Harold Douglas Harvey (born March 13 1930 in South Gate, California) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1962 to 1992. Noted for his authoritative command of baseball rules, he earned the tongue in cheek nickname "God" from players, and was among the last major league umpires who never attended an umpiring school. His career total of 4,670 games ranked third in major league history when he retired. In 1999 the Society for American Baseball Research ranked Harvey as the second greatest umpire in history, behind only Bill Klem.[1][2] In 2007, Referee magazine selected him as one of the 52 most influential figures in the history of sports officiating.[3]
Harvey umpired in five World Series (1968, 1974, 1981, 1984 and 1988), serving as crew chief in 1984 and 1988, and in six All-Star Games (1963, 1964, 1971, 1977, 1982 and 1992), calling balls and strikes for the 1982 and 1992 games. He also set a record by officiating in the National League Championship Series nine times – 1970 (Games 2-3), 1972, 1976, 1980, 1983, 1984 (Game 5), 1986, 1989 and 1991 – serving as crew chief for the last three; his record was later tied by Paul Runge, and broken by Bruce Froemming in 2000. Harvey was the home plate umpire for the single-game playoff to decide the NL's Western Division champion in 1980, between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Career history
Harvey began officiating local basketball games at the high school level at age 16, later umpiring softball and baseball. He attended San Diego State University, where he played baseball and football, afterward returning to umpiring in the minor leagues while also officiating college basketball and football games. He umpired in the California League from 1958 to 1960, and in the Pacific Coast League in 1961. Upon reaching the majors in April 1962, his greatest influences were umpires Al Barlick, Jocko Conlan and Shag Crawford, each of whom gave him invaluable advice in developing his skills – Barlick for his renowned mastery of the rules, Conlan for helping him appreciate the fun of umpiring, and Crawford for his tremendous work ethic.[4] He was noted for his thick white hair, which had already gone completely gray when he was in his 30s, and in 1971 he grew a handlebar mustache,[5] at a time when no major league field personnel had worn facial hair since the 1940s; although he kept it trimmed to the edges of his mouth, he wore it for the rest of his career, making him easily recognizable. In the latter part of his career, Harvey became known for appearing in the "You Make the Call" segments on the televised Game of the Week.[6] In 1990, Sport magazine named him the best umpire in the game, citing his unbending application of the rules and noting his campaign to enforce the balk rule two seasons earlier, when he said, "Give me 10 high school pitchers, let me spend a week with them, and I'll show you 10 pitchers who won't balk. It's not that difficult. So they better learn it."[7] Harvey's goal of umpiring until age 65 was ended in 1992 at age 62, when knee problems necessitated his retirement. He nonetheless became the first NL umpire since Bill Klem to work for more than 30 years, finishing with 31 years in the major leagues; his 4,670 games then ranked third in major league history behind Klem (5,374) and Tommy Connolly (4,769).[8]
Other notable games
Among the notable games in which Harvey worked was the 1972 game in which Roberto Clemente collected his 3,000th (and last) base hit off of the New York Mets' Jon Matlack. He was the home plate umpire on September 10, 1963, when brothers Jesus, Matty and Felipe Alou batted consecutively for the San Francisco Giants,[9] and also on June 3, 1987, when the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs hit a combined three grand slams at Wrigley Field.[10]
Harvey regarded his greatest contribution to baseball as being the introduction of a new sense of timing to umpiring; he noted that when he arrived in the major leagues, the emphasis was on making calls quickly and decisively, and said, "Everything was called too quickly. I've got a photograph of Jocko Conlan working first base. Jocko's arm was extended in the out call. But the runner was still short of the bag, and the ball was still in flight. In those days it was common to anticipate the call." Harvey, however, changed attitudes by insisting that it was better to delay the call and make sure it was correct.[11]
Diagnosed with oral cancer
In August 1997, Harvey was diagnosed with oral cancer, which was attributed to his longtime use of chewing tobacco.[12] He has since become active in speaking to ballplayers and students about the dangers of tobacco use.
Hall of Fame candidacy
In both 2003 and 2007, Harvey was the leading candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame in voting by Hall members on the Veterans Committee composite ballot for managers, umpires and executives; however, his totals of 48 and 52 votes in the two elections fell short of the 60 and 62 necessary for election. Under new rules established by the Hall in 2007, he will again be eligible for election in 2008.
References
- ^ "SABR Century Survey Results". The SABR Bulletin. 29 (7). Cleveland: Society for American Baseball Research: 8–9. 1999.
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ignored (help) - ^ Miller, Scott (2007-02-08). "Harvey hoping Veterans ballots will finally say, 'Yer in!'". CBS Sportsline.com. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
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(help) - ^ "They Made Officiating". Referee. 32 (11). Racine, WI: Referee Enterprises: pp. 24-32. 2007. ISSN 0733-1436.
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ignored (help) - ^ Garrity, John (1998-10-19). "A Few Words From God". Sports Illustrated. 89 (16): p. 45.
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(help) - ^ Holtzman, Jerome (1971-12-18). "Ump Harvey Grows Handlebar Mustache". The Sporting News. p. 53.
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(help) - ^ "National Spit Tobacco Education Program Speakers Bureau". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ "The 100 Best in Sports". Sport. 81 (10). Los Angeles: Petersen Publishing: p. 58. 1990. ISSN 0038-7797.
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ignored (help) - ^ White, Paul (2006-08-15). "Froemming calling his 5,000th". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
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(help) - ^ Dittmar, Joseph J. (1990). Baseball's Benchmark Boxscores. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. pp. pp. 140-41. ISBN 0-89950-488-4.
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has extra text (help) - ^ Dittmar, pp. 197-98.
- ^ Holtzman, Jerome (1992). "Doug Harvey: An Old Umpiring Soldier Fades Away". Baseball Digest. 51 (10): pp. 65-67.
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ignored (help) - ^ Koenig, Bill (1998-04-15). "Ump's Habit Was Nearly His Downfall". USA Today Baseball Weekly. p. 30.
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External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame - 2007 Veterans Committee candidate profile at the Internet Archive
- Retrosheet
- BaseballLibrary.com - biography, career highlights and SABR bibliography
- National Spit Tobacco Education Program