Among the hundreds of Major League umpires that have called balls, strikes and outs, only nine are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1992, Bill McGowan became a member of that elite group. His HOF plaque in Cooperstown reads in part: "introduced colorful style with vigorous, agressive gestures bordering on pugnacious."
Unfortunately, one of McGowan's colorful and aggressive gestures earned him a suspension in 1952. For an umpire who prided himself on getting it right, it was one of the worst calls in his lengthy career.
An "indecorous" gesture riles the press
In August 1952, McGowan was working as the home plate umpire in a game between the St. Louis Browns and the Detroit Tigers at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Detroit pitcher, Billy Hoeft, was watching the game from the dugout. Apparently, Hoeft loudly objected to a called third strike McGowan made on his teammate, Cliff Mapes. McGowan ejected Hoeft, but the St. Louis scribes weren't sure what Detroit player had been ejected.
McGowan reacted to the press box inquiry with an upraised middle finger. That intemperate response understandably riled the gentlemen of the press. After the game, Robert L. Burnes, the sports editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, sent a telegram to American League president, Will Harridge. Burnes protested that McGowan refused to tell the press box the player's name and that he also made: "an indecorous gesture".
Harridge responded by giving McGowan an indefinite suspension.
Suspension wasn't McGowan's first
Although he was known for being patient and avoiding confrontations, the 1952 suspension wasn't McGowan's first unpaid furlough from umpiring. Four years earlier, he received a ten-day suspension for throwing his ball-strike indicator at Washington Senators pitcher, Ray Scarborough. Reportedly, McGowan became annoyed because Scarborough was shaking his head after some of his ball/strike calls. McGowan claimed that he never threw his indicator.
"I merely flipped the indicator out a few feet but nothing really happened," McGowan said.
Looking at the big picture
When you consider that McGowan spent around four decades umpiring, two suspensions for momentary lapses in judgement don't seem like all that much. He started umpiring in the minors in 1915, when he was 19. He spent ten years toiling as minor league umpire for minor league pay. After making it to the major leagues, he umpired there until 1954.
During his lengthy MLB career, he umpired in four All-Star Games and eight World Series. He's credited with umpiring in 2,541 consecutive MLB games. A 1935 Sporting News poll of American League players named him the league's outstanding umpire.
Very few batters ever had a keener eye and understanding of the strike zone than Ted Williams. Williams praised McGowan's ball and strike calling talents by remarking: "I'd say that he was probably 99.9 percent right."
Forgiveness came slowly
McGowan died in December 1954, a few months after he retired from umpiring. He was 58. Thirty-eight years later, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by its Veterans Committee. Some of McGowan's supporters believe that his acrimonious relations with the press delayed his induction. There might be something to that. It takes a long time to forgive and forget someone who flips you off.
Bibliography:
"Bill McGowan" www.findagrave.com
"Bill M'Gowan 58, Umpire 41 Years." The New York Times, December 10, 1954.
Luke, Bob. "Hall of famer: Bill McGowan umpired with vigor and style." Baseball Digest, February 2002.
Rushin, Steve. "Field Guide to the Bird." Sports Illustrated, June 6, 2005.
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