Interview with August J. Donatelli, March 18, 1988

Partial Transcript: Mr. Donatelli, um, you began your baseball career playing in the Minors, didn't you?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli describes his early career playing in the Minor Leagues in Pennsylvania.

Keywords: Augie Donatelli; Bakerton (Pa.); Baseball fans; Coal mines; Ebensburg (Pa.); Fans; Penn State League

Subjects: Baseball players.; Baseball.; Minor league baseball.; Pennsylvania.; Shortstop (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: Now you went into the service right after the war began?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli shares a story about how he and another man were flying over the Mojave Desert during World War II when their airplane began to have engine troubles. He tells how the pilot was able to land the plane without it exploding.

Keywords: Airplanes; Army Air Corps; Blythe (Calif.); Bombers; Carlson; Crashes; Deserts; Explosions; Flare guns; Mojave Desert; Pilots; SBD

Subjects: United States. Army Air Forces.; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: But I would like to see the pilot again, see? And I'm sure he went overseas. See, they wanted us...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli shares briefly how he got his nickname of "Augie". He also tells how he was shot down during a bombing mission over Berlin.

Keywords: "Augie"; "Gus"; Airplanes; B-17s; Berlin (Germany); Gunners; Nicknames; Noise; POWs; Parachutes; Pilots; Prisoners; SBD; Trees

Subjects: Berlin (Germany).; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: In the meantime, uh, uh, they had a Feldwebel, that's a sergeant, and then the German...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli shares how he was captured by a German sergeant after his airplane was shot down.

Keywords: Doctors; Feldwebel; German Army; Guns; Interrogations; Motorcycles; Pistols; Snow

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945.; Wounds and injuries.

Partial Transcript: And finally, we, I was shipped to, uh, uh... Frankfurt, okay, that's the main place there, you see.

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about his experiences at Stalag Luft VI, in Lithuania. He describes the treatment of prisoners there and tells how several prisoners died when the hut they were staying in was struck by lightning.

Keywords: Bayonets; Boxcars; Frankfurt (Germany); German soldiers; Heydekrug (Lithuania); Lightning; Memel (Lithuania); POWs; Pilots; Prison camps; Prisoners; Stalag Luft VI; Storms

Subjects: Prisons.; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons.

Partial Transcript: Well that happened there, and then... they started us on that...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli tells how he and the other prisoners of war were forced to march from Stalag Luft VI to avoid the approaching Russian Army. He talks about the lack of food during the march and how a doctor in their group took care of the other prisoners of war.

Keywords: Caplan (??); Death; Doctors; Dysentery; Food; Kohlrabi; Potatoes; Prisoners of war; Russians; Walks

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Medical care.; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons.

Partial Transcript: Andrewsik (??). That name. Stanley Andrewsik (??). He's a Polish fellow in our service, you know...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli tells how he and another prisoner of war escaped from the march. He also talks about the weather conditions at the time and how they tried to hide in a haystack as a way of staying warm.

Keywords: Airplanes; Barns; Cold; Escaping; Farms; Hay; Haystacks; POWs; Stanley Andrewsik (??); Winter

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons.; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: You will never believe this. Now, this one particular day, the kids decided to look for eggs...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli tells how he and his comrade were discovered hiding in a barn by several children who were looking for eggs. He discusses being captured again and being sent to another prison camp, sharing what they did while there.

Keywords: Barns; Buses; Children; Eggs; Frenchmen; Guards; Hiding; Jules; Labor camps; Logs; Prison camps; Prisoners of war; Professors; Railroads; Russians; Shotguns; Trenches

Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons.; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: All of the sudden, I'm at Camp Lucky Strike, see? That's where they had all the prisoners of war, you know?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli shares how he returned to the United States after the war, as well as his decision to attend umpire school.

Keywords: Al Somers; Bill McGowan; Bill McGowan's school; Camp Lucky Strike; Coal mines; Contracts; Leave; Liberation; Liberty ships; Nuremberg (Germany); Prisoners of war; San Antonio (Texas); Umpire school; Umpiring; VA; Vic Mature; Weight

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons.; World War, 1939-1945.

Partial Transcript: And in the meantime, he's talking to Bill McGowan, who is in the Majors. Al was going to the Pacific Coast League then, see?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli states that Bill McGowan pointed him out as being someone who would be umpiring in the Major Leagues in a few years. He also talks briefly about umpiring in the Pioneer League.

Keywords: Al Somers; Bill McGowan; Bill McGowan's school; Cal Hubbard; Night classes; Pacific Coast League; Pioneer League; Umpire school

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Harridge, Will, 1883-1971.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Minor league baseball.

Partial Transcript: Is this interesting?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli discusses the umpiring school he went to in greater detail. He also shares his reasons for becoming an umpire.

Keywords: Al Somers; Bill McGowan; Bill McGowan's school; Curriculum; Elmer Daily; Exercises; Indicators (Baseball); Instructors; League president; Marriage; Middle Atlantic League; Penn State League; Prisoners of war; Rulebooks; Umpire school; Umpiring

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Wounds and injuries.

Partial Transcript: Now, this is something. When... A-ball, okay?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli tells how he had his contract sold to the International League, and how he was originally meant to be umpiring for the Major Leagues at that time.

Keywords: "Sally League"; Contracts; Earl Blue (??); International League; League presidents; Lon Warneke; South Atlantic League

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Minor league baseball.

Partial Transcript: Okay. Let me go back on you again. Let's go back to... the Pioneer League in 1946.

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli further discusses what it was like to umpire for the Pioneer League, including traveling and his accommodations at towns where he umpired. He also talks briefly about Pioneer League players who made it to the Major Leagues.

Keywords: Bob Chesnes; Buses; Dressing rooms; Harry Perkowski; Idaho; Idaho Falls (Idaho); Money; Pioneer League; Pocatello (Idaho); Salaries; Showers; Snow; Traveling; Utah

Subjects: Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Catchers (Baseball).; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Minor league baseball.; New York Yankees (Baseball Team).; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: This point of time in, in 1946 was... probably when the Minor Leagues were at their peak. There were more...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about his continued involvement with Bill McGowan's umpiring school as an instructor. He also discusses several players he knew as an umpire for the South Atlantic League who eventually went on to the Major Leagues.

Keywords: "Mandrake"; "Sally League"; Al Somers; Baseball teams; Bill McGowan; Bill McGowan's school; Billy Gardner; Bourdegre (??); Daytona Beach (Fla.); Don Mueller; George Barr; Instructors; Les Fusslemen (??); Lou Brissie; Pioneer League; Roy Hartsfield; South Atlantic League; Tom Poholsky

Subjects: Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Minor league baseball.; New York Giants (Baseball Team).; Pitchers (Baseball).

Partial Transcript: Well, the International League, that was just full of ball players.

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli discusses his salary when working for various Minor League teams, which he states that he supplemented by working in the coal mines.

Keywords: AAA; Bony coal; Coal; Coal mining; International League; Marriage; Money; Pioneer League; Salaries; South Atlantic League

Subjects: Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Campanella, Roy, 1921-1993.; Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Newcombe, Don, 1926-.; Robinson, Jackie, 1919-1972.

Partial Transcript: Uh, when you were, that last couple of years when you were in the International League, did you travel then by train?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about how he would travel from game to game as an umpire, describing the travel conditions. He also briefly discusses the need to be careful when making friends as an umpire because doing so might disrupt the integrity of ones' calls, depending on the person.

Keywords: Automobiles; Cars; Friends; Golf; Integrity; Night games; Pioneer League; Sleeping; South Atlantic League; Spare time; Trains; Travel

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; National League (Major League Baseball).

Partial Transcript: I'll tell you what I wanted to do. I formed the association. You didn't know that. No one told you that, did they?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about the formation of the Major League Umpires Association and the part that he had in its creation. He describes the discouragement that the umpires had from the National League, but states that they were eventually able to settle.

Keywords: Attorneys; Crew chiefs; Executive Board; Firings; John Reynolds; Judges; Major League Umpires Association; Money; Negotiations; Newspapers; Pension plans; Salaries; Umpires

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Chicago (Ill.).; Major League Baseball (Organization).; National League (Major League Baseball).; Pensions.

Partial Transcript: Now, the American League, they were firing people and uh, raising hell with people about the same thing that we did.

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli discusses how the American League umpires wanted to form a union similar to the one that the National League umpires had formed. He shares some of the reasons why this union was somewhat less successful.

Keywords: Firings; Salerno; Suing; Valentine; Voting

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

Partial Transcript: Do you realize about, I guess it'd be maybe sixteen, seventeen years earlier, a man named Ernie Stewart...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks briefly about Baseball Commissioner Chandler. He also shares recollections of the first game that he umpired in the Major Leagues.

Keywords: Baseball fans; Baseball games; Chicken wire; Children; Ernie Stewart; Fans; Firings; Home runs; Larry Goetz; Nate Colbert; Organizing; Polo Grounds; Rhubarbs; Third base

Subjects: American League (Major League Baseball).; Baseball commissioners.; Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Boston Braves (Baseball Team).; Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball Team).; Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991.; Ebbets Field (New York, N.Y.).; Frick, Ford C.; Harridge, Will, 1883-1971.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Musial, Stan, 1920-2013.; Philadelphia

Partial Transcript: Who, uh, you. Uh, were you tested when you first came in? And how were you tested?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli gives his thoughts on Ford Frick and other past and present (1988) baseball commissioners.

Keywords: Baseball presidents; Bill Stewart; Books; Chuck Feeney (??); Jim Henning (??); Jocko (??); Strictness; Writers; Yale

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Durocher, Leo, 1906-1991.; Frick, Ford C.; Giles, Warren C. (Warren Crandall), 1896-1979.

Partial Transcript: Let me go over some of the umpires that you umpired with. Just, y-- give me a... sort of an encapsulated...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about some of the other Major League umpires he knew.

Keywords: Al Barlick; Anger; Artie Gore; Babe Pinelli; Bill Klem; Dusty Boggess; Dusty Bogus; Frank Dascoli; Jocko Conlan; Larry Goetz; Lee Ballanfant; Lou Jorda; Retirement; World Series

Subjects: Baseball umpires.; Baseball.; Giles, Warren C. (Warren Crandall), 1896-1979.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Partial Transcript: The uh, the rhubarb seems to play, uh, have played in the American, you know...

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli talks about some of the arguments that occurred between players or managers and the umpires. (colloquially known as "rhubarb").

Keywords: Fred Hutchinson; Jocko Conlan; Rhubarb; Tempers

Subjects: Baseball managers.; Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Durocher, Leo, 1906-1991.

Partial Transcript: ...What was your point of no return?

Segment Synopsis: Donatelli discusses some of the reasons that he would eject someone from the game. He briefly talks about many different players and managers he worked with, and mentions Slim Barker, a University of Kentucky basketball player whom he knew in the prison camp. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Baseball gloves; Billy Meyer; Billy Southworth; Bunts; Charlie Dressen; Eddie Sawyer; Ejections; Foul balls; Johnny Sain; Ken Burkhart; Outs; Prison camps; Profanity; Robert Roberts; Slim Barker; Suspensions; Wally Moon; Warren Spahn

Subjects: Baseball managers.; Baseball players.; Baseball umpires.; Baseball--Management.; Catchers (Baseball).; Frisch, Frank.; Major League Baseball (Organization).; Marion, Marty, 1916-2011.; Musial, Stan, 1920-2013.; Pitchers (Baseball).; Sewell, Luke, 1901-1987.