Major League Baseball Umpires

[Penale52]

This took me hours of searching newspapers.com for every possible spelling of Charles Van Sickle's name, but I finally found him in a group photo of umpires for the American Association's 1910 season.

[Penale52]

Found a short obit for James A. Murphy in 1977, mentioning his long career in journalism. Murphy worked as a sports editor at various mid-west locations. I found a nice write-up in the Capital Times on July 13, 1918 confirming the Federal League/minor league umpire and the editor were one in the same. Here he is in a group photo of Illinois AP telegraph editors from the Oct. 17, 1949 edition of The Times.

[Penale52]

Umpire Fred Lincoln, in addition to being a boxing referee, schoolmaster in Worcester, teacher in New Hampshire, and head of the All-American Film Company, apparently also was a polo player in New England. Here he is with three other polo players in the Jan. 12, 1915 edition of the Fall River, Massachusetts Evening Herald.

[Cusick]

Penale52, thank you for all the umpire photos you posted last month. It was particularly a hoot to learn that you had found one (Gary McAvoy) in a yearbook of the high school from which I graduated -- ETHS.

tnfoto, thanks also for your finding a facial view of Dick Feaser. Heretofore, the only image I had seen of him was from the back of his head.

[Penale52]

There are several low-quality images of Jim O'Connor from his short tenure as an American League umpire in 1978-79 available on newspapers.com. This is the only one I can find those shows his face, from the April 9, 1979 edition of the Baltimore Sun. He umpired in the minor leagues in the early-to-mid 1970s, so a better image is likely out there somewhere.

[Penale52]

According to the May 19, 1979 edition of the San Francisco Examiner, Stansell umpired college games in the south. Retrosheet lists his name as “B. Jack Stansell." He only worked 1 National League game, in Atlanta.

I located a death write-up for a B. Jack Stansell from 2019, and then found a full obituary from Dec. 17, 2019 for him (without the "B."), revealing he lived in Georgia and umpired high school and college baseball, and ushered for the Braves.

[Penale52]

The photo I posted years ago of missing ump Fred Herndon is no longer available on here, and I can't recall what it looked like. Here he is in the May 14, 1993 edition of the Winona Daily News from Winona, Minnesota. Exactly one month later, he would work his only MLB game in a Blue Jays-Twins game in Minnesota.

[tnfoto]

The umpire listed simply as "Redheffer" is actually A.A. Redheffer, a spice merchant (and noted swindler) from Camden, NJ. This image was printed in the 25-Jun-1897 Philadelphia Inquirer, while he was a fugitive from justice.

[Penale52]

According to a newsletter from Lynbrook High School in Nassau County, New York, there was a Mike Barston who was a PE teacher, high school and college basketball referee, high school and college baseball umpire who “had the honor of umpiring a Major League baseball game both in Baltimore and at Yankee Stadium during an umpires strike in the early 1990's.” This is partially correct, at least as far as regular season games would be concerned, as Barston’s only MLB game came at Shea Stadium in 1979, but I am assuming this is the same guy.
The post says he died in early January 2017 at an assisted Living home near Rochester, NY.
According to the poster, Barston and another teacher started teaching at the school around 1957, and I was able to locate Barston in the school’s 1961 yearbook in the faculty section.

[Penale52]

Mike Farmer was profiled by the Stevens Point Journal in Wisconsin ahead of the three Brewers home games he worked May 8-10, 1979.

[Penale52]

I believe the Jack Conn who umpired one game at Dodger Stadium in 1979 is the same guy who umpired in the Bernie Milligan Memorial All-Star Baseball Game in L.A. in 1977, according to the Van Nuys, California Valley News.

Another page gives more details on him, stating he is a North Hollywood resident and spent several years as a senior little league manager in North Hollywood. He also worked in sales for U.S. Gypsum.

I found his death notice in the April 3, 1980 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal mentioning his work with U.S. Gypsum and revealing his birth year as circa 1932, middle initial as K, and his hometown as Jeffersonville, Kentucky, along with a brother’s name, Ralph.

Conn is pictured in the 1947 Jeffersonville High School’s yearbook on the baseball team. He also played football, as did his brother Ralph.

[Penale52]

There's a great article in the Minnesota Star on a replacement umpire crew for a series of games in April 1979 in Minnesota, including an image of Bill Ivory, but its not super clear. He is pictured more recently as a recipient of the Minnesota State High School League's Distinguished Service Award for 2020 on the St Paul/Capital City Officials Association's website.

[Penale52]

I thought I’d post the information I have on the remaining missing “modern” umps, all of whom worked from 1978 to 1995, in hopes that any of this might help somebody find an image of them out there somewhere:

Larry Edwards (1 NL game in 1978, in San Diego). According to the Aug. 26, 1978 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Edwards was a “tool shop proprietor,” while the Aug. 27, 1978 Times-Advocate says he is a customer service rep. for Western Airlines and it was Roger Dierking that is a tool shop owner. Can’t find anything else substantial.

Howard Hansen (1 NL game in 1978, 14 in 1979, all in Houston). His last name appears to be spelled “Hanson.” He was profiled along with other umpires (including fellow missing ump Jim Rains) in the June 1979 edition of Texas Monthly, though no image appears of him. The magazine mentions he was a switchman for the Port Terminal Railroad and was born around 1931-1932. I found a legacy.com obit for Howard Hanson of League City, Texas born on Nov. 2, 1931 and died Nov. 9, 2017, though an image is not included. A search of newspapers.com also shows he umpired in the Southwestern Conference in 1975 and the National Junior College World Series in 1984.

Jim Rains (1 NL game in 1978, 12 in 1979, all in Houston): As previously mentioned, he was profiled along with other umpires in the June 1979 edition of Texas Monthly, though no image appears of him. It reveals he was born around 1937 and was a supervisor for USI Chemical.

Bob Beck (5 NL games in Pittsburgh, 1 in Cincinnati in 1979) Here is a photo of Beck umpiring second base on May 1, 1979 in Pittsburgh, but his face is obscured. An umpire of the same name worked college baseball games in the late 1980s in Pennsylvania, so that is probably the same guy. Possibly the Robert F. Beck who died in Susquehanna Township, PA in 2014 that coached youth baseball.

Homer Bishop (1 AL game in 1979 in Seattle). Probably the Homer Louis Bishop who died in Seattle in 2005, but baseball or umpiring is not mentioned in his obituary, and I can’t find a photo of him anyway.

Steve Borga (3 AL games in 1979 in Oakland). Listed as Steven A. Borga on Retrosheet, I can’t find a single mention of him on newspapers.com or in any relevant Google searches.

Doug Brown (7 AL games in 1979 in Milwaukee). Was from Milwaukee, according to the May 9, 1979 edition of the Stevens Point Journal.

Bob Campbell (4 AL games in 1979 at Angels Stadium). He has a Sporting News umpire card showing he worked in the Pioneer League from 1966 to 1968. He was profiled by the Idaho Free Press in 1967, giving important details including that he was umpiring at a very young age, as he born circa 1943, coached Pony and Colt League teams from 1960 to 1963 and was attending Long Beach City College in the offseason.

There was a minor league player who attended Long Beach City College in the mid-1950s named Robert Stuart Campbell, but the middle names, birth dates, and timeframes don’t add up to them being the same person.
I found a photo of a Bob Campbell, with his face obscured, making a call at home plate in the Central Iowa League in 1967, but don’t think this is the same guy.
There is also another photo in the Long Beach Independent in 1971 of a Bob Campbell umpiring high school baseball in California, with his face visible, possibly the same person.
There was a NCAA umpire named Bob Campbell working from at least 1979 to 1981. Not sure if it’s the same person, but here are a few photos of him: 1, 2.

Bob Davis (3 NL games in 1979 in Houston) His common name makes it difficult to find anything substantial. There was a longtime umpire of the same name based in Connecticut, but this doesn’t appear to be the same guy.

Bill Henry (6 AL games at Yankee Stadium, 3 at the Kingdome, and 2 NL games at Shea Stadium). The May 6, 1979 Oakland Tribune says Henry was a “moonlighting policeman.” He umpired a benefit game for amateur baseball at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and Mets in April 1983, and is one of the four men shown in this photo in the New York Daily News April 22, 1983, with only two showing the majority of their faces.

John Mackin (1 AL game in New York in 1979). Despite a lengthy obituary from 2000 supplying pretty much every biographical detail you could need, I can’t find a labeled photo of this guy anywhere. Officiated high school and college basketball and baseball games in the NYC area for a couple decades, with the Daily Times even calling him “a long-time official and one of the most respected officials in the country” in 1980. Same case as Bill Henry, he umpired a benefit game for amateur baseball at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and Mets in April 1983, and is one of the four men shown in this photo in the New York Daily News April 22, 1983, with only two showing the majority of their faces.

Greg Mills (6 NL games in Philadelphia in 1979) I can’t really find anything substantial on Mills, but did find a couple photos of an umpire with the same name working games in the Northwest League in 1988. No proof these two men are one in the same though.

Richard LaPierre (3 AL games in Boston in 1979) Coming up empty on Newspapers. Only lead is a 2020 obit, with photo, for a man of the same name from New England (Pawtucket) who was a big Red Sox fan and ballplayer in his younger days, though there is no mention of umpiring. (Edit: Photo found).

Jim Mulcahy (4 AL games in Milwaukee in 1979). The May 4, 1979 Wisconsin State Journal says Mulcahy was from Wauwatosa. I found a photo of a Jim Mulcahy on the 1967-68 basketball team of Sun Prairie High School, located about an hour from Wauwatosa, but he would probably be too young to be the umpire from 1979.
There was also an umpire of the same name working games near Fort Lauderdale in 1981. Unclear if this is the same person, but the Florida ump revealed in the Fort Lauderdale News that he had 16 years of officiating experience.

Tom O’Connor (3 AL games at Yankee Stadium in 1979) There was a Tom O’Connor who was the president of the Scholastic Umpires Association, which covered Staten Island and Brooklyn. He’s the namesake of the Tom O'Connor Memorial Award, which is presented for service to the Staten Island community. There is a photo listed on Ebay including this ump from a 3-27-1990 game involving Wagner College, but its unclear this is the same guy who umped at Yankee Stadium in ’79, as I can’t find anything to specifically connect the two.

Gene Smith (2 NL games in 1979 in Houston). Has a Sporting News umpire card revealing his worked in the Florida State League from 1968 to at least 1971. There was an umpire of the same name working in the Central Yosemite League in California in the 1960s and one who served as the Director of the Umpires Association for the Acme Baseball Congress in Ohio circa. 1965. Probably not the same guy though.

Leclerc (2 NL games in 1981 in Montreal). First name is Jean, according to the Aug. 11, 1981 edition of the Montreal Gazette, and he was from Longueuil, according to the Aug. 13, 1981 Ottawa Citizen. This short obituary and attached photo for a Jean Leclerc of Longueuil, born 1935 and died 2015, could very well be him, but I have nothing to specifically link him to being the umpire outside of his name and town.

O’Connor (1 NL game in San Francisco in 1982) Apparently an emergency substitute for umpire Frank Pulli, but I can’t find any articles mentioning him, let alone his first name.

Ed Murray (1 AL game in Kansas City in 1991). Born circa 1949, Murray was an insurance representative in Fort Myers and umpired in the Gulf Coast Association, according to the April 7, 1991 edition of the News-Press (Fort Myers).

Jeff Jenkins (6 NL games in 1995, including games in San Diego, Los Angeles and Florida). There was an umpire of the same name working Pac 10 games from at least 1986 to 1990, and I found a photo from the back as a home plate ump in 1986. Good chance this is the same guy.

Jim Lambeth (1 NL game in Florida in 1995) apparently worked as a Division 1 umpire, but I can’t find anything on him outside of 1995.

Bart Whaley (2 NL games in Colorado in 1995) Still looking for a clear photo of him, after locating him in a Rockies highlight. A newspapers.com search shows he worked college games from at least 1991 to 2003 in California and Texas. But the only possible lead I have is a photo of a man of the same name in a March 17, 2000 edition of the Arizona Republic adjusting lights on a traveling media exhibit, which happens to have a photo of Jackie Robinson on it.

[Cusick]

Thank you, Penale, for all the umpire photos you posted a few days ago and for the research you have done on the umpires for whom you've been unable to located images. You mentioned that you did not recall what the previously posted photo of Fred Herndon looked like. He was wearing a mask in it. So even if that photo had still been accessible, the one you recently posted would have been an improvement.

Thank you, tnfoto, for the Redheffer image you discovered.

[Penale52]

Eugene Rhoads is pictured in a group photo of the Rhoads family found on Find-A-Grave.

[Penale52]

L.B. Warren, whose full name was Luther Barstow Warren, was shown with his wife, Harriet, in the May 17, 1903 edition of the St. Louis Republic. Further searching shows he died on January 6, 1909 in Boston and is buried in at South Cemetery in Lyndeboroug, New Hampshire.

[Penale52]

Dr. Charles F. Howard umpired one National League game on Sept. 27, 1884, as documented in the Buffalo Morning Express. Here he is as shown in the Jan. 8, 1908 edition of The Buffalo Times.

[Penale52]

Evan A. Griffith, who apparently was a well-known politician in Pennsylvania according to his 1914 obituary, was shown in the May 7, 1906 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

[Cusick]

Thanks, Penale, for your latest four finds.

[Penale52]

I found John J. Brady's obituary, and photo, in the March 26, 1937 edition of the Hartford Courant. It mentions that he was known as "Jackson" Brady in his youth and that he played and umpired baseball.