Synopses & Reviews
If an umpire could steal the show in a Major League game, Al Clark might well have been the one to do it. Tough but fair, in his thirty years as a professional umpire he took on some of baseballand#8217;s great umpire baiters, such as Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, and Dick Williams, while ejecting any number of the gameand#8217;s eliteand#8212;once tearing a hamstring in the process. He was the first Jewish umpire in American League history, and probably the first to eject his own father from the officialsand#8217; dressing room. But whatever Clark was doingand#8212;officiating at Nolan Ryanand#8217;s three hundredth win, Cal Ripkenand#8217;s record breaker, or the and#8220;earthquakeand#8221; World Series of 1989, or braving a labor dispute, an anti-Semitic tirade by a Cy Young Award winner, or a legal imbroglioand#8212;it makes for a good story.
and#160;Called Out but Safe is Clarkand#8217;s outspoken and often hilarious account of his life in baseball from umpire school through the highlights to the inglorious end of his stellar career. Not just a source of baseball history and lore, Clarkand#8217;s book also affords a rare look at what life is like for someone who works for the Major Leaguesand#8217; other team.and#160;
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Review
“[Jocko] is by turn salty, nostalgic, jocular, egotistical, shrewd, and autocratic—and always Irish—a winning combination for an umpire. Jockos style, even filtered through Robert Creamers ghost writing, reveals a gifted and voluble raconteur. There is a long parade of familiar names and mostly unfamiliar anecdotes.”—Library Journal Library Journal
Review
“Entertainingly told . . . [Jocko has an] almost primitive zeal for baseball and conveys it in colorful anecdotes.”—New York Times Book Review New York Times Book Review
Review
"Clark, having called well over 3,000 MLB games, offers a perspective that is engaging as well as steeped in personal experience. It will be of interest to any baseball fan."and#8212;Brian Renvall, Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Al Clark never threw me out of a game, but Billy Martin wasnand#8217;t so fortunate. I not only witnessed his confrontations with Al but enjoyed remembering them in this book.and#8221;and#8212;Ron Blomberg, first designated hitter
Review
and#8220;Some of the nicest conversations Iand#8217;ve had in forty-two years of baseball have been with umpires. I loved any time spent with my friend Al Clark. Enjoy some great baseball stories from a man who once had a front-row seat in our great game.and#8221;and#8212;Chris Wheeler, Phillies broadcaster
Review
andquot;Everything about Called Out But Safe is personal, and thank goodness for it.andquot;andmdash;Don Laible, Utica Observer-Dispatch
Synopsis
The ultimate umpire relives the good old days on the diamond. Jocko Conlan was an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox when, one afternoon in 1936, he became an umpire. Thus began a career lasting more than a quarter century, most of it with the National League. Through the skillful writing of Robert W. Creamer, the ebullient Jocko makes his many years of umpiring so real that the reader can smell the peanuts and hear the swat of the ball. Jocko is packed with funny stories about famous players and the beleaguered umpires lot.
About the Author
Al Clark was a professional umpire for thirty years, working more than three thousand games, including two All-Star Games, seven playoff series, and two World Series. Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg is the author or coauthor of more than thirty baseball books, including Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story and Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Miloand#8217;s Microphone.