Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball

by Dave Pallone, Alan Steinberg

A gay umpire offers a candid inside view of professional baseball, discussing his career and relating anecdotes about incidents on and off the field

Genres: Sports, Biography, Baseball, Nonfiction, Gay, Biography Memoir

348 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 3, 1990

Reviews

[David Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really three and a half stars, but I'll give it four for it's social relevance for its time.

"Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball" is more than just a memoir about ex-umpire Dave Pallone's life in baseball. And some readers may be turned off by the discovery that Pallone goes into some detail about his own self-discovery in his personal life. This book was one of the ways Pallone used to come out that he was gay to the public.

Myself, I was more interested in the baseball related aspects of Pallone's life. Learning about the game from an umpire's point of view and how players interact with them is an aspect of baseball most people don't seek out and most sources don't cover. I also was reminded that umpires cut their teeth in the minor leagues just like the players do. Probably most rewarding was learning about the umpires' strike and more detailed about some of the controversies Pallone had with some of the players, especially with the Pete Rose incident.

[Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though there were some enjoyable and inspiring portions of Dave Pallone's story, the writing style was not my cup of tea. I understand he's not a writer by trade, but I still expected editors, etc, to step in and sort of clean up the parts of this that needed technical work. Additionally, some parts were uncomfortable to read, including his thoughts on effeminate gay men and the opinions and feelings he had related to the sex scandal he was caught up in. I actually gave this a 2.5, but rounded up to 3.

[Richard Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about equality in a baseball framework. It is compelling and touching.

[Eric Swanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Behind the Mask" is one of the most maddening books I've ever read. I was hoping that Mr. Pallone, a former baseball umpire who kept his sexuality a secret from his family and colleagues years, would have an interesting perspective into how it feels to be a gay man in the world of professional sports. Instead, he uses his memoir to pat himself on the back, settle old scores and lament his inability to find true love. (Plus, his observations on "effeminate" vs. "macho" gay men are dated at best and offensive at worst.) There are some interesting details of how professional umpires work, but that's about it. Overall, this book covers all-too-familiar ground without yielding any fresh insight.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much gay lifestyle/coming out detail for me here, especially in the baseball world where macho is the only accepted category. I read it for the parts about umpire school and working in the minor and major leagues in the 1970s and 80s. My advice to the author would be to look in the mirror and stop blaming others.

[Gary Grimes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read about a story that really didn't turn out good. He was fired because he was gay and yet this book also shows the power of the union, the power of sport, the incredible power of american baseball. THe real problem though is that the book is not well written.

[A.J. Chilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating story of a man who loves baseball, even when it doesn't love him in return. Read this book and you'll see why.

A.J. Chilson
@AJ_Chilson

[Mike Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the behind the scenes life of umpires and stores of baseball.

[Tony DeMichele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brave and well written account of the behind-the-scenes experiences of a MLB umpire - being gay in a not so gay friendly environment.