The last living umpire from Negro Baseball Leagues speaks at Diggs

The last living umpire from the Negro Baseball Leagues, Robert "Bob" Motley paid a historic visit to Diggs Gallery Feb. 18.

With approximately 75 people in attendance, Motley discussed his first book and shared his transition from a Marine to an umpire to an author.

His book, "Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars: Umpiring in the Negro Leagues and Beyond," highlights accomplishments of the unsung Negro Leagues and pays homage to notable players, such as Satchel Paige, Buck O'Neil and Goose Tatum with their breathtaking performances on the baseball field.

The title of his book refers to the Kansas City Monarchs, the Chicago American Giants, and the St. Louis Stars, Negro League teams he officiated over.

"My son (Byron) had a tape recorder. He and I wrote this book, " Motley said.

"Every time we got together, he pulled out that recorder and taped everything. He got tired of me just saying it (telling stories) over and over again, from overseas, to fighting the Japs [Japanese], to umpiring."

The recordings turned into a memoir and were published by Sports Publishing, LLC in 2007.

Motley was born in Autaugaville, Ala. in 1923, but calls North Carolina his second home.

He had military training in Jacksonville, N.C. It was in Jacksonville that he began his career as one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps.

While in the Marines, Motley fought in World War II and earned a purple heart for his heroism, but it was arbitrating for military pick-up baseball games, where Motley discovered his true passion, umpiring.

After leaving the Marines, Motley purchased an automobile and was persuaded by his brother to drive to Kansas City, Mo. to visit their sister.

Upon his arrival to Kansas City, he discovered there was a baseball team, the Kansas City Monarchs.

Motley said he felt he could be an umpire for the team.

He was turned down because of his race and he didn't have much experience in playing baseball, which was a requirement of the Negro Leagues.

Motley pled his case and explained his experiences as an umpire while overseas in the Marines.

He started as the third base umpire, and was eventually promoted to home plate umpire.

Motley admitted that he decided to umpire because he learned he was not a great baseball player while pitching.

"The reason I started umpiring, I couldn't play baseball," Motley said. "I thought I was a pretty good pitcher."

During his first game, on his first pitch, the hitter got a base hit. His second throw, the hitter got a double. He was warned by the team manager not to allow another hit, but his next pitch was a home run.

He was an umpire like no other, one with animation, with distinctive flair and charisma.

He was known to call the games with exaggeration, jumping high in the air, doing splits and dancing to entertain the crowd.

"You'd be surprised at what we heard in the echoes," Motley said.

"I heard an echo from a lady in the stands say 'Do it pretty for me, baby'. So that's where it started. It made me start jumping up, what she said. It got into me on close plays. I loved the close plays. It's just something that goes all through me."

Motley also spoke about the historic era of baseball and talked about the discrimination he courageously faced in hopes of becoming an umpire.

He felt he got the runaround when he wanted to call games because no one would provide him with an opportunity because of his race.

"They would pay $5 a game to umpire, but I would've done it for free," Motley said. "That's all I wanted was a shot."

Motley noted momentous contributions to the game of baseball being the first black to go through umpire school and answering all 160 exam questions correctly.

Recently, the governor of Alabama called him to be inducted into the state's Hall of Fame in June 2009.

Motley said that issues in Major League Baseball, such as steroids, concern him.

He said that players who associate themselves with steroids should be stripped of all they have earned, from the time they started using the banned substances.

He added the players should have to pay back what they earned while they took the steroids.

Motley gave his advice on what would increase the interest of African Americans who play professionally.

"Parents, take interest in your kids," Motley said.

"Take them out to the ball field and let them play baseball.

A lot of kids now, they only want to play basketball, but if you take them and let them play baseball, then some of them take a love of it, and go back out to the baseball fields."