Joe Brinkman

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Joseph Norbert Brinkman (born April 9, 1944 in Little Falls, Minnesota) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1973 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 until his retirement during the 2006 season. His retirement was announced on August 22, 2006 (Charlotte Observer). Bob Davidson will take Brinkman's place.

1 Career
- 1.1 Pine Tar Game
- 1.2 Uniform number
2 Other information
3 External links

[edit] Career

His 34 years of umpiring AL games surpassed the record set by Larry Barnett (1968-1999). Brinkman umpired in three World Series: 1978, 1986, 1995. He also officiated in 5 American League Championship Series (1976, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1997), and in 3 All-Star games (1977, 1991, 1996), calling balls and strikes in 1991. He worked the Division Series in 1981, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2005. He served as the crew chief for the ALCS in 1976, 1987 and 1997, becoming the fourth AL umpire to do so three times, and also for the 2005 NLDS.

[edit] Pine Tar Game

Brinkman was also the crew chief for the Pine Tar Game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees on July 24, 1983. In that game, George Brett of the Royals hit a two-run home run off of Yankees reliever Goose Gossage in the ninth inning, but home plate umpire Tim McClelland, after conferring with Brinkman, found that the pine tar on Brett's bat exceeded the allowed limit of 18 inches, and Brett was called out. Brett immediately ran out of the dugout toward the umpires to vehemently dispute the call. American League president Lee MacPhail later overturned the umpires' ruling upon a protest by the Royals, and the home run was restored. The game was resumed on August 18, but Brinkman and his crew were not present. Brinkman had provided a sworn affadavit stating that Brett and baserunner U. L. Washington had touched all the bases, anticipating appeal plays by Yankees manager Billy Martin to state that the runners missed at least one base. Dave Phillips, the crew chief of the umpiring crew that was at Yankee Stadium when the game resumed, showed Martin a copy of the affadavit.

[edit] Uniform number

He wore uniform number 15 from the year the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980, and kept the number when MLB took over supervision of a combined umpiring staff in 2000. He was the last active umpire to have worn the red blazers that were part of the AL's umpiring uniforms from 1973 through 1979. He likened the red coats to making AL umpires look like "a bunch of Captain Kangaroos" in cold weather.