Conlan had a brief career as an AL outfielder but was elected to baseball's Hall
of Fame in 1974 as an umpire. His first stint of umpiring came by accident. When
regular AL umpire Red Ormsby was overcome by heat during a 1935 Browns-White Sox
game, Conlan, a Chicago reserve, filled in. The next year, he launched his new career
as an ump.
He umpired in the NL for 25 years, starting in 1941. His trademarks
were his quick grin, polka dot tie, and
balloon chest protector. He was allowed to
continue using the outside protector for five years after the NL adopted the inside
protector for its umps because he was at risk from being hit in the throat by pitches.
The
spunky Irishman had many run-ins with NL managers, particularly firebrands Leo Durocher
and Frankie Frisch. In a 1955 game he was suffering from an attack of arthritis and
found it difficult to bend to see low pitches. When he called a strike on Jackie
Robinson on a pitch nearly in the dirt, "Robinson seemed so honestly shocked over
the call," Conlan said, "I figured I must have missed it. I didn't want any more
like that." Rather than make another mistake, he left the field.
(RTM)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»May 13, 1940: In a replay of their washed-out game of April 23rd called on account of darkness, the Reds and the Cards neglect to inform the league office, and no umpires are assigned to Crosley Field. Coach Jimmy Wilson and P Lon Warneke are pressed into service as umpires before umpire Larry Goetz, at home in Cincinnati on a day off, arrives to officiate. Warneke will later become a full-time umpire, while Wilson will return to active duty at the end of the year and star in the World Series. Johnny Mize of the St. Louis Cardinals hits three home runs, and the Reds Bill Werber has five hits and collects four doubles in a 14-inning, 8–8 tie with the Reds. Mize's is his 3rd 3-homer game, breaking the tie for the National League record he shared with George Kelly. After 1910, there will be only five games this century in which active players umpire: Besides today these are: 1912: Ham Hyatt (Pit-N) and Ed Phelps (Bro-N); 1935: Jocko Conlan (Chi-A); 1941: Johnny Cooney (Bos-N) and Freddie Fitzsimmons (Bro-N); and 1978: Don Leppert (coach, Tor-A) and Jerry Zimmerman (coach, Min-A). (as noted by historian Wayne McElreavy)
»May 27, 1941: At the Polo Grounds the score 1–1 between the Giants and Braves when umpire Jocko Conlan calls time in the 7th. The crowd and the two teams then listens for 45 minutes while President Roosevelt's radio message about the war in Europe is heard on the loudspeakers. When play resumes, the Braves lift Jim Tobin for Manny Salvo, while the Giants take out starter Hal Schumacher, replacing him with Carl Hubbell. Hubbell's single wins it for New York, 2–1.
»August 19, 1941:
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Frankie Frisch is ejected by umpire Jocko Conlan from the second game of a doubleheader when he appears on the field with an umbrella to protest the playing conditions at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. The rainy argument is later portrayed in a famous oil painting by artist Norman Rockwell.
»August 26, 1948: The Cubs sweep two from the Braves, 5–1 and 5–2, despite a near-riot that holds up play for 20 minutes in the nitecap. The reaction by the fans comes when Jocko Conlan rules that a drive by Phil Cavarretta in the 3rd inning is a ground-rule double, not an inside the park homer. Conlan makes his call after Braves LF Jeff Heath "loses" the ball in the Wrigley vines, though it is really by his feet. The fans shower the field in protest and Conlan bawls out some of Chicago's finest for not taking any action. When play is resumed, Andy Pafko walks and Peanut Lowrey's hits a bases-loaded triple.
»May 7, 1955:
Behind Carl Erskine, the Dodgers beat Robin Roberts and the Phils, 6–3, for their 9th straight win. All the Phils scoring is on solo homers -- two by Willie Jones and one by Del Ennis. For the Phils, it is their 8th loss in a row while the Brooks have now won 20 out of 22 games. The game is almost forfeited in the 7th after plate ump Art Gore chases Roberts, Earl Torgeson, and Jack Meyer from the Phils bench. Fans rain dozens of beer cans down on Gore and fellow ump Jocko Conlan.
»May 7, 1993:
In a Triple-A game between the Omaha Royals and Oklahoma City 89ers, the Royals explode for four consecutive home runs with two outs in the 8th inning of their 11-4 victory. Karl Rhodes, Terry Shumpert, Russ McGinnis, and Bob Hamelin all connected for Omaha, off Gerald Alexander. After the next batter made the 3rd out, Benny Distefano led off the 9th for Oklahoma City with a homer, making five round-trippers in six batters. The Royals win, 11–4. Only once before in the minors have there been four straight homers hit: for Tulsa (Western League) on July 1, 1923. Lyman Smith, Jocko Conlan, Wes Griffin, and Jim Blakesley hit home runs off Wichita's Karl Black. They were the first four batters of the contest in the opener of a doubleheader.
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