Umpire Ron Luciano [1] Trivia Quiz

Answer: Detroit Lions & Buffalo Bills

In 1959, Ron was chosen in the second round draft choice by the Baltimore Colts, but was immediately forwarded to the Detroit Lions. Ron spent three years on the disabled list, due to the injuries he suffered during pre-season games each year, tearing up both his shoulder and knee.

In 1960, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, but he chose instead to go to the Buffalo Bills. In 1962, he managed to make it to the third pre-season game without injury, until he tore up his shoulder again. To quote Ron: "An injury that keeps you out of football for one year is an accident. An injury that keeps you out of football a second year is a shame. An injury that keeps you out of football the third year is a message!"

Answer: General Manager

Ron was contacted by Spike Briggs in 1963, and offered the job of General Manager of the Detroit Tigers' minor league team. Ron accepted the job, but while in Daytona Beach, he decided to go to Al Somers' Umpire Instructional Course. His idea was just to learn the rules of baseball, but he enjoyed the course so much that instead, he became an umpire.

Answer: Pinky May

Although any one of them might have been Ron's first, Pinky May won that honor while Ron was umpiring in the Florida State League. In spring training in Lakeland, Ron was having problems behind the plate, missing several calls. May was all over Ron, cursing and screaming at him. Ron's words: "I was terribly upset.

He didn't even know me and he was swearing at me. I didn't need him to embarrass me in front of the fans. I was doing a pretty good job of it myself, so I threw him out of the game."

Answer: 1965

Ron and Earl met in Reading, Pennsylvania. Weaver was managing the Elmira Pioneers. Ron ejected Earl in all four games of the series. Their relationship went downhill from there. They had a brief vacation from each other when Earl moved up to the majors to manage the Baltimore Orioles, but Ron soon followed, having his contract purchased by the American League in 1968. Ron says: "About the only person who might have been unhappy about my promotion was Earl Weaver. No one could have blamed him if he developed a healthy persecution complex. I'm sure he thought he'd left his problem behind. But here I was. Having me come up to the majors so soon after he got there was something like having the dog eat your birthday cake before you got to blow out the candles".

Ron's feuds with Weaver grew so bad that the American League removed Ron from Baltimore games. Ron's last Weaver ejection took place in June 1979 during a Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox series at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Ron ejected Earl for complaining about Ron's performance behind the plate. After Ron ejected him, Weaver protested the game on the grounds of the "umpire's integrity". He had it announced over the loudspeaker, but lost the protest and was suspended for three games. Ron retired at the end of that season. Earl Weaver continued to argue and harass umpires and be ejected until he retired in 1986. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

Answer: Washington D.C.

Ron had been assigned to Jim Honochick's crew and scheduled to work third base at the season opener, but had lost his umpire's uniform. Honochick called in a replacement, but Ron still wanted to work his first game. He put on a black suit, and was finally allowed to work the right-field foul line. Ron's suit turned up the next day.

Answer: Cleveland

Ron's words: "The first game behind the plate is a milestone for an umpire. It couldn't have gone any better. It was a 2-1 game and I had no controversial calls. Every strike was right down the middle, every ball was two feet outside. At the end of the game the Indians' catcher, Duke Sims, gave me the game ball, a nice baseball tradition.

Hey, I thought happily, this is easy. I can do this with my eyes closed (which I was later accused of doing). I said something like that to Honochick. Jim looked at me and smiled knowingly".

Answer: Frank Robinson

Robinson was managing the Cleveland Indians at the time. He fined his players if they talked to Ron on the field. Some players on other teams didn't mind Ron's chatter at all, and some players didn't want him bothering them in a critical situation. Carl Yastrzemski, for example.

Ron's words: "I remember Yaz coming to bat in a gamer situation in Boston in 1976. 33,536 Fenway Park fans were screaming at him, but he didn't hear them. Before I could say a word, he looked at me and said, 'Listen, Ronnie, my kid is hitting .300, my wife is fine, I haven't heard any new jokes, I don't want to know about Polish restaurants, I'm nothing for fifteen and I want you to keep your mouth shut!' What could I say? On the second pitch he hit a home run. As he crossed home plate he looked at me and nodded. 'Okay,' he said, 'you can talk now".

Answer: True

In spring training in Tucson, Arizona, the Cleveland Indians were playing the California Angels in an exhibition game. Ron was umpiring at third base, and Buddy Bell was playing third for the Indians. After committing a second error, Ron laughed at him. Bell turned around to Ron and said, "Watch your step, Luciano. I blow one more, you're gonna have to play third and I'm gonna ump".

An inning later, with an Angel runner on first, a routine grounder went through Bell's legs, and Bell and Ron exchanged places. The Angels batter hit the ball to right field. The right fielder threw the ball to Ron, who caught it, but not in time to get the lead runner out. When he threw the ball to stop the batter from reaching second, he miscalculated his throw, and the ball went so high in the air that second baseman Jack Brohamer leaped to catch it. By that time, the batter was standing on second base and should have been called safe. Brohamer tagged him anyway, and umpire Joe Brinkman called him out. The batter argued until Brinkman pointed to third, showing him just exactly who threw the ball. "Oh", the batter said and left the field.

Ron's words: "That ended my brief playing career. As soon as the league office heard about it I received a letter telling me never to play again--as if I needed a warning--and both clubs were reprimanded but not fined. I've never been invited back for Old Timer's Day, either. How quickly they forget"!

Answer: False

Not directly, but he was responsible for it. Killebrew was playing his last season as a Kansas City Royal in 1975. Ron was umpiring at second base. Killebrew hit a line drive and managed to get to second. Ron was complimenting Killebrew, and Harmon stepped off second and walked toward Ron so he could hear him. Just then, the pitcher threw the ball to the shortstop, who calmly approached Killebrew. Harmon had his back to the shortstop, so he didn't see it coming until it was too late. Harmon said to Ron, "I gotta tell you, I don't want to go back to the dugout. How'm I going to explain this one"? Killebrew wanted to know if Ron would pay half if manager Whitey Herzog fined him. Ron said no.

Answer: True

Ron did spend an entire ballgame in centerfield trying to talk Detroit Tigers centerfielder Mickey Stanley out of retiring. He liked Stanley because he never argued with umpires. Detroit General Manager Jim Campbell reported Ron to American League Supervisor of Umpires Dick Butler. Butler called Ron and asked him what he was doing in center field during a game. I think Ron was pretty smart to come up with the answer he did.

Ron's words: "I'm testing a new theory. You know, one of the toughest plays for an umpire is the trap play in the outfield. Sometimes you just can't tell if the fielder caught the ball on the fly or short-hopped it. I figure that with nobody on base one ump can go out there". Butler didn't believe him, and told Ron that his experiment was officially a failure.

Answer: True

It happened in a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.

Ron's words: "I was working the plate in the seventh inning of a close game. Tommy John was pitching for the White Sox and Don Buford was the Oriole batter. As John began winding up, the ball squirted out of his hand and dribbled a few feet behind the pitcher's mound. Tommy continued his follow-through because he didn't want to risk straining his arm by stopping abruptly. Naturally I couldn't resist the opportunity. I threw up my right arm. 'Strike one.' The fans went crazy. Buford stepped out of the batter's box and glared at me. 'What the hell are you doing?' 'It caught the inside corner.' I said. Ed Herrmann, the White Sox catcher, agreed with me. 'It was a good pitch, Don.' Weaver was on me in an instant, screaming about my making a mockery of the game. I told him it was just a joke, he said I was just a joke, and I changed the call."

Answer: False

It wasn't for "shooting" him out. It was for "blowing him up". The victim was Royals shortstop Freddie Patek. He had asked Ron before a game in which Ron was working first base not to shoot at him if he was out. "Look," he said, "I haven't had a hit in about twenty at- bats, and I'm gonna be embarrassed if you shoot me out. So please give me a break this time." Ron agreed not to do it. Patek hit a ground ball to the shortstop his third time at bat. John Mayberry and Frank White were yelling at Ron from the Royals dugout "Shoot him! Shoot Him!". Ron had given Patek his word, though, so instead of "shooting" him, he pulled the pin out of a "hand grenade" and threw it at him. Patek was so upset at Ron that he refused to come out of the dugout at the start of the next inning. Royals manager Bob Lemon told Ron that Patek wasn't going to come out onto the field until Ron apologized for making him look bad. Ron apologized, and Patek returned to the field.

Answer: False

Ron almost punched Martin, but didn't. Ron was working a Texas Rangers-California Angels game in Texas in 1974. The umpires were one short as one crew member was sick, so Ron, as he put it, "had to do a lot of running". He had already argued with Angels manager Bobby Winkles on a balk call. It was terribly hot and humid, and Ron stayed angry throughout the rest of the game. In the seventh inning, the Angels shortstop was off second base when he caught a batted ball, but since Ron was had to cover the whole right side of the infield alone, he didn't have the proper angle to see if the shortstop was touching the base when he caught the ball. Ron went with the odds and called the runner out. Martin had the advantage of instant replay, showing the shortstop off the base when the catch was made, and came out to argue with Ron.

Ron's words: "I tried to hold my temper as I explained to him that I hadn't gotten a good look at the play because we were working with only three umpires. (censored) Then why didn't you ask for help?' 'Yeah? Who was I gonna ask? You?' (censored) he continued, (censored). Finally everything got to be too much. The heat got to me. I was still furious at Winkles. Martin being right. I could just feel the anger boiling up inside me. I could feel my body tensing. 'Hey'! Martin yelled suddenly. 'Don't hit me'! His screaming demand shocked me into reality. My hand was cocked into a fist and drawn back. If Martin hadn't stopped me, I would have socked him".

Answer: NBC

Ron was hired by NBC Sports producer Mike Weisman to do the color commentary for the regional Game of the Week. Ron worked with Merle Harmon for two seasons, but then NBC did not renew his contract.

Answer: False

Sadly, Ron Luciano passed away January 19, 1995, at the age of 57. It is reported that he committed suicide. In 1974, a polling of the Major League Players Association voted Ron as one of only two "excellent" umpires in the American League. Baseball fans will always miss him.