Books and articles about Al Salerno

The union efforts of NL umpires were ahead of their counterparts in the AL during the 1960s. At the annual meeting of the NL umpires' association on September 13, 1968, Salerno and Bill Valentine attended in hopes of joining the group. Three days later, both Salerno and Valentine received calls from AL president Joe Cronin, who informed them that their contracts would not be renewed for the following season because of incompetence. (RTM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » September 16, 1968: AL President Joe Cronin fires umpires Al Salerno, an 8-year veteran, and Bill Valentine, with seven years. They say they have been fired for activities related to starting an umpires union. » September 30, 1968: AL and NL umpires form a new Association of Major League Umpires. They will strike in the spring of 1969 unless Al Salerno and Bill Valentine are reinstated by the AL. » January 6, 1969: Umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine file a grievance against the American League and its president, Joe Cronin. The grievance is filed by the new umpires union with the National Labor Relations Board. » December 11, 1969: A Federal Court in New York City rules against the suit of umpires Bill Valentine and Al Salerno because baseball is exempt from antitrust laws.