Brick Owens
Encyclopedia
Clarence Bernard "Brick" Owens (March 31, 1885 - November 11, 1949) was an American
umpire
in Major League Baseball
who worked in the National League
in 1908 and 1912-1913, and in the American League
from 1916 through 1937. He officiated in the World Series
in 1918
, 1922
, 1925
, 1928
and 1934
, serving as crew chief for the last two Series. He also worked the All-Star Game
in 1934
, calling balls and strikes for the game's second half.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, Owens hoped to pursue a baseball career, but accidentally shot himself in the left hand while celebrating the Fourth of July
in 1901; instead of staying at home and resting, he went to the sandlot game in which he had intended to play, and replaced the umpire who quit after an early dispute in the game. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois the following year, and he continued to umpire games for 50 cents each; he soon raised his rate to $1 a game, and upon being noticed by minor league executive Al Tearney, became an umpire in major local contests for $5 a game. By age 17 he was offered a position on the staff of the Northern League
at a monthly salary of $75, but minor league games proved more contentious than sandlot events, and he accumulated so many scars from various altercations that when he was hired by the NL, league president Harry Pulliam
asked if Owens had been in a train wreck. In one instance, he called three straight strikes on a batter for Crookston
to end a game when the team was mounting a comeback against visiting Winnipeg
; the batter dropped his bat and got into a fight with Owens, whereupon a fan jumped from the stands, picked up the bat and hit Owens over the head. After local authorities began the process of bringing charges, the batter's father offered Owens $750 to drop the matter, and he agreed as the amount was double his annual salary. On another occasion, Owens was attacked at his hotel by a player who he had ejected in that day's game, after which the team had refused to replace him and forfeited to the local Fargo
team; the player was arrested and suspended.
By mid-1903 Owens had moved to the Western League
, and he joined the Missouri Valley League
when the Western League reorganized in 1904. He acquired his nickname after a game in Pittsburg, Kansas
in which an unpopular call instigated fans to begin throwing bricks from the stands, with one hitting Owens in the head; when he miraculously returned days later with no serious injury, a player named Charley Lyons gave him the nickname, which he said he found more acceptable than some other things he had been called. He moved on to the American Association
in 1905-1906, then the Eastern League
in 1907 before returning to the American Association from 1908 to 1912. After a 1906 game, local Minneapolis
officials tried to get an injunction to overturn a call he made to end the contest, which brought on the ejections of seven Minneapolis Millers
players. The next day, Owens was the target of fans throwing eggs and cabbages from the stands, and a mob followed him to his hotel, which they threatened to attack if he was not turned over; police had to evacuate him over the rooftops and to the railway station. In a 1908 game in Milwaukee, he fought off 50 fans after a game-ending decision before being rescued by police. Another Milwaukee incident saw a rescuing policeman get his finger bitten off.
After briefly working in the NL in 1908, he had an offer from Pulliam to join the NL staff in 1909, but the offer fell through due to Pulliam's subsequent illness. After Pittsburgh Pirates
owner Barney Dreyfuss
took exception to one of Owens' decisions, he had the umpire followed by a private detective and accused him of visiting gambling houses. The league released Owens to satisfy the Pirates owner, and Owens worked in the International League
(the renamed Eastern League) in 1913 before returning to the American Association in 1914-1915. American League president Ban Johnson
hired him for the 1916 season, one year after the death of umpire Jack Sheridan
. After his minor league experiences, the relatively calm environment cultivated by Johnson was a relief, and Owens only had few notable confrontations before retiring due to illness after 22 AL seasons.
Owens is perhaps best known for the game of June 23, 1917, in which Babe Ruth
was the starting pitcher
for the Boston Red Sox
. Ruth walked
the first batter for the Washington Senators
in four pitches, and was promptly ejected by Owens for disputing his calls; Ruth was so incensed by the ejection that he punched Owens. Ernie Shore
replaced Ruth as the Red Sox pitcher, and not only picked the runner off first base but went on to retire the next 26 Washington batters; long regarded as a perfect game
by Shore for retiring 27 men without permitting anyone to reach base, the game is now officially regarded as a combined no-hitter
by Ruth and Shore.
Owens was also the home plate umpire on June 15, 1925 when the Philadelphia Athletics
scored 13 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, coming back from a 15-4 deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians
17-15, and tying the major league record for the greatest deficit overcome to win a game.
Owens died at age 64 in Chicago after suffering a heart attack at the wholesale meat distributor where he had worked as a salesman since leaving baseball. He was buried in Fairmount-Willow Hills Memorial Park in Willow Springs, Illinois
. He was survived by his wife Helen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
umpire
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 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...
in 1908 and 1912-1913, and 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 1916 through 1937. He 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 1918
1918 World Series
The 1918 World Series featured the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to two. The Series victory for the Red Sox was their fifth in five tries, going back to . The Red Sox scored only nine runs in the entire Series; the fewest runs by the winning team in World Series history...
, 1922
1922 World Series
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in five games...
, 1925
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...
, 1928
1928 World Series
In the 1928 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Along with , this was the first time a team had swept consecutive Series....
and 1934
1934 World Series
The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years....
, serving as crew chief for the last two Series. He also worked 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 1934
1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the second playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10 at the Polo Grounds in New York City, the home of the New...
, calling balls and strikes for the game's second half.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Owens hoped to pursue a baseball career, but accidentally shot himself in the left hand while celebrating the Fourth of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
in 1901; instead of staying at home and resting, he went to the sandlot game in which he had intended to play, and replaced the umpire who quit after an early dispute in the game. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois the following year, and he continued to umpire games for 50 cents each; he soon raised his rate to $1 a game, and upon being noticed by minor league executive Al Tearney, became an umpire in major local contests for $5 a game. By age 17 he was offered a position on the staff of the Northern League
Northern League (baseball, 1902-71)
This article refers to the original incarnations of the Northern League, which operated between 1902 and 1971. For the more recent league, see Northern League ...
at a monthly salary of $75, but minor league games proved more contentious than sandlot events, and he accumulated so many scars from various altercations that when he was hired by the NL, league president Harry Pulliam
Harry Pulliam
Harry Clay Pulliam was an American baseball executive who served as the sixth President of the National League, from 1903 until his death , in the period in which the NL and the fledgling American League settled their hostilities and formed a National Agreement which led to the creation of the...
asked if Owens had been in a train wreck. In one instance, he called three straight strikes on a batter for Crookston
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
to end a game when the team was mounting a comeback against visiting Winnipeg
Winnipeg Maroons
The Winnipeg Maroons were a minor League Baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that played in the Northern League from 1902-1942. They played at Happyland Park from 1906-1922. It had a seating capacity of 4,000. They subsequently played at Sherbourne Park, which had a seating capacity...
; the batter dropped his bat and got into a fight with Owens, whereupon a fan jumped from the stands, picked up the bat and hit Owens over the head. After local authorities began the process of bringing charges, the batter's father offered Owens $750 to drop the matter, and he agreed as the amount was double his annual salary. On another occasion, Owens was attacked at his hotel by a player who he had ejected in that day's game, after which the team had refused to replace him and forfeited to the local Fargo
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
team; the player was arrested and suspended.
By mid-1903 Owens had moved to the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
, and he joined the Missouri Valley League
Missouri Valley League
The Missouri Valley League was an American minor league baseball league which operated from 1902 through 1904.-1902:New teams in Nevada, Missouri, Springfield, Missouri, Fort Scott, Kansas, Sedalia, Missouri, Joplin, Missouri, Coffeyville, Kansas, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Iola, Kansas formed...
when the Western League reorganized in 1904. He acquired his nickname after a game in Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
in which an unpopular call instigated fans to begin throwing bricks from the stands, with one hitting Owens in the head; when he miraculously returned days later with no serious injury, a player named Charley Lyons gave him the nickname, which he said he found more acceptable than some other things he had been called. He moved on to the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
in 1905-1906, then the Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in 1907 before returning to the American Association from 1908 to 1912. After a 1906 game, local Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
officials tried to get an injunction to overturn a call he made to end the contest, which brought on the ejections of seven Minneapolis Millers
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League.The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park.The name Minneapolis...
players. The next day, Owens was the target of fans throwing eggs and cabbages from the stands, and a mob followed him to his hotel, which they threatened to attack if he was not turned over; police had to evacuate him over the rooftops and to the railway station. In a 1908 game in Milwaukee, he fought off 50 fans after a game-ending decision before being rescued by police. Another Milwaukee incident saw a rescuing policeman get his finger bitten off.
After briefly working in the NL in 1908, he had an offer from Pulliam to join the NL staff in 1909, but the offer fell through due to Pulliam's subsequent illness. After Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
owner Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....
took exception to one of Owens' decisions, he had the umpire followed by a private detective and accused him of visiting gambling houses. The league released Owens to satisfy the Pirates owner, and Owens worked in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
(the renamed Eastern League) in 1913 before returning to the American Association in 1914-1915. American League president Ban Johnson
Ban Johnson
Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson , was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League ....
hired him for the 1916 season, one year after the death of umpire Jack Sheridan
Jack Sheridan
John F. Sheridan was an American umpire in Major League Baseball. In his 30-year career as an official, he worked 18 seasons between 1890 and 1914 in three major leagues....
. After his minor league experiences, the relatively calm environment cultivated by Johnson was a relief, and Owens only had few notable confrontations before retiring due to illness after 22 AL seasons.
Owens is perhaps best known for the game of June 23, 1917, in which Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
was the starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. Ruth walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
the first batter for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in four pitches, and was promptly ejected by Owens for disputing his calls; Ruth was so incensed by the ejection that he punched Owens. Ernie Shore
Ernie Shore
Ernest Grady Shore was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox during some of their best years in the 1910s....
replaced Ruth as the Red Sox pitcher, and not only picked the runner off first base but went on to retire the next 26 Washington batters; long regarded as a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
by Shore for retiring 27 men without permitting anyone to reach base, the game is now officially regarded as a combined no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
by Ruth and Shore.
Owens was also the home plate umpire on June 15, 1925 when the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
scored 13 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, coming back from a 15-4 deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
17-15, and tying the major league record for the greatest deficit overcome to win a game.
Owens died at age 64 in Chicago after suffering a heart attack at the wholesale meat distributor where he had worked as a salesman since leaving baseball. He was buried in Fairmount-Willow Hills Memorial Park in Willow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs is a village in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,027 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willow Springs is located at ....
. He was survived by his wife Helen.