Ken Kaiser
Encyclopedia
Kenneth John Kaiser is a former umpire
in Major League Baseball
who worked in the American League
from 1977 to 1999. He spent 13 years in the minor leagues
and 23 years in the major leagues, a total of 36 years in professional baseball. Kaiser wore uniform number 21 when the AL adopted them for umpires in 1980.
Kaiser officiated in the World Series
in 1987
and 1997
, as well as the All-Star Game
in 1991. He also umpired in the American League Championship Series
in 1980
, 1988
, 1993
and 1995
(Game 6), and in the American League Division Series
in 1981
, 1996
and 1997
. He also worked the single-game playoff to decide the AL West champion in .
During a period in which many umpires were criticized for their weight, Kaiser was the heaviest in the AL; he was listed at 288 pounds from 1983 through 1998. Apart from the unlikelihood that he maintained that precise weight for fifteen years, there are ample reasons to believe that his weight topped 300 pounds for much of that time – although he noted in his 2003 autobiography that he already weighed 260 pounds in high school, the AL listed his weight at 220 pounds from 1977-79 and at 200 from 1980-82 before revising the figure to 288 in 1983. Also, the heaviest umpires during that era in the National League
– John McSherry
(listed at 328 pounds from 1992-96) and Eric Gregg
(listed at 325) – were both later noted as actually exceeding those figures significantly; McSherry, who died on the field of a heart attack in 1996, was believed to have approached 400 pounds, and Gregg also conceded that his weight approached that level. After McSherry's death, Gregg took a two-month leave of absence in which he lost 60 pounds, but was still listed at 305 the following year. The major leagues strongly encouraged other umpires to reduce their weight during that period, though Kaiser's was still listed at 288 for two more years before dropping to 270 in his final season. In a June 2004 column for ESPN's MLB Insider, pitcher Tom Candiotti
recalled that Kaiser "wouldn't move three steps to call a play."
Candiotti's assessment of Kaiser was seconded by one of his American League colleagues, Durwood Merrill
, who noted that Kaiser usually "marched to the beat of his own drummer" in his autobiography, You're Out and You're Ugly, Too.
Before reaching the major leagues, Kaiser worked as a professional wrestler
, wearing a black hood and being known as "The Hatchet Man." In his brief stint as a professional wrestler, he wrestled such famous opponents as William Calhoun
.
In 1986 Kaiser was voted the Most Colorful Umpire in the American League
in a poll by The Sporting News. He was voted the worst umpire in the AL in a poll of players during 1999 spring training. Later that year, he was among the umpires who submitted their resignations in a failed gambit by the Major League Umpires Association
, and he was not among those later re-hired following union negotiations and litigation.
Kaiser's 2003 autobiography, written with the help of author David Fisher, is entitled Planet of the Umps: A Baseball Life From Behind the Plate.
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who worked in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
from 1977 to 1999. He spent 13 years in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
and 23 years in the major leagues, a total of 36 years in professional baseball. Kaiser wore uniform number 21 when the AL adopted them for umpires in 1980.
Kaiser officiated in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1987
1987 World Series
The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...
and 1997
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
, as well as the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
in 1991. He also umpired in the American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant...
in 1980
1980 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 1980 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriThe series opener saw the Yankees throw their ace, Ron Guidry, against the Royals' Larry Gura. In the top of the second, the Bronx Bombers jumped out to a 2–0 lead when Rick Cerone and Lou Piniella smacked back-to-back...
, 1988
1988 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 5, 1988 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsIn an interview conducted before Game 1, José Canseco denied reports in that day's Washington Post by baseball reporter Thomas Boswell that he had used steroids...
, 1993
1993 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1993 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, IllinoisThe ALCS opened at Comiskey Park with a battle of aces, as Toronto threw Juan Guzmán against Chicago's Jack McDowell, the eventual 1993 American League Cy Young Award winner...
and 1995
1995 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1995 at Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Indians called on the veteran Dennis Martinez for Game 1. The Mariners rode the arm of Bob Wolcott. Wolcott got off to a shaky start by walking three straight hitters to open the game. But he would get out of the bases loaded...
(Game 6), and in the American League Division Series
American League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series...
in 1981
1981 American League Division Series
-New York Yankees vs. Milwaukee Brewers:-Game 1, October 6:Royals Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriMike Norris faced Dennis Leonard and the defending AL Champions in Game 1. Both pitchers were on their game and the game was scoreless through three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the A's got a...
, 1996
1996 American League Division Series
-Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MarylandIt was Baltimore's first playoff game since the clinching Game 5 of the 1983 World Series. For the Indians, it was their second consecutive division title. Charles Nagy and David Wells matched...
and 1997
1997 American League Division Series
-Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Orioles had gone wire-to-wire and the Mariners had won the AL West for the second time in the decade. In Game 1, both teams had their best on the mound: Mike Mussina for the Orioles and Randy Johnson for...
. He also worked the single-game playoff to decide the AL West champion in .
During a period in which many umpires were criticized for their weight, Kaiser was the heaviest in the AL; he was listed at 288 pounds from 1983 through 1998. Apart from the unlikelihood that he maintained that precise weight for fifteen years, there are ample reasons to believe that his weight topped 300 pounds for much of that time – although he noted in his 2003 autobiography that he already weighed 260 pounds in high school, the AL listed his weight at 220 pounds from 1977-79 and at 200 from 1980-82 before revising the figure to 288 in 1983. Also, the heaviest umpires during that era in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
– John McSherry
John McSherry
John Patrick McSherry was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1971 to 1996. Although McSherry originally wore uniform #9 when he entered the National League, he switched to #10 in 1979 when the league reorganized the umpires' numbers and he wore that...
(listed at 328 pounds from 1992-96) and Eric Gregg
Eric Gregg
Eric Eugene Gregg was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1975 to 1999...
(listed at 325) – were both later noted as actually exceeding those figures significantly; McSherry, who died on the field of a heart attack in 1996, was believed to have approached 400 pounds, and Gregg also conceded that his weight approached that level. After McSherry's death, Gregg took a two-month leave of absence in which he lost 60 pounds, but was still listed at 305 the following year. The major leagues strongly encouraged other umpires to reduce their weight during that period, though Kaiser's was still listed at 288 for two more years before dropping to 270 in his final season. In a June 2004 column for ESPN's MLB Insider, pitcher Tom Candiotti
Tom Candiotti
Thomas Caesar Candiotti is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was known for his knuckleball. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers...
recalled that Kaiser "wouldn't move three steps to call a play."
Candiotti's assessment of Kaiser was seconded by one of his American League colleagues, Durwood Merrill
Durwood Merrill
Edwin Durwood Merrill was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League for 23 seasons ....
, who noted that Kaiser usually "marched to the beat of his own drummer" in his autobiography, You're Out and You're Ugly, Too.
Before reaching the major leagues, Kaiser worked as a professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, wearing a black hood and being known as "The Hatchet Man." In his brief stint as a professional wrestler, he wrestled such famous opponents as William Calhoun
William Calhoun
William Dee Calhoun was a professional wrestler, who used the professional name "Haystack" or "Haystacks" Calhoun. The gargantuan wrestler was one of the foremost drawing cards during the industry’s “Golden Age” of the 1950s and 1960s while sporting his trademark white T-shirt, blue overalls, and...
.
In 1986 Kaiser was voted the Most Colorful Umpire in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in a poll by The Sporting News. He was voted the worst umpire in the AL in a poll of players during 1999 spring training. Later that year, he was among the umpires who submitted their resignations in a failed gambit by the Major League Umpires Association
Major League Umpires Association
The Major League Umpires Association was a union for the umpires of both the American League and the National League. It was formed in 1970. It was superseded by the World Umpires Association which became the bargaining agent for MLB umpires before the 2000 season.-History:After a one-day strike by...
, and he was not among those later re-hired following union negotiations and litigation.
Kaiser's 2003 autobiography, written with the help of author David Fisher, is entitled Planet of the Umps: A Baseball Life From Behind the Plate.
External links
- Retrosheet
- BaseballLibrary - brief profile, list of articles
- Interview on Fresh Air - NPR radio