Nelson Díaz (umpire)
Nelson Díaz Blanco is a Cuban
Early life
Díaz was named for
Government of Cuba in 1962 for conspiring against Fidel Castro. The family then moved from Havana to Güira de Melena.[1]
Career
A baseball player in his teens, Díaz was not skilled enough to play in the Cuban National Series. During his 20s, he took a 45-day course at Escuela Rafael De La Paz on umpiring.[1]
Díaz served as an umpire in the
balk against the United States in a semifinal game against Puerto Rico, Díaz initiated a shoving match with United States manager Ron Polk,[3] which led to increased stature within Cuban baseball.[1] He also officiated in the 1999 and 2007 Pan American Games, the 1999 Baltimore Orioles–Cuba national baseball team exhibition series, the 2001 Baseball World Cup, the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and the 2008 Summer Olympics.[4][5]
The Cuban government refused to allow him a
2009 WBC and forced him into retirement. As his father sponsored him in the United States, Diaz defected with his wife and two daughters, with permission from the Cuban Government. He has since umpired youth games in South Florida.[1]
Díaz was honored as the "International Umpire of the World" by the International Baseball Federation in 1994.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Gus Garcia-Roberts (August 5, 2010). "Nelson Diaz Went From Cuba's Best Ump to Just Another South Florida Transplant - Page 3 - News - Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach - New Times Broward-Palm Beach". Browardpalmbeach.com. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ^ Gus Garcia-Roberts (August 5, 2010). "Umpire Nelson Diaz escaped Cuba but now faces life without baseball - Page 1 - News - Miami". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ^ DeArmond, Mike (August 17, 1991). "Balk call leads to dispute. Cuban umpire pushes U.S. manager, then ejects him". The Kansas City Star. p. D4. Retrieved April 16, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ "Renowned Cuban ump defects to US | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ^ "Report: Top Cuban umpire Nelson Diaz defects to U.S. - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. November 30, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2013.