Standing the Gaff
196 pages, 5 1/4 x 8
Illus.
Paperback
Release Date:15 May 2005
ISBN:9780817352745
Standing the Gaff
The Life and Hard Times of a Minor League Umpire
By Harry Johnson; Introduction by Larry Gerlach
University of Alabama Press
The rowdy adolescence of baseball, told by the game’s first autobiographical umpire
Harry "Steamboat" Johnson brought to early baseball great integrity and a pugnacious stlye. Toughness--being able to "stand the gaff"--was essential during his long career as an umpire. From 1909 to 1935 Johnson umpired in exhibition games and minor leagues (except for the 1914 season in the National League) from Los Angeles to Toronto. When fans screamed "Kill the umpire!" he responded he'd rather die on a baseball field than anywhere else.
With disarming directness and humor, Steamboat Johnson tells what it was like umpiring for various leagues (the wild Western was nick-named "101 Ranch"), being on the road (lonely because umpires could not fraternize with players), and getting inot all sorts of jams (he once took on Ty Cobb in a 1922 exhibition game between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals). "Standing the gaff" meant surviving the wrath of players-and of fans, who hurled insults and pop bottles. After a game, Steamboat would be escorted to his hotel by the police. Johnson instructs would-be umpires, answers questions from fans, and names the best players he ever saw.
Until now, Standing the Gaff, originally published in 1935, has been hard to find. This edition makes it available to buffs and social historians and those curious about baseball in its rowdy adolescence. In a new introduction, Larry R. Gerlach tells more about Steamboat's life. He is a professor of history at the University of Utah and the author of The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires.
Harry "Steamboat" Johnson brought to early baseball great integrity and a pugnacious stlye. Toughness--being able to "stand the gaff"--was essential during his long career as an umpire. From 1909 to 1935 Johnson umpired in exhibition games and minor leagues (except for the 1914 season in the National League) from Los Angeles to Toronto. When fans screamed "Kill the umpire!" he responded he'd rather die on a baseball field than anywhere else.
With disarming directness and humor, Steamboat Johnson tells what it was like umpiring for various leagues (the wild Western was nick-named "101 Ranch"), being on the road (lonely because umpires could not fraternize with players), and getting inot all sorts of jams (he once took on Ty Cobb in a 1922 exhibition game between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals). "Standing the gaff" meant surviving the wrath of players-and of fans, who hurled insults and pop bottles. After a game, Steamboat would be escorted to his hotel by the police. Johnson instructs would-be umpires, answers questions from fans, and names the best players he ever saw.
Until now, Standing the Gaff, originally published in 1935, has been hard to find. This edition makes it available to buffs and social historians and those curious about baseball in its rowdy adolescence. In a new introduction, Larry R. Gerlach tells more about Steamboat's life. He is a professor of history at the University of Utah and the author of The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires.
‘Legendary minor league umpire Harry ‘Steamboat’ Johnson’s autobiography, Standing the Gaff, was published in 1935. The legend is that he would stand outside the ballpark selling copies to fans before the game; then during the game, when he made a bad call, they would literally throw his book at him. He didn’t care--he’d pick up the books and after the game sell them all over again.’
—Ken Kaiser, author of Planet of the Umps
‘We all know the accomplishments of Baltimore's Cal Ripken, but he would have had to have played for a lot more years to accomplish the true ironman feat of umpire Harry 'Steamboat' Johnson who in the Southern League totaled more than 27 seasons (4400 games) without missing a single assignment. Johnson umpired for a total of 37 consecutive seasons, 1910–1946, and more than 5700 games.’
—Larry Gerlach, from the introduction
