Shag Crawford
Shag Crawford | |
---|---|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Died | July 11, 2007 Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation | MLB umpire |
Years active | 1956–1975 |
Spouse |
Vivian Gallagher (m. 1940) |
Children | 4 |
Henry Charles "Shag" Crawford (August 30, 1916 – July 11, 2007)[1][2] was an American professional umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1956 to 1975.[3] During his twenty seasons in the National League, Crawford worked more than 3,100 games and as a home plate umpire was notable for getting in a low crouch and resting his hands on the back of the catcher in front of him.[4] Crawford wore number 2 after the National League adopted numbers for its umpires, which was then transferred to his son Jerry Crawford, who wore it from 1976 until his 2010 retirement.
Early life
Crawford was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Overbrook section. Originally given the nickname of Shaggy, it was shortened to Shag as he got older. Other boys in the neighborhood earned similar nicknames such as "Doc" "Sheik" "Whitey" and "Shadow". Growing up, he played baseball and football and was involved in boxing, and later played in the minor leagues as a catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies' system.[4] Crawford married Vivian Gallagher on November 2, 1940, and they had three sons and a daughter, residing in Havertown, Pennsylvania.[5]
He served in the United States Navy during World War II, and was on the destroyer USS Walke (DD-723) when its bridge was struck by a Japanese kamikaze on January 6, 1945, during the invasion of Luzon, in which commanding officer George Fleming Davis suffered fatal injuries and was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Baseball career
Crawford became a
Crawford was the third base umpire for Sandy Koufax's third no-hitter on June 4, 1964.
Marichal-Roseboro bat incident
He was the home plate umpire when one of the most violent brawls in baseball history occurred during a game between the
Other incidents
Crawford was also the umpire during a game between the Cubs and Cardinals on September 22, 1974. Crawford told the Cardinals’ Al Hrabosky to pitch while Chicago's manager and two of his players attempted to argue with Crawford. The Cubs in question then entered the batter's box in anger and were nearly struck by a pitch, and a brawl commenced.
During Crawford's career, he officiated three World Series (1961, 1963, 1969), ejecting Baltimore manager Earl Weaver in Game 4 of the 1969 Series for arguing balls and strikes, the first managerial ejection in World Series competition since 1935, two National League Championship Series (1971, 1974), and All-Star Games in 1959 (first game), 1961 (first game) and 1968; he worked behind the plate for the 1968 All-Star Game.[1]
Career end
Crawford was relieved of his duties in 1975 for refusing to work the World Series that year, due to a rotational system implemented for selection of World Series umpires, over the traditional assignment by merit.[14]
Two of Crawford's sons,
See also
References
- ^ a b "Shag Crawford". Retrosheet. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ "Longtime umpire Crawford dies at 90". Associated Press. 2007-07-12. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Frank (2007-07-13). "Umpire Shag Crawford dies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ a b Didtler, Mark (2007-07-12). "Nickname always suited Shag". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-07-15. [dead link]
- ^ National League Green Book. San Francisco: National League. 1975. p. 33.
- ^ National League Green Book. San Francisco: National League. 1974. p. 30.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (August 20, 2002). "John Roseboro, a Dodgers Star, Dies at 69". New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Mann, Jack (August 30, 1965). "The Battle Of San Francisco". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rosengren, John (2014). "Marichal, Roseboro and the inside story of baseball's nastiest brawl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ "August 22, 1965 Dodgers-Giants box score". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Marichal clubbing of Roseboro an ugly side of baseball". The Times-News. Associated Press. 22 August 1990. p. 18. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ "MLBN Remembers ("Incident at Candlestick")". MLBN-tv. November 17, 2011.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Shag Crawford". baseballbiography.com. Retrieved 2007-04-21.
External links
- Shag Crawford at Retrosheet
- Shag Crawford at Find a Grave