Hirschbeck, Alomar Can’t Avoid Infamy Umpire, Player Forever Linked By Last Season’s Spitting Incident

With a handshake on the field at Camden Yards last April, umpire John Hirschbeck and Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar tried to end an ugly disagreement that profoundly affected both men and their sport.

Yet it has become evident that the events of last Sept. 27, when Alomar spit in Hirschbeck’s face, will forever be linked to their names.

“I don’t think it’s ever going to be as if it didn’t happen,” Hirschbeck said. “People see Hirschbeck and they’ll always say, ‘That’s the umpire in the Roberto Alomar incident.’ That’s how it will always be.”

Alomar can’t escape from it, either. He was booed incessantly during last year’s playoffs and still hears plenty of jeers on the road.

“You cannot stop people from talking about it,” he said. “But it’s in the past. That’s why I don’t even want to talk about it now.”

As the game began that night in Toronto last year, Alomar was known as the best player at his position, a lifetime .300 hitter with a great glove and speed. Conversely, Hirschbeck had performed for years in relative anonymity - exactly the way an umpire likes it.

All that changed when the two got into a heated argument after Hirschbeck ejected Alomar for arguing a called third strike in a game the Orioles needed to win to get into the playoffs. The verbal conflict escalated to ugliness when Alomar spit on Hirschbeck.

Alomar compounded the problem by saying after the game that Hirschbeck’s personality had changed dramatically since the umpire’s young son died of a rare disease a few years earlier. Things got even worse the next day, when Hirschbeck charged into the Baltimore clubhouse after being told of Alomar’s comments.

Alomar received a five-day suspension from A.L. president Gene Budig, a sentence not served until this season. The umpires were so incensed at what they perceived to be a slap on the wrist that they threatened to boycott the playoffs; it took a court order to get them on the field.

An apology from Alomar came in the form of a letter obviously composed by someone else. Hirschbeck accepted the apology anyway, eager to put it all behind him. In their next public meeting, at Camden Yards on April 22, the men shook hands.

Alomar maintains that he lost control after Hirschbeck used an insulting epithet. But Alomar realized long ago that he could never justify spitting on the umpire - regardless of what Hirschbeck said - so he left his side of the story untold.

“The full story never came out, and that’s why I don’t want to talk about it now,” Alomar said. “I just want to say it’s over with.”

No, it isn’t.

“He will never be the same Roberto Alomar,” said his agent, Jaime Torres. “That it happened is regrettable, and we took all the steps necessary to put this behind us. Unfortunately, his image will forever be tarnished.”

Alomar was gracious enough to talk at length about the confrontation during the playoffs last year, but now the subject is taboo. His brother Sandy, an All-Star catcher with Cleveland, has also had enough.

Asked recently for an interview on the subject of Roberto, Sandy said, “I’ll talk to you about anything, but don’t waste my time and yours talking about spit. That subject is closed.”

That would be fine with Hirschbeck, who again caught some unwanted attention this summer when he got into a shouting match with New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu. Hirschbeck was initially accused of using a racial slur, although witnesses later testified that no such language was used.

Regardless, it revived all the talk about last year’s controversy.

“You never go on the field looking for problems. In my mind, I want them even less. Because as soon as something happens, everyone goes, ‘That’s Hirschbeck, the guy from the Alomar situation.’ Like the Irabu thing. You don’t have to look for trouble - enough finds you when you put on that blue shirt.

“I think in the last year I have tried to keep a calmer head and not to get excited. I try to keep a low-key attitude,” Hirschbeck said.

With all the attention brought to the incident, the public was made aware of adrenoleukosystrophy, the nerve-ravaging disease that killed Hirschbeck’s son. Along with his apology, Alomar made a donation that was matched by Orioles owner Peter Angelos.

“Certainly the whole thing was regrettable, but I try to look at the good that’s come out it, if you can possibly put it in those terms,” Hirschbeck said. “Roberto donated $50,000, Peter Angelos donated $50,000 - that’s $100,000. From that money, they were able to make large advances in research and trying to find a cure for the disease.”