The Resume

(February 22, 1874-September 16, 1951)
Born in Rochester, New York
Birth name was William Joseph Klimm
National League umpire (1905-41)
Chief of NL umpires (1941-51)
Known as 'the old arbiter' and 'the father of baseball umpires'
With Tom Connolly, first umpires inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (1953)

Why he might be annoying:

He was nicknamed 'Catfish' for his prominent jowls.
He so hated the name that he would eject any player who used it -- or, on one occasion, a player who used his foot to draw a picture of a catfish in the dirt.
He responded to taunting from the New York Giants bench by ejecting all 24 players sitting on the bench (October 1, 1914).
He suffered from a skin condition that he claimed was caused by the stress of umpiring: 'Most baseball fans... feel that these verbal and physical public humiliations [umpires endure] go in one ear and out the other. Well, they don't. They go in one ear and go straight to the nervous system, eating away coordination, self-confidence and self-respect.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He was credited with bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring.
He taught other home plate umpires how to use the 'slot' between the catcher and batter for a better look at the strike zone.
He officiated in a record 18 World Series (1908-09, 1911-15, 1917-18, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931-32, 1934, 1940).
He was home plate umpire for the first All-Star Game (1933).
He was at the plate for five no-hitters, a record later tied by Henry Wendelstedt.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Baseball Hall of Famers (Ranked: 1953)
• Baseball Umpires
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 89]
• I Died in 1951 (Ranked: 77)
• Known By a Middle Name
• Profiles 54751-55000 (Ranked: 54945)
• Shares Washington's Birthday [February 22nd] (Ranked: 1874)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying