Interview with Joseph Paparella, March 16, 1988

Partial Transcript: I was very young, and I was born in a little town called Eynon, Pennsylvania, and it's a little mining town of about 900 people.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about how his father died working in a coal mine. He states that he himself worked in a coal mine for a time, before he umpired professional baseball.

Keywords: Coal mines; Colliery (??) baseball team; Fathers; Marriage; Mothers; Parents

Subjects: Coal miners; Coal mines and mining; Pennsylvania

Partial Transcript: And I umpired throughout the years and around the area in amateur baseball, high school. I didn't do any college work because there was no college nearby...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella describes his early work umpiring in the late 1930's, earning fifty cents a game. He tells how he was encouraged by a Catholic priest to umpire for a professional league.

Keywords: Canadian-American League; Father Gallagher; Father Martin; Fordham University; Scranton (Pa.); Umpiring

Subjects: Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States; Baseball umpires; Baseball--United States; Catholicism; Minor league baseball

Partial Transcript: ...At that time I was getting $180 a month, and I had to pay all of my expenses, including travel. You had to have a car to go from town to town.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about moving from Canadian-American League to the Eastern League, and being picked for the playoffs. He shares how a raise from $180 to $300 a month made him feel like a rich man.

Keywords: American Association; Baseball playoffs; Double A division; Eastern League; Illness; Tommy Richardson; Umpires; Wives

Subjects: Baseball umpires; Columbus (Ohio); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History

Partial Transcript: George Trautman got in touch with me and asked me if I'd be in Syracuse. He wanted...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about his desire to umpire for the International League, because doing so would move him closer to home. However, he relates how he ended up working for the American Association instead.

Keywords: American Association; George Trautman; International League; Mr. Shaughnessy; Syracuse (N.Y.); World Series

Subjects: Baseball umpires; Minor league baseball

Partial Transcript: I worked the World Series the very first year I was in there, and also the second year I was in there. Uh, and uh, I was having such great success...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about the "welcome home night" organized for Bill Veeck, who had just lost his leg in World War II. He also tells how his contract was bought in the dugout. He was sold to the American League.

Keywords: "Welcome home night"; Baseball contracts; Contracts; Milwaukee (Wis.); Umpires; World Series

Subjects: American League (Major League Baseball); Baseball umpires; Boston Red Sox (Baseball Team); Chicago Cubs (Baseball Team); Columbus (Ohio); Major League Baseball (Organization); Minor league baseball; Veeck, Bill; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Uh, gee, I can't think of his name, though. Gentleman owned it, he had two dogs. Those dogs sat in the dugout with the--(laughs)--the owner...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella tells the story of a dog who ran out of the dugout and chased the baseball during a game in Minneapolis.

Keywords: Baseballs; Dogs; Minneapolis (Minn.); Minneapolis Millers (Baseball team); Umpires

Subjects: American Association (Baseball league); Baseball team owners; Baseball umpires; Minor league baseball

Partial Transcript: Uh, when you were umpiring, uh, in the lower minors, was it just a one-man system? Or was it...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella discusses the two-umpire system, used in the American League and in the Minor Leagues.

Keywords: Supervisor of umpires; Umpires

Subjects: American Association (Baseball league); Harridge, Will, 1883-1971; Minor league baseball

Partial Transcript: Um, a-- a-- as an individual, um, in the Minor Leagues, what was your status?

Segment Synopsis: Paparella tells how umpires and players had to stay in different hotels or boarding houses to avoid disputes after the game.

Keywords: Boarding houses; Disputes; Playoffs; Separation; Travel; Umpires; World Series

Subjects: Baseball players--United States; Baseball umpires; Minor league baseball

Partial Transcript: I wanna tell you something about Happy Chandler. He was in the corner of the umpires. He was a great, great man. I loved the guy.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella describes Happy Chandler as a person and as baseball commissioner. He states his opinion that he (Chandler) was always supportive of the umpires.

Keywords: Chicago (Ill.); Coffee; Umpires

Subjects: Baseball commissioners; Baseball umpires; Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991; Hubbard, Carroll

Partial Transcript: Well, back in, in, um, 1946, I know that the baseball players themselves, um, got their first pension plan.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella discusses the first pension plans for baseball players and umpires.

Keywords: Commodore Hotel; Crystal Lake (Pa.); Pension plans; Pensions; Player pension plans; Scranton (Pa.)

Subjects: Baseball players; Baseball players--Salaries, etc.--United States; Baseball umpires; Feller, Bob, 1918-2010

Partial Transcript: I'd like to go over several of the umpires...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about various other umpires he worked with, their personalities, and their character quirks.

Keywords: Bill Grieve; Bill McGowan; Bill McKinley; Bill Summers; Charlie Barrie; Ed Rommel; Ed Runge; Personalities; Quirks; Red Jones; Umpires

Subjects: American League (Major League Baseball); Baseball umpires; Pitchers (Baseball)

Partial Transcript: Who gave you the most trouble?

Segment Synopsis: Paparella discusses general manager Paul Richards, whom he characterizes as always looking for trouble while he was on the field.

Keywords: Paul Richards; Umpires

Subjects: Baseball managers; Baseball umpires; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History

Partial Transcript: Let me go over a couple of, of managers with you, just real quickly...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella shares stories about various baseball managers he knew and worked with.

Keywords: Arrests; Bootlegging; Casey Stengel; Jimmy Dykes; Pranks; Spring training; Steve O'Neill; Ted Lyons; West Palm Beach (Fla.); Zach Taylor

Subjects: Baseball managers; Baseball--Management; Boudreau, Lou, 1917-2001; Harridge, Will, 1883-1971; Mack, Connie, 1862-1956; Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Saint Louis (Mo.).

Partial Transcript: Let me, um, ask you just about a couple players.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella characterizes both Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams as being both great players and great men. He states that DiMaggio once sent him a gold watch.

Keywords: Gold watches; Sarasota (Fla.); Spring training; Strike zone

Subjects: Baseball players; DiMaggio, Joe, 1914-1999; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Williams, Ted, 1918-2002

Partial Transcript: So many of the pitchers that were really good during that time-- Hal Newhouser...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about some of the best pitchers he has worked with.

Keywords: Hall of Fame; Left-handed pitchers; World Series; Yogi Berra

Subjects: Boston Red Sox (Baseball Team); Detroit Tigers (Baseball Team); Lemon, Robert; Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Newhouser, Hal, 1921-; Pitchers (Baseball); Trout, Dizzy, 1916-1972; Trucks, Virgil O.; Williams, Ted, 1918-2002

Partial Transcript: Mr. Paparella, um, can you take yourself back again to the late 40s...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella describes his daily routine and responsibilities as an umpire in the late 1940s.

Keywords: Bars; Daily life; Responsibilities; Routines; Umpires

Subjects: Alcohol; Baseball umpires

Partial Transcript: Did you ever get a chance to play cards with some of the other umpires...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella discusses the influence that Cal Hubbard, a fellow umpire, had on his career. He also talks about being tested as a rookie umpire.

Keywords: Cal Hubbard; Casey Stengel; Green Bay Packers; Hall of Fame; Racial slurs

Subjects: Baseball players; Baseball umpires; Harridge, Will, 1883-1971; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Partial Transcript: Where, in your opinion, were the worst places to ump?

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about some of the places he feels were the worst to umpire at.

Keywords: Abuse from fans; Baseball fans; Bleachers; Box seats; Fans; Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.); Heckling; Spectators

Subjects: Boston Red Sox (Baseball Team); Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Minor league baseball.

Partial Transcript: Tell me about the 1948 World Series. It was your first World Series.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about the first World Series that he umpired for, in 1948.

Keywords: Baseball games; Bill Macey; Lou Gehrig; Pickoff play; World Series; World Series (1948)

Subjects: Boston Braves (Baseball Team); Boudreau, Lou, 1917-2001; Cleveland Indians (Baseball Team); DiMaggio, Joe, 1914-1999; Feller, Bob, 1918-2010; New York Yankees (Baseball Team); Williams, Ted, 1918-2002

Partial Transcript: In 46', and '46 was the kind of year, for me that... I was young. I was riding in the clouds...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella describes his being a young umpire and his excitement to be working with the idols of his childhood.

Keywords: Celebrities; Idols; Judge Landis; World Series; World Series (1946)

Subjects: Baseball commissioners; Baseball players; Baseball umpires.; DiMaggio, Joe, 1914-1999; Feller, Bob, 1918-2010; Gehrig, Lou, 1903-1941.; Landis, Kenesaw Mountain, 1866-1944; Ruth, Babe, 1895-1948.; Williams, Ted, 1918-2002

Partial Transcript: Opening game in Washington, the President of the United States throwing over the first ball..

Segment Synopsis: Paparella describes feeling nervous when President Truman threw out the first ball in a game. He also talks about the 1951 World Series game between the Giants and the Yankees.

Keywords: American Presidents; Anxiety; Gil McDougald; Hank Bauer; Oklahoma City (Okla.); Presidents; World Series; World Series (1951)

Subjects: All-Star Baseball Game.; DiMaggio, Joe, 1914-1999; Maglie, Sal, 1917-; New York Giants (Baseball Team); New York Yankees (Baseball Team); Rosen, Al; Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Partial Transcript: Did you like working the plate better or the bases?

Segment Synopsis: Paparella tells why he prefers to umpire at home plate. He also talks about a 17-inning game that was back-to-back with a 16-inning game.

Keywords: Base umpiring; Baseball games; Cal Hubbard; Four-man system; Home plate umpiring; Innings; Mickey McDermott; Rules

Subjects: Baseball umpires; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History

Partial Transcript: We've talked a little bit about the differences in today's game...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella gives his thoughts on how the game of baseball has changed from the 1940s to the late 1980's, when the interview was conducted. He tells a story about Charlie "King Kong" Keller. He states that players in the earlier days had higher averages, much lower salaries, and used unaltered baseballs.

Keywords: Arguments; Averages; Baseball gloves; Baseballs; Charlie Keller; Chewing tobacco; Farm leagues; Left fielders; Phil Rizzuto; Salaries; Tampering with baseballs; Umpires; Yogi Berra

Subjects: American League (Major League Baseball); Baseball players; Baseball umpires; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History

Partial Transcript: Well there, there's been a big to-do about, you know, scuffing the ball...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about Jim Bunning, a pitcher who later became a Kentucky Congressman, and his trick of sharpening his belt buckle so that he could alter the ball to his advantage.

Keywords: Artificial turf; Astroturf; Baseballs; Batters; Brush-back pitch; Competitive pitchers; Covered baseball parks; Early Wynn; Exhibition games; Kentucky congressmen; Scuffing baseballs; Strike zone; Tampering with baseballs; Turf

Subjects: Anderson, Felix S., Sr.; Bunning, Jim, 1931-; Designated hitters (Baseball); Pitchers (Baseball); Trout, Dizzy, 1916-1972

Partial Transcript: I guess the other thing that, that you witnessed in your career, um, back when you started...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about the advent of instant replays and television contracts. He states that television stations tended to show plays where the umpire was wrong.

Keywords: CBS Television; Cal Hubbard; Camera consciousness; Cameras; Instant replays; Television; Umpires

Subjects: Baseball umpires; Harridge, Will, 1883-1971; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Television; Television broadcasting.

Partial Transcript: Also, there are a lot more night games.

Segment Synopsis: Paparella discusses the proliferation of night games since he began umpiring.

Keywords: Baseball games; Night games

Subjects: Baseball; Major League Baseball (Organization); Major League Baseball (Organization)--History

Partial Transcript: The most outstanding thing that I ever saw in my life happened in Detroit, and I never forgot it and I never, never will...

Segment Synopsis: Paparella talks about how he felt responsible for the fans throwing stadium seats at Roger Maris. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Baseball fans; Booing; Chairs; Detroit (Mich.); Fans; Foul balls; Jimmy Dykes; Paul Runge; Umpires

Subjects: Baseball umpires; Major League Baseball (Organization)--History; Maris, Roger, 1934-1985; New York Yankees (Baseball Team); Right fielders (Baseball)