Plate Ump Interviewed Before Playoff Game

[GT25Ump]

Really found this interesting.  I like to bounce around Youtube for retro baseball broadcasts and began to watch game 1 of the 1981 ALCS, between the Yankees and Athletics.  At about the 3:50 mark, Bryant Gumble interviewed plate umpire Nick Bremigan (a rules genius, by the way) right on the field, minutes before the game was to begin.  They were discussing the possibility of balls being doctored by A's pitchers.  Talk about something that wouldn't happen these days.

 

And if you want further entertainment, check out the segment right before the Bremigan interview, where they promote "Billy Ball".  

 

 

   

 

[dumbdumb]

Bremigan, Russ Goetz, Jerry Neudecker (last to use the balloon), Marty Springstead, Durwood Merrill, Vic Voltaggio. And Bremigan was in on the George Brett pine tar incident and was IMHO probably (if you say he was a rules guru) providing the rule for that situation to the crew although Brinkman was crew chief. Look at that chest protector used in the day and all the guys now, who worry if they do not have knights armor on. Goose Gossage threw over a 100+ sometimes, Righetti in the mid 90's and you just got hit and kept going like the energizer bunny. Yep, and go to 28:33 and watch how the back end of the double play was taken back then. Also notice on the plate at 33:00 with Gamble crowding the plate he comes off the knee and goes to the slot, and the back to the knee 33:43 for Nettles who stands off the plate.

Too bad the other Billy (Bean) has taken those stat guys and proved what Billy thought his statistics were saying about the way to play the game back then, was all wrong.  He should have been just sitting back and waiting for the big inning and let all the big boppers hit the 3 run home run just like the Earl Weaver theory.

[alex7]

I guess jumping does, in fact, sell the double-play call  =)   Wonder if that was normal or excitement on the umpire's part.