Bruce Froemming

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Bruce Froemming

Bruce Neal Froemming (Frömming) (born September 28, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is the most senior active umpire in Major League Baseball. He first umpired in the National League in 1971, and since 2000 has worked throughout both major leagues. His 36 years of service make his the 2nd-longest umpiring career in major league history, trailing only Bill Klem (37 years). On August 16, 2006 he umpired his 5,000th game between the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, second on the all-time MLB list to Klem's 5,374.^[1]

After a brief semi-pro playing career, Froemming became the youngest umpire in professional baseball in 1958 at age 18, working his way up through the minor leagues to the Pacific Coast League before joining the NL staff in April 1971. While in the minor leagues, his work had caught the attention of skilled observers such as Hall of Famer Jocko Conlan. Froemming became one of the NL's six crew chiefs in 1988. He also refereed high school basketball games, and was recommended for the NBA by Al McGuire, but declined the opportunity when NL umpire Al Barlick helped him in his advancement to the major leagues.^[2]

He has worked in 5 World Series: 1976, 1984, 1988, 1990 (Games 3-4) and 1995. He has umpired in the League Championship Series in 1973, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997 and 2000, all in the NL. With his tenth appearance in the LCS in 2000, he broke the record he had previously shared with Doug Harvey; Jerry Crawford tied the record in 2003, and broke it with his 11th LCS in 2005. (Froemming and Crawford share the record of 10 NLCS, as Crawford's 11th was in the American League.)

He has also officiated in a record 8 Division Series: 1981 (East Division), 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 (also all in the NL). He was the home plate umpire for the playoff games to determine the NL wild-card team in both 1998 and 1999. He also umpired in the All-Star Game in 1975 (played at County Stadium in his hometown of Milwaukee) and 1986, calling balls and strikes for the second contest.

Through the 2005 season, he has umpired a record 107 career postseason games, surpassing the mark of Klem, who worked in 104 games (all in the World Series). He has officiated in 22 World Series games, 52 NLCS games and 33 NLDS games.

On September 3, 2001, Froemming was the second base umpire for the no-hitter pitched by Bud Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals. That game marked the record 11th time he had umpired in an official no-hitter; he had previously shared the record of 10 with Silk O'Loughlin, Paul Pryor and Jim McKean. On September 26, 1981, he was behind the plate for Nolan Ryan's record 5th no-hitter. He was also calling balls and strikes on September 2, 1972, when Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas had a perfect game with two out in the ninth inning before walking the 27th batter; Pappas then completed the no-hitter, but later criticized Froemming for wasting his chance at immortality. The umpire notes, "It's gotten ugly now. Right after the game, he said the 3-2 pitch had missed, but as time has gone on, that pitch has gotten better and better."^[2] Froemming did eventually work a perfect game, as the first base umpire for Dennis Martínez' gem on July 28, 1991. Two days earlier, he also umpired in what would have been a 12th no-hitter, but Montreal's Mark Gardner surrendered three hits in the 10th inning and lost; under current guidelines, baseball does not recognize games of nine hitless innings as no-hitters if hits are given up in extra innings.

In April 2001, Froemming was the home plate umpire for the first game at Miller Park in his hometown of Milwaukee. On July 24, 2004, he was the plate umpire in the famous game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox that involved a large brawl initiated by Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez. The game was won by the Red Sox on a dramatic walk-off home run by Bill Mueller off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

Froemming is known for his extremely loud and enthusiastic strike call. He has worn uniform number 6 since the late 1970s, and kept the number when the umpiring staffs of the AL and NL were merged in 2000. Los Angeles Times sports editor Bill Dwyre has described him as as "one of the game's true characters and legends," also calling him the prototypical umpire: "If Hollywood did a movie, they'd send 27 yuppies to study him.^[2]

A commanding presence on the field who has been fined by National League and Major League Baseball on more than one occasion for his public comments and behavior, Froemming has acknowledged that "The one moment I would take back if I could" was in January 2003 when he referred to an umpire administrator as a "stupid Jew bitch" during a dispute over a relatively minor conflict over travel arrangements to Japan; the comment was made at the end of a voice-mail message, apparently after Froemming thought the call had ended.^[1] He was given a 10-day suspension without pay for the incident, which he accepted gracefully after making a public apology. Froemming was also fined in 1996 for going into the Los Angeles Dodgers' clubhouse before a game in New York against the Mets to get Mike Piazza's autograph.^[3]

In 1986, Froemming appeared in a commercial for McDonalds hamburger, the McDLT.

Froemming has been assigned to supervise Mike Winters, Mark Wegner, and Brian Runge in 2007. Brian Runge is the son of Paul Runge, who served on the NL staff from 1973 to 1997; Froemming has recalled that he used to baby-sit for Brian.^[2]

[edit] Quotes

"It's great to see a young umpire like that. He's a nice boy, conscientious, hardworking, a million-dollar heart. And guts. They told me that he put an announcer out of the ball park one night in Tulsa. The announcer made some remark or other over the public address system about the umpire. Froemming stopped the game, turned to the announcer and said, 'Get out.' When I heard about that, I said, 'This is something. I'd like to see that, making an announcer leave the ball park.'" - Jocko Conlan, in his 1967 autobiography Jocko
"The sun is 93 million miles away, and I can see that." - Froemming, when asked about his eyesight ^[2]
"For him, it's a calling, not a job. Something like holy orders. A sacrament, not a profession." - sportswriter Jim Murray ^[2]
""Bruce Froemming was an absolute terror at first - a cross between Napoleon and Hitler...especially if it's a day game after a midsummer's night contest and he has to umpire behind the plate." - Larry Dierker^[4]