anyone wish Ron Luciano was still around?

[David B]

Originally Posted by bniu

I know he's not exactly the "Professional" image that umpires should be, but ya gotta admit, the guy is absolutely hilarious! I wish he was still around, sad that he committed suicide a while back. One thing I like to see is umpires showing some humor out on the field, whether it's a harmless prank or an exaggerated stunt that lets the crowd see that they're human and not robots and yet can still do our job to the highest professional standards. The game it seems has become far too serious and it's like the joy of the game is being sapped out by this sterile professional image that everyone seems to want. I'm not saying that all umpires should be like Ron Luciano, but more of a healthy balance between having fun and being professional...

He was good for baseball back then. Baseball was suffering from an identity crisis and he helped put some life back into the game.

Was he actually a good umpire - I don't think so, but then baseball is full of "not so good umpires" who have lasted forever.

Today baseball would not put up with his character especially with TV and all. The players would not like it because he would show them up etc.,
But as far as helping to make it entertaining, he did a great job.

Thanks
David