Synopsis
The philosopher Jacques Barzun thought that "whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." And whoever wants to know baseball had better learn about umpires. As Larry Gerlach points out in The Men in Blue, these arbiters transform competitive chaos into organized sport. They make it possible to "play ball," but nobody loves them.
Considering the abuse meted out by fans and players, why would any sane person want to be an umpire? Many reasons emerge in conversations with a dozen former major league arbiters. While nobody loves them, they love the game. Gerlach has elicited entertaining stories from these figures under fire--about their lonely travels, their dealings with umpire baiters, battles for unionization, breaking through the color line, and much more. From Beans Reardon, who came up to the National League in 1926, to Ed Sudol, who retired in 1977, here is a witty and telling portrait of baseball from the boisterous Golden Age to the Jet Age of Instant Replay.
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About the Author
Larry R. Gerlach is a professor of history at the University of Utah. A frustrated player, he took to umpiring only to learn that he "couldn’t call the pitch either." Writing about baseball, he says, is a way of "staying in the game." He is also author of the introduction to the Bison Books edition of Harry S. Johnson’s Standing the Gaff: The Life and Hard Times of a Minor League Umpire.
Review
"Despite their importance, umpires are the invisible men of baseball. Players and fans insult them, though never by printable names. Official histories ignore them. . . . Now, through the efforts of Larry Gerlach, the umpires strike back. . . . As The Men in Blue amply testifies, all of them seemed to enjoy every minute of their misery. So will any reader who spends a summer evening with Gerlach’s despised dozen."—Time (Time)
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The Men in Blue
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
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The Men in Blue : Conversations with Major League Umpires
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 1980
ISBN 10: 0670468576
ISBN 13: 9780670468577
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
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Condition: Good. 1st. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 2404433-6
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The Men in Blue : Conversations with Major League Umpires
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 1980
ISBN 10: 0670468576
ISBN 13: 9780670468577
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 2404434-75
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The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires
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Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Poor. Minor corner bumping. Remainder markings on the bottom edge. Much wear, creases and tears to the dust jacket. Otherwise a clean, unmarked copy. Seller Inventory # ABE-1634865948550
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The Men in Blue
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The Men in Blue
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The Men in Blue
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The Men In Blue
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The Men in Blue
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The Men in Blue: Conversations With Umpires
Published by
Viking Press, 1980
ISBN 10: 0670468576
ISBN 13: 9780670468577
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Seller: Old Book Shop of Bordentown (ABAA, ILAB), Bordentown, NJ, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: very good. First edition. First printing. Hardcover. xiii+ 287 pp. Illustrated. Fine in fine dust jacket. Major league umpires from the 1920s through those active in 1980 tell their own stories about their usually thankless jobs--the loneliness (umpires never have "home games"), the umpire baiters among the players, the breaking of the color line, etc. Included are Beans Reardon (a Hall of Famer) , Lee Ballanfant, George Pipgras (former player), Ernie Stewart, Jim Honochick, Shag Crawford, Emmett Ashford (the first black MLB umpire) and several more. Seller Inventory # E22640x