Williams was a strong union man. He once said in 6
x
x
reference to the seven
minor league umpires who worked ML games during the 1979 umpires' strike, "Nobody
tells me who I ave to eat, sleep, or drink with, but when the blue suit goes on,
it's a different story." Known for moving a game along, he once called the rare automatic
ball on Astros pitcher
Larry Dierker for failing to deliver a pitch within 20 seconds
with no one on base. In his 25th and final year as a NL umpire, Billy had his leg
broken in a play at home plate.
(RTM)