Emmett Ashford paved way for black umpires

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Emmett Ashford paved way for black umpires

Wed, 03/03/2021 - 03:16
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I am a few days late, but I would like to make a contribution to Black History Month, which is observed in February. I was reading this past weekend about Emmett Ashford, who was the first black umpire in the baseball’s minor leagues and then went on to become the first black umpire in Major League Baseball.

I remember Ashford as a colorful character, who made the games he worked fun to watch. He was impeccably dressed, wearing gold chains and gold cuff links that shone in the sunlight. And he was a likeable sort.

Among those things I learned was that he had difficulty getting into the park on his first day of work as an American League umpire in 1966. The game was at RFK Stadium, which was known in those years as DC Stadium, the home of the Washington Senators. Security was tight on that day with Secret Service all over the place. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was there to throw out the first pitch.

As Ashford related the story, he was stopped at the entrance to the stadium.

“You can’t go in there,” a guard told Ashford. Ashford tried to explain that he was an umpire and needed to be admitted.

“There aren’t any Negro umpires in the American League,” the guard replied.

“There will be if you let me in,” was Ashford’s response.

Ashford was accustomed to these kinds of situations. He had been involved in breaking racial barriers throughout his life.

Being an umpire is a tough job, just in its self, Ashford would tell people. “No one likes an umpire who makes a call that goes against a fan’s favorite team. Umpires have to make calls that players don’t like. Being a black umpire is no different. The players don’t care if the umpire is black, Eskimo or Asian. They just want the game to be called right,” he was quoted as saying.

He was proud of the fact that as a youth he worked in a large grocery store in his native California. He wanted to be a cashier and told the manager of his ambition. When he was given the opportunity he proved to be the fastest at checkout among all the cashiers. The store had lots of black employees but Ashford was the only one who worked with money.

He was the first black student body president at his high school (Jefferson), the first black man to work in the payroll department at the Los Angeles Post Office and the first black player on the Mystery Nine, a semi-pro baseball team in the Los Angeles area.

He broke into umpiring filling in during an emergency when the scheduled umpire for a Mystery Nine game didn’t show up.

“After waiting 15-20 minutes,” he said, “they came looking for me. I had taken batting practice, showered, and retired to my customary spot on the bench. But they carried me kicking and screaming out behind the pitcher and told me to umpire, notwithstanding the fact that I was dressed conservatively in green slacks, two-tone shoes and green sport coat and a green shirt.”

There was a lot of controversy about him umpiring at the beginning, but he said by the seventh inning, those involved decided they liked his work. He went on to work several Mystery Nine games before word came down that he couldn’t umpire anymore because he hadn’t been hired by the Parks and Recreation department. He filled out an application after those working in the Parks and Rec office had tried to dissuade him from doing so. He said he persevered because he had spent $1.75 on an umpire’s hat and didn’t want to lose his investment.

After he was hired, Ashford worked high school baseball and eventually graduated to junior college games. He was invited for a tryout with minor league baseball, but was told that the tryouts would have to happen outside of the U. S. He went to Mexicali, Mexico for a four-game tryout but the two other umpires, both white, walked off refusing to work with him. A retired umpire was summoned and after four games working behind the plate, Ashford was hired to umpire in the minor leagues.

The league that he was assigned to folded before he worked a game and it was difficult for him to catch a reassignment. Eventually he was assigned work in El Paso, and in his first game got embroiled in a fiery brouhaha. Players were attacking him from both sides. He stood his ground and got order and as the game ended he received a standing ovation from the El Paso crowd. He also got a good writeup in the El Paso newspaper, which lauded his “display of guts and courage” and said it was a display of “damn good umpiring.”

He worked a year in the Western-International League and then began a 12-year stint in the Pacific Coast League, where he proved to be very popular. Wanting to work in baseball’s offseason he began refereeing football and basketball, working the prestigious Pacific-8 Conference.

Part of his charm as a baseball umpire was that he would run towards the play to get in better position to see what was happening. He said he developed this style from having worked basketball games.

During his Pacific Coast League experience, he saw umpires that he had mentored being called up to the Majors. He began to be discouraged about the prospects of him being called up and sought other employment possibilities just in case. But the call finally came and he went to the big time to begin the 1966 season. He was resented by other Major League umpires, not just because he was black, but because he became so popular so very soon. His colleagues resented his flashy style of doing his job.

Players loved him. Baltimore Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren told about a time he dived into the stands chasing a foul ball. Etchebarren’s thinking was that maybe a fan would put the ball in his glove, or that he might be able to pick the ball off the floor. But as he looked up, he saw that Ashford had dived into the stands beside him to see the play completely.

Yankee shortstop Tommy Tresh told about how it was difficult to be mad at Emmett Ashford. One time, Tresh said, Ashford called him out on strikes. Tresh angrily disputed the call but said “How could you argue with a man that repeated over and over softly, ‘Now Tommy, Now Tommy.’”

Baltimore Manager Earl Weaver hated all umpires, that is except Ashford. For some reason he had difficulty in getting angry at Ashford. Once on a disputed call, Weaver calmly told Ashford he disagreed with the call and asked him to check with other umpires to see if by chance he might have made a mistake. The other umpires reversed the call. Baltimore players were amazed because in similar situations with other umpires Weaver’s language would have been full of angry bleeps.

When Ashford came to the mandatory retirement age for Major League umpires, 55, American League President Joe Cronin gave him an extra year because of his relatively late start. Once he did retire, he worked in the Commissioner’s office. Ashford passed away at age 65, leaving behind a colorful legacy.

His philosophy was to work hard, do your best and be honest. He was honest on the field readily admitting mistakes when he became aware of them and was highly respected for his work on the field and for his honesty. As he said, those qualities are important in overcoming adversity. A good philosophy for anyone.