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vdarcangelo 's review for:
As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires
by Bruce Weber
This review originally appeared in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
As They See ’Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires
Nonfiction. By Bruce Weber. Scribner, $25. Grade: B
Book in a nutshell: For the past 25 years, Bruce Weber has graced the pages of the New York Times, writing obituaries, critiquing books and theater, discussing sports and explaining, once and for all, that he’s not that Bruce Weber (the big-shot photographer).
This Weber gets behind the plate with his new book, which, just in time for Opening Day, explores the secret society calling the balls and strikes for the boys of summer: umpires.
Perhaps the most hated figure in sports, the umpire has an unenviable job. So what would possess one to choose this career path?
There are many reasons, as Weber learns when he attends umpiring school and meets with former and current umpires. Wealth and respect are not among them in a profession where to be noticed usually means living in infamy after a blown call at a critical moment.
Weber briefly inhabits this insular world and discovers a unique breed of men for whom adjudicating the national pastime is a passion bordering on self-loathing obsession. Some call umpires a necessary evil. Others call them names unfit to print. Weber finds them to be hard-working, dues-paying dreamers who get no respect—and aren’t too far off from being a cult.
Best tidbit: “Is there another line of work—prison guard, maybe?—where the workplace is so steeped in hostility? Or where being right is no defense against attack? For most of us, an argument is something out of the ordinary and something that we try to win, but umpires go to work expecting to be derided and disdained.” (97)
Pros: The book is filled with great sports anecdotes, from death threats to famously blown calls to Matt Holliday’s controversial play at the plate in the 2007 “play-in” game between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres.
Cons: Weber attempts to tell three stories in this book: his first-person account behind the mask, the travails of minor-league umps and the history of umpiring. At times this was confusing, and the historical sections were often dry and repetitive.
Final words: Readers will walk away with a newfound appreciation for the men in blue.
As They See ’Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires
Nonfiction. By Bruce Weber. Scribner, $25. Grade: B
Book in a nutshell: For the past 25 years, Bruce Weber has graced the pages of the New York Times, writing obituaries, critiquing books and theater, discussing sports and explaining, once and for all, that he’s not that Bruce Weber (the big-shot photographer).
This Weber gets behind the plate with his new book, which, just in time for Opening Day, explores the secret society calling the balls and strikes for the boys of summer: umpires.
Perhaps the most hated figure in sports, the umpire has an unenviable job. So what would possess one to choose this career path?
There are many reasons, as Weber learns when he attends umpiring school and meets with former and current umpires. Wealth and respect are not among them in a profession where to be noticed usually means living in infamy after a blown call at a critical moment.
Weber briefly inhabits this insular world and discovers a unique breed of men for whom adjudicating the national pastime is a passion bordering on self-loathing obsession. Some call umpires a necessary evil. Others call them names unfit to print. Weber finds them to be hard-working, dues-paying dreamers who get no respect—and aren’t too far off from being a cult.
Best tidbit: “Is there another line of work—prison guard, maybe?—where the workplace is so steeped in hostility? Or where being right is no defense against attack? For most of us, an argument is something out of the ordinary and something that we try to win, but umpires go to work expecting to be derided and disdained.” (97)
Pros: The book is filled with great sports anecdotes, from death threats to famously blown calls to Matt Holliday’s controversial play at the plate in the 2007 “play-in” game between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres.
Cons: Weber attempts to tell three stories in this book: his first-person account behind the mask, the travails of minor-league umps and the history of umpiring. At times this was confusing, and the historical sections were often dry and repetitive.
Final words: Readers will walk away with a newfound appreciation for the men in blue.