Q & A : A Conversation With Ex-Umpire Doug Harvey

A question and answer session with just-retired National League umpire Doug Harvey.

Question: You have seen a lot of umpires come and go in your career. Is there a difference in quality now compared with the time you broke in?

Answer: Yes, absolutely. It’s better now. People talk a lot now about umpires having short tempers. I go back to Al Barlick, Jocko Conlin, Shag Crawford. If somebody hollered once, they’d stare into the dugout. If you hollered again, they’d walk over to the dugout and say, “If I need anything outta you, I’ll get it outta you.� He’d tell the manager, “If I hear anything else from these meatheads, I’ll throw ‘em out. And if I don’t know who said it, I’ll throw you out.� Conlin ejected 22 people in his first season. That’s unheard of. People who say umpires are more hotheaded now either weren’t there then or have just forgotten what it was like.

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Q: Are you a baseball fan? Do you like the game?

A: I started playing in high school because it was something to do after basketball season. I played at San Diego State and the coach there, Charlie Smith, taught me there is a true love to be had for the game. It’s a marvelous game. The rules have changed so subtly in all these years, it’s basically the same game as 100 years ago, still 90 feet between bases. You have to learn this game to love it. There’s always something going on, but you have to be able to see it. It’s not a game in a hurry. It’s a game to savor.

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Q: Is there anything you would change?

A: I would speed the game up. Too many batters take one pitch, then step out and fix their gloves and stretch, then get in and dig a hole in the box. Don Drysdale impressed me. There was a kid--and I can’t remember his name--who was doing pretty well his first time through the league. He got in against Drysdale and he’s digging and digging and digging. I’m watching him and pretty soon I hear this loud voice, “Hey, hey, you SOB,� and I look up and Drysdale is halfway to home plate, hollering at this kid. “Yeah, you better dig it deep, ‘cause you’re gonna need a deep hole.� The next pitch is about three inches under this kid’s chin. He gets up and looks at me, like, what are you going to do. I just said, “Son, I think you better get in the box and quit digging.�

Take Barry Bonds today, the way he stands at home plate and watches the ball leave the park, then takes this two-minute trot around the bases. If he was batting against Drysdale, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Bob Purkey and stood to watch a ball leave the park, it would be the last ball he ever saw leave the park. There are too many dumb pitchers today. They get to 0-2, the catcher moves to the outside corner and then they throw the ball right down the middle. Too many good pitches, too many home runs make games too long. If baseball could promise fans a 2 1/2-hour game, they’d be better off.

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Q: What did you think about Fay Vincent?

A: I think it was tragic what they did to him. He--like Bart Giamatti--was a friend to umpires. He truly had the best interest of the game at heart, like Mr. Giamatti did. Mr. Giamatti was the best thing that ever happened to baseball.

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Q: Are there any players you’ll be happy you won’t have to see?

A: Yes, but I won’t mention his name, won’t hammer him unfairly because he’s still playing. Bob Gibson was the toughest pitcher I had to ump for because he wanted six inches on either side of the plate. I wouldn’t give it to him and he didn’t like that. Frank Robinson fit in that category when he played. I had to throw him out of a game once after it was over because he was screaming at me and being vindictive. But I never carried a grudge and never baited them. I stood my ground. I would never let someone belittle me or make me a coward. I held my own against any of them and I’m proud of that.

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Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’d love to stay in baseball, but I won’t beg. I’d love to work with young umpires. I think I could teach them, help them develop. I can spot flaws, help them get over the hump. You’re striving for perfection every game, yet you never achieve it. If baseball wants me, I’m available.

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Q: Many baseball people say you are sure of being elected into the Hall of Fame. How does that strike you?

A: I’m just a small-town kid who did the best job he could. This is all unexpected. I never thought The Sporting News would want to talk to me. I was kicking my brains out for 26 years, and this reputation just came about in the last four or five years. I don’t know how to take this, it’s not within me. The Hall of Fame . . . the realization is just too quick for me. I just umpire. That’s what I’ve done. That’s all I can do. I’m one of the fortunate ones on God’s earth. I found what God meant for me to do. People ask if I like working home plate best. I just want to be between the white lines. That’s where I belong and I wouldn’t have it any other way.