West, ump you love to hate, about to set record for games umped
As he closed in on his 5,000th game umpiring in the major leagues four years ago, I asked Joe West if he planned to hang around long enough to break Bill Klem’s all-time record. “That’s a few years down the road,” West said, dodging the question. So how long can you continue? “Until these TV people get tired of looking at me,” he said. “My mother says it’s a great job because I wear a mask and ...
As he closed in on his 5,000th game umpiring in the major leagues four years ago, I asked Joe West if he planned to hang around long enough to break Bill Klem’s all-time record.
“That’s a few years down the road,” West said, dodging the question.
So how long can you continue?
“Until these TV people get tired of looking at me,” he said. “My mother says it’s a great job because I wear a mask and I don’t scare the kids.”
Whether anyone is tired of looking at West, the veteran umpire is poised to set the major-league record for regular-season games umpired.
