed, "and when I did, Yogi kept
repeating, 'I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it.'
"Finally I had to tell him to get out, and he said, 'Okay but I'll be
waiting for you at the steps after the game, and you gotta to me.' "
. enough, after the game, there 5tood Yogi, waiting for- Hurley.
Agam he started, "You gotta believe me. I didn't mean it.''
, Yogi," said Hurley. "not now. It's been a hot game, and
I m ttred. I wan: ro go take a shower. Forget it.''
"Okay," said Berra, "but I'll be right here when you come out."
Thirty minutes later, in the deserted park, there stood Berra when
Hurley came out with the others.
"All I want tell you, " said Yogi,' "is that I didn't mean to bump
you. 1 want you to say you believe me.''
. "I believe said Hurley.
''We're friends?" said Berra.
"We're friends," said Hurley.
. "He's such a great guy," says Hurley now, "I explained everything
10 my report, and Yogi got fined only $50, with no suspension."
f/$ --/9(, 7
TI-IIS J.\..fATERIAL IS SUBJEC1'
TO STfo.:rEs
cc:?:-:-: ::i:T: FU.
r n1 ... ;:-;,-
( __ L ... .. .. -:.:.:
Holyoke Mourning
Real Big Leaguer
By JIM REGAN
. HOLYOKE-Hundreds this
city paid tribute to the 1 Ed. Hurley, ired
'- American League umpire. Thu at-
"'- tended his wake here at the John. B. Shea funeral
horne.
. In honoring their native son, HolyO'kers were
joilHid by many from outside the community, al-
though _most of Mr . . Hurley's baseball associates
will not be present until tonight or until tomor-
row morning's fun'eral services.
, l "He was a big Ieag11er before he reached the
majors," commented one long time friend and simi-
lar sentiments were offered by many others in
memocy of one who never turned hjs on his
home town neighbors. .
It was a mixed group of the community-
many old-timers who remembered -Mr. Hurley from
his Churchill days as a player; his contemporaries.
>-.._ from the Knights of Columbus and the Elks, both
'-.) organizations in whiCh he was active;_ community
leaders, including Mayor William Taupier; and
younger people who knew and respected Mr. Hufl-
ley, his wife, and their thr.ee children-son, -Ed,
\. ----J and daughters, Mary Ellen (Mrs. Frank Doyle)
:.- and Anne . .
C-: . Four nurses, who had grown to admire Mr .
-, Hurley. his indomitable spirit in tlie four-
month hospitalization in Boston, jour neyed here
to pay their respects. A patient at the Holyoke
. Municipal Home took. a bus into the city to visit
the funeral home to. see his old friend.
, Among those attending were two brothers,
q now young men with families, who were remem-
{'J lJered by the Hurley family as just youngters not
.. too long ago who 1;1sed to report to t he Beech St.
snowstorm. The brothers recalled
"" rt wasn t Just that Mr. Hurley was generous with
their pay,. but also t hey were often with
a maJor league baseball as a souvemr f or shovel-
jng the snow.
Mr. Hur ley was one who could not say "no"
to a request to help the young people of the com-
- 1 rimnity. He wa_s active in a fund-raising drive for
the Holyoke High School band when the football
team went to the Peanut Bowl nearly 20 years
ago; he was a big backer when the l ate Ron Ben-
nett founded the Holyoke Youth Baseball League;
and he was always speaking to groups about base-
ball.
TI-IIS Mlu"ERIAL IS SUBJECT
TO TlE STft:rES
.. :3:tl I-.
::rr f.(;tJ
c:: ..
For it was in baseball that Mr. Hurley
achieved his gr.eatest recognition as he, umpired
in the American League for 19 years until his en-
forced retirement after the 1965 season when the
league rules were changed regarding mandator y
retirement.
His r ise to the majors was meteoric as he
umpired only from 1941 through 1946 in. organized
ball before winning promotion from the American
Association. J>revioosly, Mr. Hurley was one of
the ti;>p baseball umps and basketball officials in
the area on an. amateur and semipro level. .
The Holyoke native was known in the Ameri-
:can as .a. !'ltrict disciplinarian who would
tolerate no nonsense "from. . coaches and
managers. But, was always respected for his
fair treatment, particularly by the players, many
of whom considered hiril. a real friend.
. _Mr. Hurley was r ecognized as one of the top
umpires in knowing and enforcing the r ules. .
: . He had an early test in his first when
he stood up to veteran S1ii1Jmers and
Charlie Berry in ;t decision he rhade; cailirig out a
runne:r for the. rare. violation of running t he bases
hi reverse or der. He was later upheld in his deci-
sion by the late Tom Connolly, head of the AL
arbiters .
. On ariother occasion he was amazed after
calling time from his third base position to see the
pitcher deliver the ball and Ted Khiszewski, then
of the Whit e Sox, hit a home run. Mr. Hurley was
forced to nullify the homer, a difficult decision, but
third base coach Tony Cuccinello admitted he had
heard the time out call.
Mr. Hurley worked in four different World
Series and three Ali-Star games. He proved his
mettle in his final series, 1965, when he called out
a batter for interfering with Dodger catcher J ohn
Roseboro as he t ried t o throw out . the stealing
Zoilo. Versalles of t he Twins. He won commenda-
.. tion f or t his tough call in the clutch against a club
from his own league.
But, that was t he way "Big Ed" was-willing .
to back his convictions all the way, regardless of
t he consequences. .
;His friends from Holyoke, Western Mass. and
the baseball world know of his loyalty. That's
why will be on hand t omorrow for the f u-
neral ser vices at the Sacred Heart Church and the-
St. JE!rome Cemeter y.
___ ........::. __
'
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.-if; !it. ' "' ,. . J:W . - .. ... ' . . . . ... .. ' , ... . _ ,........,. ...
):'
- - - - f ArwDys
' . . ' . )
ur/ey
By REGIS
Let'J race 11 . t'mpiring is a lousy job. It's only pro-
fesalon in the 'll'Orld where 1f you do your job 11'11 well aU
)'OIJ l'tt for 1t is abuse.
Take l 'mpire Ed Hurley 11ho is herl' working the Indian-
series 1s a tar,l!ct for Cans and players
alike. Enry mo\e he you' ll hear this chorus !rom
"Uie- dugout:
he gO<'s again, the same old nosey Hurley.:
.'1..
I:.:
..
<
. .; .1

.
;
:_ .,'
lob Augutt , , Sports ldlto;
SATURDAY. APR 13, 1?0 PAGE :0
THIS
To {Th.T!'h;.ID I
. .... A ,.,._:. .11 .M.._Y..,. L) I"\. '

... , ,.,_..,. T n \JT -:-v;,y("'.'lf' A ..... IO-a, ''
., l-VL -.1' l"'l
OF THAT LAW IS PROHIBITED
Time Let'a hear Hurley'i-}ide or it.- -
Jl 11.ot plnJaat joiJ but I wUJ aeffr handle
tile .uslrament lllphuardly. I doat mab the rvlu but
It's my job &o uldrte tbem.
why does i.t always h4ye to be me 14ho sees the
batttr in the batter's circle. or the pitcher's pants le&
floppmg o\ er top or hia shoes. l w1ll always caU in-
ot the rules. That 's my job.
" "I called Joe Cronin tpresident ot the American Leagucl
to describe what happened in the opener here
t he wrong mJn being in the There are umpires '4'ho
11:ou!dn't bother to do that but when you hae new rults
I think it's important to d1scuss the effect they are having.
"Maa.v of the playet1 respect 'nle umpires but a few
don't . are in a different ratt'gory. They have a
n j!ht to lx-ef because they know tlwy hal'e to produce or
But they start throwmg their Ca(IJ 01'
abus1ve langua,e they' l'e too far.
' "'t*
only In the world suab !an-
is ptl'milltod. If It hpPfntd out on lbe drN.I a
pt> rso11 ll'oitld de Unci lifliiself."" - . .. - - - -
Hurley the target tor when Kluszew.
ski. tilen .. the <..'hicago While So,;_ hit that famnui
home run \\1th t"o men on against Baltimore. llurlr,
ruled tlwlt time was called before h1t it betause a ball
had rolled out on the
r saw the ball roll out and I called tlme ... llurley san .
"f out of my position and was stJttdJtlg in front
of the Baltimore third baseman. Robinson. AI Lo.
pN Clune chargmg out of the c!.u!lout but Tt) n_,.
th1rd cokh. turned to h1m Jnd sa1d. '.\L he did
call time:
"l4told reportet1 1fter the game I fell !Ike craw,ling
into a hole and eome ot _them misinterpreted. that r.emar1r.
They thought I wu S;tfing I wu wrong to call it . What 1
meant w;u I felt badly llbout Kluszewslti hitting the ball
into the stands because it wasn't going to count once I
had called 'time'," .. .Jtl
Hurley uys he expects abuse from the Cans blcause in
tht department you can't win.
M\'ou kno,: llle Uae from the son' aboua; the bome
tum. 11 they doa'C wtn It's a shame.' Well, tlial't the way
It roee. If DoD Moul had pltt'bed I (lme ll(ainst
tbe Indians ID the OPfner the fu& would bave thou:;bt
it 1n.1 a IOUIY came lnstead of the lhpJI of a lifetime. "
is leldom writk>n up for some of the good-
hrartfd thmgs he does on the field because notody hears
of thrm.
nut in Hurley was umpiring
at first base when J1mmy Piersall out what he thought
was a tut. The ofr!clal scorer catled it an error Pi!.'f'
sa!l w('nt mto a tantrum t or which J immy Dykes fi ned hlm
$SO:
llurley said. okay, Jm1my. you're out of game.''
But Piersall. who deep in Dykes' doghouse !h'
l ime. pleaded with llurley not t o throw h1m ' lut .1nd
pronust"d to keep his moll lh 5hut t he rt-mamder of the
me.
"Oka:v. In the umr,'' Hurle.v \ aid. and Pirnall
mumbled, Thanlu, Ed.''
. -:\n matter IO.' hat gu,> s .lay P.ll' . r t:: , :Jk
me. Hurley sa1d.
ED HURLEY has f ound r,,.,...;eil r
SIOriT'