Lion of the League

Bob Emslie and the Evolution of the Baseball Umpire

By: Larry R. Gerlach

Narrated by: Marlin May

Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Robert Dean Emslie (1859–1943) spent fifty-six of his eighty-four years in professional baseball—eight as a player and forty-nine as an umpire. When arm problems ended his career as a Major League pitcher, he turned to umpiring, serving in that capacity for thirty-five seasons, then as an umpire supervisor for thirteen years.

Emslie endured the rough-and-tumble umpire-baiting 1890s, the Deadball era, injuries from thrown and batted balls, physical and verbal assaults from players and fans, and criticism in the press. Among his most notable games, he called four no-hitters and worked as the base umpire in the famous Merkle’s Boner game between the New York Giants and the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds in 1908. He often clashed with Giants manager John McGraw, who nicknamed him “Blind Bob.” Yet he was widely praised by players and his peers. Honus Wagner, the great Pittsburgh shortstop, ranked Emslie the best National League umpire he had seen during his twenty-year career. Umpires Bill McGowan and Billy Evans respectively regarded him as “the greatest base umpire of all time” and “one of the greatest umpires the game ever produced.” Emslie accepted a position as the chief of National League umpires, serving as an adviser to the National League president.

Lion of the League is the biography of an umpire whose career spanned the formative years of modern baseball.

The book is published University of Nebraska Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2024 Larry R. Gerlach (P)2024 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"It's a story well worth reading." (Bevis Baseball Research blog)

“Larry Gerlach...tells Emslie’s story brilliantly while breathing life into baseball’s early days.” (John Thorn, official historian of Major League Baseball)

“Thank you, Larry Gerlach. You took one of the forefathers of the game and brought him to life.” (Ted Barrett, former Major League umpire, 1994–2022)

The history of baseball umpires

Larry R. Gerlach sets out to tell the story of the often-obscure figure of baseball umpire Bob Emslie. Today, Major League Baseball provides umpires with formal training and protection from unruly fans, players and managers. But as Gerlach points out, that wasn't always the case. In fact, there was a time we didn't have four umpires assigned to a game.

Gerlach provides fascinating research on the evolution of baseball umpires through Bob Emslie's captivating career in baseball. Did you know they first started calling strikes in 1858, and balls in 1863? The author takes us back to the early days of organized baseball, where the selection process for umpires was strikingly different.

Emslie seemed destined to becoming a star pitcher in his playing days, but reoccurring arm injuries ended his budding hopes prematurely. Gerlach tracks his path in becoming a well-respected man in blue. In the process, Emslie would deal with volatile managers such as Cap Anson and John McGraw. Additionally, umpires faced brutal critics in the newspapers, dirty play, and being attacked by fired up fans.

Gerlach eloquently describes Emslie's passion for baseball, which helped him survive the turbulent 1890s. Emslie umpired an astonishing 4,231 games over 35 Major League seasons. He spent 56 years in the game he loved but has been overlooked by Baseball's Hall of Fame. If you enjoy the history of the game, this is a book you will enjoy.