Working a "Perfect Game": Conversations With Umpires

by Bill Nowlin, Larry Gerlach (Foreword)

Over the course of four years, prolific baseball writer and editor Bill Nowlin interviewed 72 major league umpires, another two dozen call-up and AAA umpires, and four umpire supervisors. The result is the most complete and intimate portrait ever done of a vitally important yet largely unappreciated aspect of professional baseball.

Nowlin’s deep knowledge of the game and of umpiring and his conversational interview style provide the perfect setting for the umpires to open up about themselves and their profession, and they do. From part-time call-ups to 30+ year veterans, the profiles that take shape transform the “men in blue” from anonymous background figures to fully formed characters—passionate, dedicated, driven, grateful.

Join all the big-name umpires and young up-and-comers as they describe the challenges, frustrations, and disappointments they have faced, while they speak to the excitement and honor of being at the pinnacle of their profession, all the while mixing in funny and poignant moments from their careers.

By the end of Working a “Perfect Game,” readers not only have a detailed picture of the day-to-day life of a major league umpire, but also an authentic understanding of the personalities and people hidden behind the mask of the game’s arbiters.

Bill Nowlin's book is divided into two parts: A collection of interviews, followed by a behind-the-scenes look at everything umpire, from school, to the minor leagues, to getting the call, to spring training, to favorite positions, to instant replay, and more.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2020

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a collection of interviews with umpiring crews, captured mainly during the 2015 baseball season when the crew would work a series at Fenway Park in Boston, where the author Bill Nowlin is from. This format did not work for me as I was often referring back to the beginning of the chapter trying to figure out who is speaking. I also feel that transcripts of interviews often put the author in the center of attention too often, whether accidental (as I believe here) or deliberately. So, this book wasn't one for me, but for those who enjoy reading interviews, pick it up as there is some good material and stories from the umpires.

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

if an umpire does a great job, the fans never know he's there. A great takeaway from this book was the personalities of the various umps interviewed (and there are a lot of them in this book) and the road each of them took to make the Majors, akin to a ballplayer trying to reach the highest pinnacle. Some wonderful human stories here.

[Rob Neyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this isn't the most entertaining book ever written about umpiring - which it might actually be - it's certainly the most important. There's never been a book that so extensively, comprehensively covered what it's like to live and work as a Major League Baseball umpire, and Nowlin's book will serve as an invaluable resource for as long as people care about umpires.