Black ballplayers, past and present, will not be the only beneficiaries of baseball`s push for fairness in hirings. Pam Postema, the veteran female umpire–she has been working in the minors for the last 11 years–is certain to win promotion to the big leagues, probably as early as next season.
Postema, 33, had the plate at Doubleday Field here Monday when the Yankees played the Atlanta Braves in the annual Hall of Fame game. Although the game was only an exhibition, it was a splendid opportunity for the National League to showcase her in a situation likely to give her national publicity.
Bart Giamatti, the new National League president, insisted Postema was asked to work the game because of her current American Association assignment in nearby Buffalo. Don`t believe it. If it`s true the NL wanted to save carfare, it could have hidden her at third base instead of giving her the plate.
Giamatti did concede Postema`s presence ”indicates we are interested in her, and my belief is that if you have the capabilities, I don`t care what gender or race you are, you`ve got to get a chance.”
Postema, born in Willard, Ohio, but now living in Phoenix, was held here under wraps, in the virtual custody of Ed Vargo and his wife for 48 hours before the game. Vargo is the NL`s supervisor of umpires; eventually he will make the determination if she is ready for the so-called big time.
Vargo has acknowledged Postema has more than the necessary experience
–this is her fifth consecutive season in Triple A–and conceded his reports on her ”are very good.” There have been two other women umps, but neither advanced beyond a Class-A league. The first, Bernice Gera, quit in tears between games of a twi-night double-header.
It was the American League, not the National, that had shown the most interest in Postema. Dick Butler, an AL supervisor, scouted her for several years and saw her work more than a half-dozen big-league spring training games in Arizona. Butler recently indicated that she hadn`t made sufficient progress, that her work on the bases had not improved.
Chub Feeney, who recently retired as the NL president, several times made it clear he wasn`t interested in hiring a female ump, because he feared she wouldn`t be able to handle the rough language on the field. Additionally, there is a problem of a separate but presumably equal dressing room.
Giamatti, the former president of Yale University who has succeeded Feeney, expressed no such concern Monday.
”The modern world has absorbed a level of coarse language, I am sorry to say,” Giamatti observed. ”I don`t feel a need to protect women from the English language.”
Giammati, who taught English for 20 years, laughed and said: ”I was always an equal-opportunity English professor. In fact, most of my best students were females.”
So determined were Giammati and Vargo to keep Postema a secret, neither the Atlanta nor New York players were aware she would be working the plate.
This correspondent broke the news while the teams were dressing for the game at a nearby gymnasium.
”Is that right?” said Chuck Tanner, the Atlanta manager. ”A woman working the plate? It`s okay with me, but I`m not managing today. Tell Willie Stargell. He`s our manager today.”
”Is she cute?” Stargell asked.
He was advised she was attractive, 5 feet 7 inches, about 140 pounds.
”Is she the one who had the fight with Bowa?” Stargell asked.
Postema ejected the combative Larry Bowa three times last season when Bowa was managing the Las Vegas Stars in the Pacific Coast League.
Stargell laughed and said: ”She`s kind of in the same boat I am. I`m managing for the first time today.”
Al Monchak, another of the Atlanta coaches, told Stargell he had seen Postema work in the PCL.
”She`s good on balls and strikes, and she has very good command of the game,” Monchak advised. ”And if you want to argue, she can talk our language.”
Replied Stargell, ”She won`t have any trouble with me, not today.”
Yankee manager Lou Piniella took it stride.
”Why not?” Piniella said. ”I`m sure she`s capable.”
George Steinbrenner, the Yankees` principal owner, was considerably more enthusiastic.
”I`m glad to see it,” Steinbrenner said. ”I love women.”
More than two dozen Hall-of-Famers, including the newly minted Billy Williams and Catfish Hunter, were on hand for the pregame ceremonies.
”Good,” Williams said. ”I`ve seen her work. She`s been in the minor leagues a long time.”
Ted Williams didn`t believe it.
”Are you joking?” he asked. ”I`m not going to fight it. I`m not going to do or say anything to question women`s rights.”
The Splendid Splinter was asked what he would have done if a female umpire had called him out on strikes. He laughed and said: ”I`d say, `Thank you, ma`am. You`re probably right.` ”
Stan Musial was asked the same question–how would he react if a woman called him out on strikes?
Replied Musial: ”I`d smile.”
The game was played without incident. The Yankees won 3-0. Not only were there no rhubarbs, but also not a single batter gave Postema a questionable stare.
”She did a good job,” said Dennis Rasmussen, who pitched the first seven innings for the Yankees. ”I had her before in the Pacific Coast League.”
Bobby Cox, the Atlanta general manager, gave Postema the highest possible marks.
”I sat right behind home plate and I don`t think she missed a single pitch,” Cox insisted. ”Honest. I don`t know how she is on the bases or how she handles arguments, but she can handle the strike zone.”
”She can umpire,” Tanner said. ”I told Vargo (who worked second base): `Bring her to spring training. She can work our games.` ”
Postema was mobbed by autograph seekers as she was walking off the field, mask in hand.
”How`d it go?” I asked.
She smiled, then offered the old-pro response: ”Just another game.”
