Harold Leaon Weafer (March 27, 1900 – August 23, 1978) was an American professional baseball player and umpire. Weafer was a first baseman in minor league baseball. He became an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

umpire in 1943 and stayed there until 1947. He umpired 776 major league games.

Career

Hal Weafer began his baseball career in , playing in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. Weafer traveled around the minor leagues for over a decade. His longest stint came with the

Richmond Colts The Richmond Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1953. They played in the Virginia League in 1894, and in another Virginia League in 1900, and another Virginia League from 1906 ...

of the

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928. The most famous alumni to c ...

, with whom he played with from to . From to , he served as a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

for several clubs. He retired as a player after 1933 and became a minor league umpire. He worked in the

Bi-State League The Bi-State League was an American baseball minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often ...

in 1935, the

from 1936 to 1937, and the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

from 1938 to 1942. After the president of the American Association suggested that Weafer lose 15–20 pounds for a promotion to MLB umpiring, he began dieting and chopping down Christmas trees. He slimmed down from 220 pounds to 170 pounds. He received his major league opportunity in September 1942. He remained an AL umpire until 1947. After his MLB umpiring days, Weafer served as an umpire supervisor in the minor leagues. He approved and worked with graduates of the Al Somers Umpire School.

Personal life

Weafer attended

Burdett College Burdett College, also known as Burdett Business College or Burdett College of Business and Shorthand, was an educational institution primarily located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1879, it focused on business and shorthand and operated as ...

in Massachusetts. His brother

Ken Weafer Kenneth Albert Weafer (February 6, 1913 – June 4, 2005) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in one game in 1936 with the Boston Bees. He batted and threw right-handed. On May 29, 1936, he pitched 3 innings in relief surrendering 6 hi ...

played in one game for the

Boston Bees The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

in 1936.

References

External links

* Career statistics and umpire information fro
Retrosheet
1900 births 1978 deaths Baseball people from Massachusetts Major League Baseball umpires Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Reading Coal Barons players Lewiston Red Sox players Petersburg Goobers players St. Joseph Saints players New Haven Weissmen players Worcester Boosters players Richmond Colts players Wilson Bugs players Petersburg Trunkmakers players Wilmington Pirates players Winston-Salem Twins players High Point Pointers players New York Mets scouts People from Woburn, Massachusetts {{US-baseball-umpire-stub

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links