VISALIA, Calif. — Doug Harvey was so sure of his calls on the diamond, he ended every game the same way. Following the last out, the umpire took his wad of chewing tobacco and flung it on home plate.
“I never did have any doubt in my mind,” he once said. “The only thing in my mind was, ‘Bring it on, suckers!'”
One of only 10 umpires in the Hall of Fame, and held in such regard by major league players and managers they called him “God,” Harvey died Saturday. He was 87.
The Hall said Sunday that Harvey had been in hospice care.