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In the pageantry of baseball, one select group is virtually unknown in
the outside world, derided by fans, faced with split-second choices that
spell victory or defeat. These men are up-close observers of the
action, privy to inside jokes, blood feuds, benches-clearing brawls, and
managers' expletive-filled tirades. In this wonderful memoir, Hall of
Fame umpire Doug Harvey takes us within baseball as you've never seen
it, with unforgettable inside stories of baseball greats such as Willie
Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Whitey Herzog.
Doug Harvey was a California
farm boy, a high school athlete who nevertheless knew that what he
really wanted was to become an unsung hero--a major league umpire.
Working his way through the minor leagues, earning three hundred dollars
a month, he survived just about everything, even riots in stadiums in
Puerto Rico. And while players and other umps hit the bars at night,
Harvey memorized the rule book. In 1962, he broke into the bigs and was
soon listening to rookie Pete Rose worrying that he would be cut by the
Reds and laying down the law with managers such as Tommy Lasorda and Joe
Torre.
This colorful memoir takes the reader behind the plate for some of baseball's most memorable moments, including:
- Roberto Clemente's three thousandth and final hit
- The "I don't believe what I just saw" heroic three-and-two pinch-hit home run by Kirk Gibson in the '88 World Series
-
The nail-biting excitement of the close-fought '68 World Series, when
Doug called St. Louis Cardinal Lou Brock out at home plate and turned
the trajectory of the series
But beyond the drama, Harvey turned
umpiring into an art. He was a man so respected, whose calls were so
feared and infallible, that the players called him God. And through it
all, he lived by three rules: never take anything from a player, never
back down from a call, and never carry a grudge.
A book for anyone
who loves baseball, "They Called Me God "is a funny and fascinating tale
of on- and off-the-field action, peopled by unforgettable characters
from Bob Gibson to Nolan Ryan, and a treatise on good umpiring
techniques. In a memoir that transcends sport, Doug Harvey tells a
gripping story of responsibility, fairness, and honesty.
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