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Trying to answer this bet with buddies. Who holds this mantra as the best in this category? It seems to me there was a really funny ump in the 70-80's that would use his finger to "shoot" out calls on the base paths. Anyone remember his name. Trying to youtube him but can't remember.
My vote goes to John "Beans" Reardon whose career spanned from the 1920's through the 1949 season.
In one of the books on Yankee Manager Casey Stengel, the story is told how Stengel comes charging out on the field to protest a call and this time Reardon was ready for him. Stengel takes off his cap and shakes his fist at "Beans." Then Stengel sprawls on the ground, imitating a heart attack to the crowd but actually was still firing insults at him while laying motionless. Only one problem here, Reardon immediately hits the ground and is yelling back at Stengel.
Stengel said "As soon as I peaked out of my right eye and saw Reardon lying on the ground next to me, I knew I was licked!"
The only thing major league about Luciano is that he was a major league jerk.
I read one of his books and would add that he was a dishonest author. He takes a bunch of famous baseball stories which I had already read, and inserts himself as the umpire in the stories or changes the players involved so that they were of his era.
He used to be a pro wrestler. And weighed 288 pounds for 18 years or so. He didn't, but that's what he was listed as, and most people thought he was well on the north side of 300, possibly even hitting 400.
There were several in the 20's and 30's. I wouldn't call them colorful.. Notorious a-holes perhaps..
Maybe so, but I'm thinking he is the umpire the OP is referencing in regards to shooting out runners.
Indeed, he was the "shooter". Further proof of how much of a jerk he was.
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