Hall of Fame NL Umpire Al Barlick Dies at 80

Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick, known for the loudest ball-or-strike call in baseball, died of cardiac arrest Wednesday in Springfield, Ill., at 80.

Barlick retired in 1972 after 33 years as a National League umpire and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, at the time only the sixth umpire to be so honored.

“I will say that he was the best I’ve seen,” said St. Louis Cardinal broadcaster Jack Buck. “It’s rather subjective, not like judging a player, but when I nose around and talk to other baseball people, they seem to concur.”

Peter O’Malley, the Dodger president, called Barlick a role model.

“Baseball has lost one of the game’s greatest umpires,” O’Malley said.

Like his father, Barlick worked the coal mines, but he began umpiring sandlot games during a strike to pick up some extra money. He reached the major leagues at age 25 in the fall of 1940, replacing another Hall of Famer, Bill Klem.

Barlick was called tough but respected, and one of his favorites was Stan Musial of the Cardinals. He asked to umpire Musial’s final game, then called him out on strikes in his first at-bat.

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The St. Louis Cardinals, on something of a spending spree in anticipation of new ownership, have guaranteed outfielder Ron Gant $25 million over five years, according to the Associated Press.

The Cardinals have also agreed to an $8.1-million, two-year contract with pitcher Andy Benes that also has a $3.4-million player option for 1998.

Football

Only five members of the Nashville delegation in the Tennessee state legislature say they will vote for the state to sell $55 million in tax-free bonds toward building a stadium for the Houston Oilers. Eight others, polled by the Nashville Banner, say they are undecided, and five of those appeared to lean against the proposal in interviews with the Banner.

The Oilers and the city have an agreement for the team to move to Nashville for the 1998 season if certain conditions are met. One is the state’s sale of the bonds.

Danny O’Neil, who passed for a record 456 yards while playing for Oregon in the 1995 Rose Bowl game, has become the first player to sign a contract with the Anaheim Piranhas of the Arena Football League.

Jurisprudence

Former Nebraska football player Lance Lundberg has filed a federal lawsuit against Coach Tom Osborne and other university officials, claiming an assault by a teammate in 1993 left him with permanent facial disfigurement.

Lundberg said he sustained broken bones in his face and cranium when defensive back Leslie Dennis punched him a few days before the 1994 Orange Bowl game. The lawsuit claims Lundberg was assaulted because of “considerable ill will” between blacks and whites on the team. Lundberg is white and Dennis is black.

According to the suit, team medical staff failed to diagnose the fractures and recommended Lundberg apply ice to the injured areas. Lundberg, an offensive lineman, played in the Orange Bowl game against Florida State five days after the assault.

Hockey

Michal Bros had two goals and an assist as the Czech Republic beat Germany, 6-3, at Amherst, Mass., for its second victory in the World Junior Hockey Championship.

The Czech Republic leads Pool B, with favorite Russia struggling to an 0-1-1 start after tying Slovakia, 3-3, in Boston. Other games slated for Wednesday night pitted the United States against Ukraine and three-time champion Canada against Switzerland.

Names in the News

Richey Reneberg and Chanda Rubin will represent the United States in the Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth, Australia. . . . Coach Paulo Autuori, who led Botafogo to the Brazilian soccer championship in his first season, will join Portugal’s Benfica next year. . . . Daniel Zaragoza of Mexico will defend the World Boxing Council super-bantamweight title against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi of Japan on March 3 at Yokohama.