Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball

A gay umpire offers a candid inside view of professional baseball, discussing his career and relating anecdotes about incidents on and off the field

After eight years in the minors, Pallone became a National League umpire during the arbiters' strike in 1979; as a "scab," he had to contend with the ill will of his colleagues, few of whom relented during his 10 years in the majors. But he had an even more pressing problem: a homosexual, he dreaded public exposure. Yet when his lover was killed in an auto crash, he began frequenting gay bars and associating with other gay men, which caused rumors about his sexual orientation to circulate in baseball. A showdown came when his name was tangentially linked to those of acquaintances involved in a scandal concerning teenage boys; at the end of the 1988 season he was asked to resign. Writing with freelancer Steinberg, Pallone seemingly holds nothing back, giving readers the most candid and riveting sports autobiography since Navratilova's Martina.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Pallone's "double life"--a gay working as an umpire in the macho world of professional baseball--led to his release in 1988 by the National League, which claimed he had exhibited "unprofessional behavior." Pallone talks honestly about his controversial career, including his confrontation with Pete Rose during a 1988 Mets game, which cost Rose a 30-day suspension and a $10,000 fine; unfortunately, it cost Pallone his job. Pallone provides interesting comments about calling the pitches of such great pitchers as Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan and theories on different aspects of the game, as well as revealing anecdotes about his gay love life. The book captures Pallone's torment: he wanted to admit his homosexuality publicly, but feared the consequences because of baseball's ingrained homophobia. Recommended for public libraries.
- Ron Chepesiuk, Winthrop Coll., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.