The only thing you have to say is six words: Ball, strike, fair, foul, out, safe. An 84-year-old umpire reflects on 63 consecutive seasons, and one final baseball game.
Tuesday night, at the Brookline Avenue Playground in Brookline, Jim Hennessey will umpire his last game.For 63 consecutive seasons, Hennessey has called balls and strikes for Little League and high school baseball, and most recently, adult softball, in Brookline. That's about 7,000 games. Hennessey started umpiring both for his love of baseball and for some extra cash — at $5 per game, initially — to help support his wife and children. He brought his six kids to games when they were small.
Hennessey will turn 85 in October. In his younger years, he was a pitcher and quarterback at Brookline High School. He later taught in the school system for 40 years. He also quarterbacked and coached the Northeastern University football team.host Lisa Mullins spoke with Hennessey about his years umping and how he feels about leaving it behind."I was sitting on the beach about three weeks ago, just my wife and I, late in the day.
"[I respond] very quietly. I'll just go over and say, 'OK, you've made your point. You've got about 10 more seconds — end it. No profanity, no more yelling and it's over.' And if they persist, I'll give them one warning. And then they persist again, I tell them, 'Go to your car. You're out of here.' I've done that very few times. ... You know, I've always been stern, but I've been fair, and I respect them and they respect me.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jim Straw, award-winning architect and prolific civic leader, has died at 76His skill was preserving historic buildings and improving public spaces. 'Without Jim Straw, there would be no such public memorial to O.V. Catto in Philadelphia today,' Mayor Kenney said in 2017.
Read more »
Jim Jordan leads investigation into DOJ watchdog over FBI seizure of Scott Perry's phoneHouse Judiciary Committee Republicans are opening an investigation into Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz over reports of his involvement in the FBI seizure of Rep. Scott Perry's (R-PA) cellphone.
Read more »
Democrats deserve to be thrown out of office for Biden's 'unconstitutional' student loan handout: Jim JordanOhio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan criticized Biden's student loan handout Monday, calling it 'unconstitutional,' and addressed the Republican effort to win the midterm elections.
Read more »
Jim Cramer Says These Are His 10 Favorite ‘Dividend Aristocrats' to Own Through Year-EndThe “Mad Money” host said the companies’ quarterly payouts offer protection against Federal Reserve-related market declines.
Read more »
Buckeyes Brimming With Confidence Ahead of Notre Dame Matchup But Ryan Day Says “Coming Off of Last Year, There's No Big Heads”The Buckeyes are brimming with confidence ahead of their season opener, but Ryan Day says don't mistake that for cockiness: “Coming off of last year, there's no big heads.”
Read more »