anyone wish Ron Luciano was still around?
 

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...

Ah.....no.

Peace

Well, the question was "anyone wish Ron Luciano was still around?" Since Rutledge is a cynic, he can't answer for all of us. Yes, I wish he was still around on the planet, but not umpiring. I'm not the type to celebrate someone taking their own life. I wouldn't even wish that on Obama. Luciano was a fine author and had funny stories in his books, but his style of umpiring would not set well with the modern-day, totally anal umpiring community of today's world.

He was enjoyable for me to watch growing up, when I didn't know anything about umpiring, and I loved his books. I guess he had seen all he wanted of this messed up world, and decided to suck the exhaust pipe.

He asked a question and I gave an answer. I was not speaking for anyone but me. I personally did not spend my time trying to figure out all the idiosyncrasies of umpires like many people here. And I really do not go around worshiping officials from decades ago that jumped around like jumping beans to make a simple and easy call.

Peace

I still wish he were still around, as in living. I took the question to mean that, not that he could be an umpire at age 72.

I took it as an umpiring issue and the way he umpired, not actually umpiring at the age of 72. Unless you personally knew the man, then you probably would not hear many of his stories now would you? :rolleyes:

Peace

I read all three of his books several times each, so I think I've heard (through the printed word) most of his stories without actually knowing the man.

OK. :confused:

Peace

Not to switch sports on you guys here, but I will mention the names of Mendy Rudolph, Earl Strom, Ritchie Powers, Jake O'Donnell. Although not as flamboyant as Ron was in his sport, each was definitely not as sterile as their sport has turned out to be for their officials. This is the style now for all officiating it seems. Maybe that is because the powers that be all thought a guy like Ron was going way to far overboard and wanted to clamp down. It was not done overnight, but now, it appears that any styles are the exception rather than the rule. So be it. If that is what they want, that is what they will get. As long as you know how they want it, you can adapt.

Well, this thread went to hell in a hurry! :eek:

Probably not a good idea
 

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

\

I watched Joe West in person in Baltimore last week, and I'd take a 72 year old Luciano over him, dead or alive. Joe can't move at all, and can't raise his hands over his shoulders any more. He was U1, and on a towering fly ball near the pole, he never left the dirt, and never made a call. None. And what's he going to do on a trouble ball to the gap? Phone a friend?

MLB is in the entertainment business, like it or not. The way they hire their umpires, and keep them around FAR past their prime is stupid. I'm not saying we need entertainers as arbitors, but they need a higher quality out there the match the players on the field. As it is, these guys stay on the field FAR too long. And having West as their boss won't change things.

Luciano got me into umpiring at age 11. His antics made the game fun to watch, and I emulated those calls when I was a kid. Gunning guys out at first, blowing the smoke off the barrels, and reholstering them was part of the fun. Right or not, I watched games when he umpired.

Sure, the umpire should be there to take the attention away from the players, and to take the job of entertaining the paying customers onto himself. Very professional.

I wish Luciano the author was still around, but not Luciano the umpire.

I love it when I call a whole game that's being watched by people that I've known for years, and they don't even notice that it's me until I'm leaving the field. That is a clear indication that I did my job and left the attention for the players.

Say what you will about Luciano, but he humanized umpires in a way few have been able to do--perhaps in both a positive and negative way, or one or the other. That's up to one's opinion, of course. However, he made the game interesting (to say the least) and brought some laughter to many faces.

You mean passing up qualified white guys just to hire more minorities simply to look good in the eyes of the public? Discrimination is wrong regardless of color. Too bad MLB doesn't realize this.

Didn't the most qualified guy who happened to be white get the job?

That's why I wish he was still with us.

Not necessarily. ;)

Ok, maybe a friend of yours is more qualified, but didn't Chris get the job and if he isn't white, he is the lightest skinned brotha that I have ever seen.

No, no friends involved; and I didn't say that every guy hired was a minority over a white. Believe it or not, MLB was seriously considering bypassing Chris and going to the next guy on the list. Thankfully, they didn't go that route.

So every time someone white gets passed over by someone of color, the person of color was not "qualified?"

Things like this always make me laugh.

Peace

Me, too. And I'm white.

MLB umpires comprise a small fraternity, and when one of the black guys tanks a high-profile call, a legion of white guys come out with some specious affirmative action rap. Not accurate and not cool. It's drastically more true of women newscasters and sportscasters than male umpires. In fact, it's beyond insulting. Has everyone had enough of those laughable, know-nothing bimbos on the new MLB Network? When that Hazel Mae gal does her highlight show, it's downright unwatchable.

Doesn't sexism feel better than racism? :D

Great. But what about having a merely competent and scantly knowledgeable baseball person to bring us the game on what should be a marvelous network? It's an unwatchable joke. It's worse than SportsCenter, something I thought was impossible.

How hard is it to read the news and keep the show going?

Then again I do not watch Fox News either. ;)

Peace

It's apparently much too hard for Hazel Mae. She has no baseball sense whatsoever. Her highlight packages are the second-worst baseball BROADcasts I have ever seen.

I do not watch the MLB Network, so I cannot comment on who anchors or who is really on their shows and how good they are.

Peace

No, the guy they were thinking of was actually 3rd on the list. But I can't wait till the give Angle a full time job, he will get one I just hope he doesn't have to wait 1000 games. He is the best umpire in the system of the guys coming up and he is the most humble guy in the world. I hope for him and his family that he doesn't have to wait 1000.

What about Hoye & Drake? Where do these two stand? And dont say "on their feet" - lol.

Please watch Hazel Mae's highlight package ... just once. That'll be all you need.

Even if I did, I do not get upset over anchors. I do not watch for them. I watch because I want information, not to hear them read off a highlight.

Peace

Oh, they are up there. My money would be on Drake to get the next job, but I wouldn't be surprised if it went to Johnson. Angle still has some time to wait, but he is ready, just getting innings in and making him that much better.
The funny thing is when I was younger I use to believe that the MLB guys were the best in the world, but now I know that like most things in life they are really good and they were in the right place a the right time and it worked out for each of them. There are probably 75-125 guys in the world that are good enough to work full time in MLB, but they just weren't in the right place at the right time.

oh for sure. talk to any MLB/NFL/NBA whatever and if they're honest, they'd agree with you

When statistics and certain comments bear it out, the answer is clear.

I do not see a lot of Black/African American baseball umpires at any level. So you would have to explain what statistics you are talking about. Then again, that would mean showing something other than hyperbole. ;)

Peace

It is not hyperbole when someone's ratings are poor, lower than a person above him, yet he is given a job when the person above him was next in line to receive said job. I doubt anyone would complain if both persons were white or black or Hispanic, etc., but when the higher-rated, higher performing individual is passed up in favor of someone who is a minority, it more than raises a few eyebrows.

Aren't ratings a subjective thing in the first place? If ratings meant everything, why do many umpires have a job at the Major League level know? I do not claim to know or care about these ratings and I sometimes wonder how anyone other than specific parties knows anything about everyone's ratings. And I certainly do not know how one person knows about another person's ratings.

And the claim that if this was a minority is rather silly too. First of all there are not many minorities in baseball period. I have gone seasons and not worked with a single Black or Hispanic umpire at any level. And I certainly do not know many (or any) personally working any pro ball or trying to get into pro ball. For one going to pro school is not something many Black umpires I come in contact with care much about at all. It is hard to find a single Black player play baseball, let alone umpire the sport.

It sounds to me like sour grapes when a person gets passed over for an assignment. And instead of taking responsibility for his actions and what he did not do, it has to be the system or the minorities taking all the spots. Even though the vast majority of umpires in this country are definitely not Black, I bet the overall percentage of Hispanics might be growing, but I doubt they dominate any level like you have tried to suggest.


Peace

I am all for more diversity in the ranks of baseball umpiring, especially since the players themselves represent such a melting pot. Where I draw the line is if someone is given a promotion to solely to make the ranks more diverse.

You must have been in on the promotion process to know why a promotion was made. Very interesting. :rolleyes:

Peace

Qualified people of color have been passed over for years and years, decade after decade. What's the difference? Why is it an issue now all of a sudden?

Hehe, you guys need to get out of IL, and come to where the sun shines. I work with Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, Asians, and Women every year, but not at every level. Currently not working with Women at the DI lvl, but all the colors yes.

Funny thing about this convo is my birth certificate says that I am Black (Dad) and Mexican American/Native American (Mom), but my bio-dad, never meet him is White, my Black dad was at the hospital when I was born and that is good enough for me, never meet or care to meet the other guy. In the school district I worked in the new superintendent said she was gonna brown up the district, because there were too many white teachers working in the intercity school district and they couldn't relate to where the kids came from. The problem was she couldn't find enough qualified candidates that wanted to work in her district and now she is gone.

BTW, to my knowledge noone has every carried what color i was on the ball field.

Better be wearing your HANS device
 

Like I was saying, Luciano..........

Do I wish he was still alive? Yes.

Were his books funny? Absolutely. I have them all and have read them each several times.

Could he get away with that stuff today? No way.

Thought I'd get that in just in case this thread gets locked. ;)

Of course his goofiness wouldn't work now, but I wish umpires were less robotic. I mean, y'all are concerned about a hammer as opposed to a point. Ron was lobbing gernades at guys. Who had more fun out there?

Lord knows I'm not in it for the money, nor fame, nor a stepping stone to "bigger games". I just like umpiring baseball games. And if it's not fun, why bother.

"Baseball is a game............."

Honestly, no I do not need to get out of Illinois, because it is common knowledge that the rate of Black kids playing baseball is dwindling across the country. And that is clear when schools like Florida A&M or Bethune-Cookman (both in Florida of all places) cannot field and entire team of African-American players at Traditionally Black Institutions. I do not think it would really matter; the rate of Black people involved in the game would not be that much greater. This is not basketball or football where this is not an issue.

Peace

What I would really like to see for the next 50 years at each of the 2 umpire schools every year would be to have 25 each of white, black and latino male students, and 25 each of white, black and latino female students. Then, hopefully many of these discussions could be put to rest.

No, some how you strike me as the CNN type.:rolleyes:

What color? I'm a person of color too, otherwise I would be invisible, then I could really make the big bucks!

Anytime someone does not watch Fox News they are a certain type to people of your political persuasion. :D

Peace

Good grief, can you come anywhere near a relevant comment? Wow!

Just to remind you, the reference was to the advancement of unqualified, untalented, out-of-touch sportscasters solely based on their gender appeal, which was playing off of the earlier affirmative action comment. And do you remember my agreeing with you on that?

I am not sure how you can compare a sportscaster to umpiring advancement. One is done for entertainment purposes to get people to watch, the other is to perform a job on a field. And since I do not watch the MLB Network, I cannot comment on what an anchor does or does not do.

It will be OK Kevin. ;)

Peace

Yeah, we have found that it holds absolutely true about people of your political persuasion.

I no longer watch Fox News either, but probably not for the same reason. There has just been no good news on TV for quite some time now.

You're being obtuse as some sort of ... what?

No, I just happen to know from a couple people very close to the situation, that's all.