Steve Palermo

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Steve Palermo
Born
Stephen Michael Palermo

(1949-10-09)October 9, 1949
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 2017(2017-05-14) (aged 67)
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
EducationNorwich University
OccupationMLB umpire
Years active1977–1991

Stephen Michael Palermo (October 9, 1949 – May 14, 2017) was an

Dallas
Italian restaurant. He wore uniform number 14 when the American League began using uniform numbers for its umpires in 1980, and the number was never reassigned to another AL umpire until after the AL and NL umpire staffs were unified by MLB in 2000.

Biography

Early life and education

Steve Palermo was born on October 9, 1949, in

Little League all-star game. As a result, Palermo entered the league's development program where he trained for five years.[1]

Umpiring career

His career as an umpire includes the 1983 World Series, three American League Championship Series (1980, 1982, and 1989), the 1981 American League Division Series and the 1986 All-Star Game. In August 1991, The Sporting News ranked Palermo "Number 1" among American League umpires for overall performance. His first game as an umpire was the Toronto Blue Jays first ever game on April 7, 1977, at Exhibition Stadium. Palermo was the third base umpire for that game.

Palermo was one of the first American League umpires to never use the outside chest protector. Starting in 1977, all new AL umpires had to adopt the inside chest protector, which had been used in the National League for decades under the guidance of Hall of Fame umpire

grandfathered and could continue to use the outside protector. Among those umpires with Palermo in the AL Class of '77 were Durwood Merrill and Vic Voltaggio
.

His career highlights also include umpiring two of the most famous games between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. In 1978, he worked the Yankees' one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park to determine the AL's Eastern Division winner. Palermo, serving as the third base umpire, signaled "fair ball" when Bucky Dent hit the game-changing home run. On July 4, 1983, Palermo worked behind the plate for Dave Righetti's no-hitter against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Palermo was one of the umpires who caught Minnesota Twin pitcher Joe Niekro in the act of scuffing a baseball on August 3, 1987, in a game at Anaheim Stadium.[2]

Steve Palermo provided the umpire's voice in

1994 Super NES
baseball video game.

Palermo was frequently the target of fiery Baltimore Orioles' manager Earl Weaver's wrath. Jim Palmer, Hall of Fame Oriole pitcher, remembered that Weaver "second-, third-, and fourth-guessed every call Steve Palermo ever made in his whole career, which, by the law of averages seems a little harsh, since he had a one out of two chance on every pitch."[3]

1991 shooting and recovery

On July 7, 1991, he and several friends, including fellow umpire Rich Garcia, were dining after a Texas Rangers game when they were alerted that two waitresses were being mugged in the parking lot. In an attempt to apprehend the assailants, he suffered a bullet wound to his spinal cord, resulting in instant paralysis from the waist down. Palermo's umpiring career ended, and doctors told Palermo and his wife, Debbie, that he would probably never walk again. Through rehabilitation and determination, Palermo managed to recover, walking with the use of one small leg brace and a cane. He subsequently threw the ceremonial first pitch in Game 1 of the 1991 World Series, only three months after suffering his injury.

Later life

MSG Network.[1]

Palermo died on May 14, 2017, in Overland Park, Kansas at the age of 67, following a battle with lung cancer.[4]

Honors

In 2003, Palermo began serving as the Honorary Chairman of Assurant Employee Benefits' WillReturn Council. The Council annually presents the Shining Star of Perseverance Award to individuals who overcome disabilities.[5] Palermo was also an honorary inductee into the Perseverance Hall of Fame.

In 1994, he won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

Palermo served as honorary commissioner for the

Tee Ball game at the White House on July 24, 2005, in which children with physical disabilities participated; the game was part of President George W. Bush's White House Tee Ball Initiative.[citation needed
]

At the

2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City, Palermo accompanied the umpiring crew to the plate for special recognition.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (2017-05-17). "Steve Palermo, Umpire Whose Career Was Ended by a Bullet, Dies at 67". New York Times.
  2. ^ Zgoda, Jerry - JOE NIEKRO`S CO-STARS GET INTO THE ACT, TOO - Chicago Tribune, (originally appearing in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune) August 28, 1987
  3. ISBN 0-8362-0781-5
    .
  4. ^ Sandomir, Richard (2017-05-15). "Steve Palermo, Umpire Whose Career Was Ended by a Bullet, Dies at 67". New York Times.
  5. ^ WillReturn Council
  6. ^ Mellinger, Sam (2012-07-10). "Hometown hero Steve Palermo will be recognized at the All-Star Game". The Kansas City Star.

External links

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