Major League Baseball

Doug Harvey tours Hall of Fame

Published May. 7, 2010 11:15 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The last time Doug Harvey toured the Baseball Hall of Fame, he bought a ticket and walked around without anyone knowing who he was.

This time was different. Harvey was accompanied on Friday by curators and photographers, strolling the halls as an elected Hall of Famer.

``This is really something. I am more than gratified. I am proud to be a part of it,'' Harvey said.

Harvey, now 80, and his wife of almost 50 years, Joy, toured the hall in preparation for his induction July 25 along with Andre Dawson and Whitey Herzog.

Umpiring 4,673 regular-season games during his career, Harvey also called five World Series, six All-Star Games and nine National League Championship Series. He's the ninth umpire to be inducted and the first living umpire inducted since Al Barlick in 1989.

Harvey got a big kick looking at umpiring equipment from the 1880s. ``I find it fascinating,'' he said. ``I've always loved the history of the game.''

As Harvey walked through the timeline, his memory of players and managers he worked with was still vivid as he recalled stories about Ted Williams, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Tom Seaver and Sandy Koufax.

``Willie Mays was the best baseball player I ever saw,'' Harvey said. ``He could do anything.''

Harvey saw his share of records during his big league career from 1962-92, including Roberto Clemente's 3,000th and final hit on Sept. 30, 1972, when Harvey was the second base umpire at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. When it happened, Harvey was told to give Clemente the ball. It was only later that Harvey learned that Clemente had reached 3,000 hits.

Known for his authoritative style, Harvey was one of the last major league umpires who didn't attend umpiring school.

``It's not about yelling, it's how you handle them, and I could handle anyone,'' Harvey said.

Harvey said he lived by the 20-second rule, giving managers that much time to say what they needed. He learned from other Hall of Fame umpires, including Barlick and Jocko Conlan, serving with both on crews in the big leagues.

Harvey viewed artifacts he had donated during his career, including the home plate from his final game. But it was a ticket from the first major league game he worked on April 10, 1962, at Dodger Stadium that brought his emotions to the surface.

``I worked third base,'' Harvey said. ``Ten years later, I found out that my dad finished up his route, took a bus - sleeping on the way there - watched the game, slept on the way home and went right back on his route.''

Hal Harvey, who had umpired games for his four sons when they were young, had a chrome plating business that would take him to other towns.

``He didn't want to make me nervous, and I never knew he was there,'' Harvey said of his dad. ``I just loved officiating, and I hope what I did helped make it better. That's what I tell young umpires, you can have fun. I never spent a day where going out on a baseball field didn't make me feel better.''

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball