Timehost: Welcome, everyone, to the TIME Auditorium this evening. On
the same week that TIME magazine's cover story proclaims that "Baseball is back!" (Did it
ever really go away?), we're very pleased to have with us, American
League umpire Durwood Merrill. Merrill has spent twenty one years making
tough calls in the major leagues. And he's just written about it all, about his life on and
off the playing field, in a new book, "You're Out, and You're Ugly, Too!" Welcome, Mr. Merrill.
Durwood Merrill: Hello, and welcome from Indianapolis. I'm here to receive
the Gold Whistle award from the National Association of Sports Officials.
Timehost: Congratulations. Let's take our first question from online.
JIM_MORRISON_2 asks: Hey blue, why is there a bigger strike zone in
the National League then there is in the American League?
Durwood Merrill: Well, I don't know. We're not robots, were individuals, so
when you get about 60 umpires, 30 in each league, their zones are just going
to be different. Now when you say a larger strike zone, you may be talking a
quarter of an inch. A lot of times that's just media hype.
Marty2634 asks: Durwood, What has been the most memorable "call" you
made as an umpire in the Major Leagues?
Durwood Merrill: Probably when I called Ricky Henderson out on his record
base stealing attempt in Oakland. He was probably going to tie the record by
stealing second, and then would have broken it by stealing third. He broke
it the next night in Milwaukee.
Hot19M78 asks: What kind of training did you have to go through?
Durwood Merrill: Well, you have to pick an umpiring school. It was called
umpiring development then, and it was located in St. Petersburg. I went to 7
weeks of umpiring school, and then went to an advanced school, where they
picked the best of each school, and then, after securing a job in the
California League, and then the Texas league for 1 year, and the American
Association for a year and a half, then I worked 2 winters in Puerto
Rico.
S_a_m2000 asks: What was the hardest call you ever had to make? Well, I don't know that I can just point out one. I think
working certain pitchers was hard. I always found Jack Morris a great
pitcher, but he was very hard to work. Early in his career, Randy Johnson was hard to work. Nolan
Ryan was hard to work. They all have such quickness on their fastballs, it's
hard to judge. Then, there's the knuckleballers, such as Wakefield up in
Boston, and Charlie Hough when he was in our league.
Cc26cc asks: Why do some umps stay together for years -- for example Barnett
Kosc Clark and Morrison have been the same group for years. Why?
Durwood Merrill: That's a very good question. I've been in my group for 3
years. If you find a group that works well, and are compatible, it doesn't
make sense to break them up. Now if you find a young guy, you might rotate
him around to other crews to get him experience.
Mcfhan asks: what happens when you really don't know what call to
make??
Durwood Merrill: You're in bad trouble. It's not like dominoes. You can always guess, but I've
found when I try to guess I usually guess wrong. So I try to be in a good
position at all times
Kiki518_LW asks: Hi, it must be AWESOME to be in the midst of all the
excitement during a game...what do you like best about your job?
Durwood Merrill: I think every human being wants a challenge -- challenge where there's nobody to back you up, where
there's no instant replay to help you. When you're on in front of millions
of people every night, and you get to make the call. And you go at it, and
you make every attempt to get it right, and you just let the chips fall.
Smoothie9876 asks: Did you play baseball as a kid?
Durwood Merrill: Yes, I played little league, or actually we didn't have
much little league out on the plains of Oklahoma, but I played as much as I
could. But after that, I went to college in football. Most umpires are better
football players. If you played too much baseball you get too close to the
action. You need to be able to step back and judge it, and not get caught up
in it.
Kojack_1999 asks: Were you on the field when Alomar spit on the ump?
Durwood Merrill: No, I was not on the field.
Timehost: And here's a follow-up...
Painting_the_town_1998 asks: Mr. Merrill, after having seen Roberto
Alamar spit in a brother umpire's face a few seasons ago, how do you feel
about him receiving the MVP award at his year's All-Star game? Do you think
he should been given the award?
Durwood Merrill: Well, I think that once things are forgiven, once they're made right, he paid his penalty, he got it
straight with John Hirschbeck, and they've moved on. I think it bothers him,
and it's affected his play, but he's paid his price, and you should go on.
Marty2634 asks: Hello Durwood, How much criticism would you allow a
Manager or Player to argue a particular "call" you made before "ejecting"
him?
Durwood Merrill: Well, I don't think that you can--there's just no rule of
thumb. I'm certainly not going to let anybody call me names. Other than that,
the length of the argument. Once I've let him had his say, we need to agree
to disagree and just move on. There's just a few basic rules. You're not going to curse
me, and you're not going to stay out on the field too long. But that's about
it.
Towhead_ asks: Who is your favorite ump to watch work the plate?
Durwood Merrill: I like to watch Larry Barnett, I like Frank Pooley, I've
always admired Bruce Froeming. My all time favorite was Steve Palermo. I like umpires that put a lot of feeling, a lot of heart
in it, that they have a good command of the game.
Timehost: In your book you say that Steve Palermo was "a natural
umpire." What made him one?
Durwood Merrill: Well, he was just born with so much. Every umpire has to
be blessed with judgment. Steve had great timing, great judgment -- a great
command of the game. He had great command of situations when he was in
confrontations. He could be mild, or he could be hard, according to what he
needed to be.
Jayaitch asks: I was taught that umpires don't toss people, people toss
themselves, what generally gets them tossed?
Durwood Merrill: When you call me a name, you tell me to do something to
myself that's a physical impossibility to do. A lot of players think mother's
a half word. Horse manure would probably get you run out of a game.
Hutchinson_98 asks: Did you ever make the wrong call and know you
were wrong right then and there?
Durwood Merrill: Yeah. You make the wrong call, and when they come out to
argue, why try to lie. If you know you've blown the call, tell them. And
that's what gets you respect. Players strike out, make errors, just like
umpires, so if you make a mistake, you admit it and go on. Now, if I get it
right, I'll argue with you 'till the sun goes down.
Timehost: Here are two related questions...
Bluenosetwo asks: Why is there seemingly such a difference in the
strike zone depending on who the ump is? Is this not standardized?
Dfw8 asks: Is there any real chance umpires will begin calling the
strike zone as it's defined in the rulebook?
Durwood Merrill: No, it won't be called as it's defined in the rulebook. Players don't want it, managers don't want it, and league
presidents won't back you when you call it that way. There's really not
that much difference in an umpire's strike zone. Our strike zones are not that different, just a quarter of
an inch difference, but the media plays it out of proportion.
BenW15m asks: What is your favorite stadium to umpire in?
Durwood Merrill: I like Oakland, because it's cool and it's spacious, and
you can get a lot of outs. I like Kansas City, because it was a ballpark that was
built for baseball, and it's one of the best kept. Of the new parks, I like Texas, I like Cleveland real
well, and Baltimore is a pretty good park.
Fing_kat asks: Why do they say that there is a lot of outfield
territory to cover in Coors field in relation to the other ball parks?
Durwood Merrill: The only thing I ever hear about Coors field is that
the ball flies out of there better because of the thin air. I don't see how
it could be a lot larger because they're pretty standard parks.
MemoN01 asks: Are there any players or managers that particularly
anger you?
Durwood Merrill: No, I don't think you go into any game like that. I don't
walk out on the field and say this guy is going to anger me. I don't umpire
that way. Now if you go back early in my career, I knew if I went up
against somebody like Billy Martin or Earl Weaver, I was going to have my
hands full. The managers today are more interested in how the ball team
performs. They're more interesting in scouting and placement. It's a
lot more like football now. Everything's charted, everything's fed into a
computer. And it wasn't that way 20 years ago.
Haymes1971 asks: Hello Mr. Merrill, hope you're doing well. I bet
you get ask about the play in the 5th game of the ALCS, when two runners
scored on a passed ball. When you pointed at the ball, was that just a
reaction?
Durwood Merrill: Umpiring 101, the first thing you learn, if a ball is on
the ground, you point it out. That's to let your crew members know, that if they don't
see you pointing, they think you don't know where the ball is, and they are
supposed to come in then and help you out. But what happened that night, there was a dummy in the
press box named Tim McCarver who didn't know what he was talking about.
Gfunkster899 asks: Do you make companions amongst the players, or do
you keep strictly professional relationships with them?
Durwood Merrill: I think there's some players that naturally like you, and I
don't think there's anything wrong with that. I think the players and
umpires have a rapport in their own way. We're certainly not going out to
dinner, but we're not mortal enemies. There's a respect each has for the
others, and we adhere to that.
Alansaltnpepper asks: What's the worst call you ever made (assuming
you'll admit to it)?
Durwood Merrill: I don't recall the worst call I ever made, but I'm sure
that it's the fact I missed a play. Any time I missed a play, anytime I
don't get one right, that's the worst one for me.
CiboriuM asks: Has there ever been an occasion where you and another
umpire made a different call on the same play and had to debate over it?
Durwood Merrill: I've been involved in one double call I once slid from
second base over to first base when an umpire went out on the ball. I called the runner safe, and the plate umpire didn't see
me, and he came in and called the runner out. And yes, there was a heated
discussion afterwards about this.
Diane_smile asks: Would you mind umping a game with a girl on the
team
Durwood Merrill: No, I don't think so, I don't know why that would make any
difference. I've umped with a girl umpire before, and I guess I'd do
an all-girls team if they wanted me too.
Timehost: And a related question...
Marty2634 asks: Do you think we'll see women umpires in the Major
Leagues in the future?
Durwood Merrill: I used to believe that. But I'm not certain now. And it
has nothing to do with being a woman. I think the game is just so quick, and
they have a hard time. A case in point is Pam Postema. I thought that she was
really good, but the quickness of the game just wore her out.
Timehost: Really? More so than men get worn out?
Durwood Merrill: The fact that men can jump higher, run longer, run faster,
makes this easier. I wouldn't want any woman to take the abuse that I've
taken in my career. I think that there's just things in this world that need
to be different.
Sierrablanca asks: What are your thought's on the media and the
media's relationship to today's sport's figures?
Durwood Merrill: Case in point is the home run deal. They've been
ballyhooing McGwire, and Griffey and Sosa, and we just need to cool it. Now,
if they get into September, and they have a chance to break the record, then
talk about it. But until then, give them a break, don't be talking about
batting practice and everything when it's just too soon.
Jondear1 asks: Speaking of running faster...What kind of workout
routine do umpires normally follow?
Durwood Merrill: I guess they vary. Some probably work harder than others.
I try to do a treadmill or take a long walk every day. We still have umps
that are overweight, and probably always will be. But we take physicals, and
the league monitors us very close.
_Aztec_Warrior_ asks: What is the difference between American and
National League umpires?
Durwood Merrill: One has AL on their caps and the other NL. Because of the outside chest protectors we used to wear,
we were known in the AL as the highball league. But that's different now.
TUNISMILLS asks: What was the worst disagreement that you've ever
been in with either a player/coach/or another umpire?
Timehost: Or manager?
Durwood Merrill: Well, I haven't been in a disagreement with another umpire. Probably a brawl. I was involved once in a brawl between
the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, and that's a tough situation.
You try to get the managers organized where they get their players out of
there, and mostly take names. The umpires watch to see who keeps fighting, so
that after it's over we dismiss people.
Smoothie9876 asks: Would you like the instant replay rule in
baseball?
Durwood Merrill: It wouldn't bother me, especially in playoffs. If wouldn't
hurt my ego if I got to go over and look at the video. But it's never going
to happen. They trust the umpires, the league thinks we're right We're right
99 percent of the time anyway. And part of the mystique of the game is the
errors, so I don't think you'll have it happen.
Silverice1 asks: Is it hard being an umpire?
Durwood Merrill: Certainly it's hard. You're away from home, on the road.
You fly 2-3 times a week. That's hard. You're in a business where everything you do is under a
camera, the only profession I know where your work is reviewed under a
camera. Presidents don't have that. And when you have your work reviewed like
that, there's going to be stress. But I think we handle it as well as
anybody can.
Gfunkster899 asks: What inspired you to write a book?
Jcarlos_99 asks: Did you enjoy writing your book?
Durwood Merrill: I enjoyed it. I think people and fans deserve to hear a
point of view from an umpire. I wanted to write it while I was still active
I tried to write out of a love of a game, and not be vindictive. I tried to answer truthfully, and not wimp out, and I
think I've done that. And the book is doing very well. St. Martin's is
tickled, and I'm tickled.
Timehost: Unfortunately, I know you've got to run now. Thank you
very much for joining us this evening, Mr. Merrill.
Durwood Merrill: Thank you all, and good night.
