| From Behind the Plate |
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| Written by Troy Chuinard | |
| Friday, 04 January 2008 | |
Too often do major league coaches, players, and even fans take for granted how hard it is to officiate a ball game. Certain managers, such as Lou Piniella and Bobby Cox, have shown no mercy when it comes to giving the umpires any margin for error. Several aspects of the game require undivided attention, which can make it difficult at times to make all of the correct calls.
Among the umpires that have been involved in the game for quite some time, Bruce Froemming is probably one who will always be remembered. Froemming currently holds the honor as the longest-tenured umpire in baseball history. He began his professional career in 1971, umpiring National League match ups. This passed year (2007), he retired after 37 long seasons behind the plate. Froemming has reached several milestones, most of which have been accomplished recently. On August 16, 2006, he umpired his 5,000th game, which was between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. The only other umpire ever to reach this feat was Bill Klem. In addition, Froemming became the oldest umpire in major league history on April 20th, 2007, when he turned 67-years-old. His accomplishments have earned him a spot on the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot. Since he retired after turning 65, he does not have to wait the standard 5 years to become eligible. Bruce Froemming has had quite an interesting career considering he was not only involved in baseball umpiring but basketball refereeing as well. Several NBA officials recommended him for a job, but he declined all offers to stick with Major League Baseball instead. He has served in five World Series and several League Championship Series as well. What’s even more fascinating is the fact that he has officiated in a record 9 Division Series. In summary, he has served in a total of 22 World Series games, 52 NLCS games, and 37 Division Series games, totaling 111 postseason games altogether. The overall feeling towards Froemming is that he does not hold anything back. Several baseball critics have questioned his aggressive, hard-mouthed approach. He has gone on the record to state that one thing in his career that he does regret is making racist remarks towards a particular umpire administrator. Not surprisingly, he has been handed numerous suspensions on several occasions, including a 10-day penalty for the incident mentioned above. Prior to one of his games, Froemming walked into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ clubhouse demanding an autograph from Mike Piazza. He reminded Piazza of an instance when Johnny Bench refused to give him an autograph and proceeded to go 0-4 with three strikeouts on that same day.
In total, Froemming has umpired for 11 no-hitters, which occurred between the years 1972 and 2001. Evidently, he has experienced much throughout his remarkable career, and despite the tension that arises when he gets behind the plate, many have respected his inspiration for the game. One of his most famous quotes occurred when he was questioned about his eyesight. Froemming responded by saying, "The sun is 93 million miles away, and I can see that." There is no question that Froemming deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame when the 2010 elections arrive.
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