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While many of the organizations formed years ago are no longer functioning, JCYS (Jesse Collyer Youth Sports) is still going strong. It's hard to say if there has been a more influential man in the history of Ossining - he worked at Sing Sing Prison, was Mayor and Town Supervisor as well as Fire Department and American Legion member. The Baker-Collyer Cheer Fund still helps those in need. His life story is summarized in the articles shared here, along with photos from the files at our museum. Jesse Collyer died in 1983 in Ossining.
WHO IS THIS MAN WHO ONCE HAD THE BRASS TO THROW DOUBLE TALK AT OLD BRANCH RICKEY?
WHO IS THE MAN WHO ONCE KEPT YOUNG DUKE SNIDER IN THE BATTING CAGE UNTIL HE KNEW THE STRIKE ZONE?
HE MUST HAVE BEEN A HECK OF A MAN, ONE WHOSE NAME IS LISTED AMONG BASEBALL’S IMMORTALES. RIGHT?
NO……...
THE MAN WAS JESSE COLLYER. AND HE IS CONSIDERED A HECK OF A MAN BY THE PEOPLE IN CONTACT WITH HIM, BUT HE DOESN’T RANK UP THERE WITH MC GRAW, OR RUTH ON THE LIST OF LEGENDS.
COLLYER HAS BEEN CHIEF UMPIRE AT LOS ANGELES DODGERTOWN FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS NOW, AND HE IS AS MUCH A DOGERTOWN FIXTURE AS BOARD CHAIRMAN WALTER O’MALLEY HIMSELF.
BUT THE JOB AT DODGERTOWN, WHILE IT HAS PUSHED HIM INTO A MAJOR LEAGUE SETTING FOR AT LEAST A MONTH A YEAR, IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE JESSE COLLYER STORY.
HE SERVED IN JUST ABOUT EVERY CAPACITY AT SING SING PRISON AND IN FACT HAD HIS FIRST UMPIRING EXPERIENCE THERE. HE WAS MAYOR OF OSSINING FOR 12 YEARS AND STARTED THAT CITY’S YOUTH BASEBALL PROGRAM WHICH NOW BEARS HIS NAME.
HE IS A PHILANTHROPIST. HE IS A REAL SANTA CLAUS. HE IS THE PILLAR HIS FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES LEAN ON WHEN THE BURDENS BECOME UNBEARABLE. IN VERO BEACH THE OPENING EXHIBITION GAME BETWEEN THE DODGERS AND THE BRAVES WAS DEDICATED TO HIM, AND HE THREW OUT THE FIRST PITCH. IN OSSINING, A DINNER WAS HELD TO COMMEMORATE HIS 50 YEARS SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO BASSEBALL. AMONG THE TELEGRAMS, THERE WAS ONE FROM PRESIDENT GERALD FORD AND ONE FROM VICE PRESIDENT NELSON ROCKFELLER.
IT MAY BE HARD TO EQUATE SUCH STIRRING HUMANITY TO LAUGHTER AND FOOLISHNESS, BUT THE FACT IS COLLYER HAS USED HUMOR TO CREATE MOST OF HIS GOODWILL. HE WAS RECREATION DIRECTOR AT SING SING WHEN THE NEW YORK YANKEES, COMPLETE WITH BABE RUTH, MADE AN APPEARANCE.
“THE WARDEN TOLD ME WE NEEDED AN UMPIRE,” SAID COLLYER, “AND HE WANTED TO KNOW IF I WOULD VOLUNTEER. “NATURALLY, I STUCK MY NECK OUT. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THE POSITIONS AN UMPIRE WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE.”
“BUT I GOT THROUGH IT, AND I STARTED UMPIRING MORE AND MORE AROUND WESTCHESTER COUNTY.” “WHEN THE FIST PITCH WOULD B A STRIKE, I’D CALL IT LIKE A MACHINE GUN. I FOUND THAT GOT THE PEOPLES ATTENTION, AND IT ALSO LET THEM KNOW I WAS CONFIDENT IN MY UMPIRING ABILITY AND THAT I WAS IN CHARGE OF THE GAME.”
ONCE WHEN THE YANKEES WERE AT SING SING, COLLYER SIDLED UP TO BABE RUTH AND TOLD HIM TO GIVE SPECTATORS A THRILL. “EVERYBODY HAS HEARD THE STORY ABOUT HOW RUTH ONCE CALLED HIS HOME RUN SHOT AGAINST THE CUBS IN THE WORLD SERIES THAT TIME,” SAID COLLYER. “SHOOT THAT WAS NOTHING. THAT DAY, HE CALLED THREE SHOTS TO LEFT, CENTER AND RIGHT. AND HE HIT IT WHERE HE POINTED EVERY TIME.”
COLLYER COMBINED ENOUGH HUMOR AND TALENT TO BECOME A RESPECTED UMPIRE, AND EVENTUALLY WENT TO NEW YORK CITY SEMI PRO LEAGUE, THE CLASS AAA INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE AND FINALLY TO DODGERTOWN.”
“MICKEY MC CONNELL HIRED ME FOR THE DODGERS, WAY BACK WHEN BRANCH RICKEY STILL OWNED THE CLUB AND THEY CAME TO SPRING TRAINING IN PENSACOLA, COLLYER SAID. “WE WENT TO SANFORD ONE YEAR AND THEN WE STARTED COMING TO VERO BEACH. “AFTER UMPIRING AT SING SING AND THEN IN THE SEMI-PRO LEAGUE, THE MAJOR LEAGUES WERE SO EASY. THE PITCHERS WERE ALWAYS RIGHT AROUND THE PLATE. “THE MAIN THING I HAD TO DO WAS TO HANDLE PLAYERS AND THIS IS WHERE MY EXPERIENCES AT SING SING HELPED. I’D ALWAYS LET THE PLAYERS HAVE THEIR BEEF, AND THEN I’D TELL THEM I DIDN’T WANT TO RUN THEM OUT OF THE GAME. I WAS THE SAME WAY AT UMPIRING AS I WAS WHEN I WAS MAYOR. I ALWAYS CALLED THEM AS I SAW THEM, AND I WOULDN’T YIELD TO ANY PRESSURE TO ANY PRESSURE GROUP. I LET THEM KNOW WHO WAS IN CHARGE.
WHAT COLLYER CALLS DOUBLE TALK, WHICH REALLY IS AN INAUDILE MUMBLE, STARTED AT SING SING ONE DAY WHEN COLLYER FOUND HIS TEETH STUCK WITH CHEWING GUM.
“TRIED TO MAKE THE CALL ON A RUNNER,” AND MY TEETH WERE STUCK. SO I JUST STOOD THERE POINTING AND GRUNTING. IT WAS A CLOSE PLAY AND I HAD SIGNALLED THE RUNNER OUT. HE JUST GOT UP AND WALKED AWAY WITHOUT ARGUING, SO I FIGURED I HAD SOMETHING. THE NEXT TIME I TRIED IT WAS IN AN INTRA-SQUAD GAME DODGER TOWN WHEN CARL FURILLO WENT CHASING A BALL TO THE FENCE AND THREW A GRAPEFRUIT BACK TO THE INFIELD. “PEE WEE REESE WAS THE RUNNER, AND I CALLED HIM OUT. HE SAID “BUT JESS, THAT’S A GRAPEFRUIT. HOW CAN I BE OUT? I TOLD HIM “WHEN THE SEEDS SCATTER, THE RUNNER IS AUTOMATICALLY OUT.” HE DIDN’T SAY ANOTHER WORD. HE JUST GOT UP AND WALKED AWAY.”
WHEN JESSE ISN’T SURE ABOUT A CALL OR WHEN HE JUST WANTS TO CREATE A LITTLE LAUGHTER, HE’LL POINT AT A RUNNER AND YELL “HE TAGGED YOU ON THE MMMMMMMMM.” THE RUNNER WILL INVARIABLY ASK HIM TO REPEAT AND COLLYER WILL DO SO - WORD FOR NON-WORD.
“USUALLY AFTER I’VE SAID IT A COUPLE OF TIMES THE RUNNER WILL GET UP AND LOOK AT ME AS I IF TO SAY ‘I THINK YOU’VE BEEN OUT IN THE SUN TOO LONG.’ BUT HE’LL WALK AWAY WITH NOTHING ELSE TO SAY. “
COLLYER WAS SURPRISED HIS DOUBLE TALK STINT WITH RICKEY DIDN’T COST HIM HIS JOB AT DODGERTOWN. RICKEY WAS AFTER ALL A STAID OLD JESUIT PRIEST WHO WAS NOT KNOWN FOR HIS SENSE OF HUMOR. FRANCO THOMPSON (A LATE DODGER VICE PRESIDENT) COOKED IT UP WITH ME, COLLYER SAID, RICKEY WAS IN THE STANDS FOR A GAME, AND FRESCO WANTED ME TO GIVE HIM THE GROUND RULES IN DOUBLE TALK. I’D POINT AND I’D MUMBLE AND RICKEY WAS STRAINING TO HEAR WHAT I WAS SAYING. HE TURNED TO ONE OF THE PEOPLE HE WAS SITTING WITH AND SAID ‘I KNOW I HAVE ONE BAD EAR, BUT I THINK I’D BETTER GO GET THE OTHER ONE CHECKED. I CAN’T UNDERSTAND A THING THAT MAN IS SAYING.’
“LATER ON, SOMEBODY LET HIM IN ON WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND THE NEXT TIME HE SAW ME HE STUCK OUT HIS HAND AND SAID, ‘GOOD FUN JESS.’
IT WAS MANY DAYS LATER RICKEY PAID A PERSONAL VISIT TO COLLYER IN HIS DODGERTOWN QUARTERS AND ASKED FOR HIS HELP.
“HE TOLD ME HE HAD THIS BOY NAMED DUKE SNIDER WHO HAD ALL THE ABILITY IN THE WORLD SAID COLLYER. “BUT HE SAID HE SWUNG AT EVERYTHING THROWN TO HIM, AND HE WANTED ME TO MEET HIM IN THE BATTING CAGE AND TEACH HIM THE STRIKE ZONE. “SO I GOT IN THE BATTING CAGE WITH SNIDER, AND I MADE HIM LOOK AT PITCHES AND TELL ME WHETHER THEY WERE BALLS OR STRIKES. THREE DAYS LATER, RICKEY CAME TO ME AND SAID HE THOUGHT SNIDER WOULD BE OKAY. HE WAS, “MR. RICKEY WAS A BRILLANT MAN. WHAT OTHER BASEBALL MAN WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF SENDING A PLAYER AND AN UMPIRE INTO A BATTING CAGE SO THE PLAYER COULD LEARN THE STRIKE ZONE?” (EDWIN DUKE SNIDER DEBUT WITH DODGERS 1847, 14 YEAR CAREER AVERAGE .295, HITS 2,116, HOME RUNS 408, 8 TIME ALL STAR, 2 TIME WORLD SERIES CHAMP, INDUCTED INTO THE BASEBALL HALL FAME 1980)
BY THE SAME TOKEN, WHAT OTHER SPRING TRAINING CAMP UMPIRE WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE TIME TO DO SUCH A THOROUGH JOB? BUT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN COLLYER’S NATURE TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY.
“I’VE NEVER FELT I WAS RESTRICTED TO UMPIRING,” HE SAID. “I’M ALWAYS IN THE LOBBY, AND I GO UP AND INTRODUCE MYSELF TO PLAYERS. I TALK TO THEM WHEN I THINK THEY REALLY NEED SOMEOBODY TO TALK TO.”
“SOMETIMES, THEY’LL HAVE A BAD DAY AND THEY’LL COME IN FEELING LOW. I’LL TELL THE, “HEY, THAT ONE PLAY YOU MADE OUT THERE TODAY WAS REALLY A BIG LEAGUE PLAY.” IT MAKES THEM FEEL BETTER AND GIVES THEM MORE CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES.
COLLYER, WHO TOOK VACATION EVERY YEAR TO JOIN THE DODGERS IN SPRING TRAINING AND BESIDES THE SPRING TRAINING WORKLOAD IS NOTHING TO WHAT HE FACES IN OSSINING. THERE IS THE JESSE COLLYER LITTLE LEAGUE, THE COLLYER CHRISTMAS CHEER FUND AND A FEW OTHER CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS DEPENDING ON HIM FOR LEADERSHIP.
HE IS AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE OSSINING JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE OSSINING FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT IS A FITTING EXISTENCE FOR A MAN WHO ONCE MADE WHAT HE TERMS A “LANDMARK DECISION” AS A BASEBALL UMPIRE.
“THERE WAS A MANAGER NAMED MAX MACON WHO ARGUED A LOT AND WHO I COULDN’T STAND TO WORK A GAME FOR,” HE SAID. “AND THE DODGERS HAD A BIG KID NAMED JIM GENTILE WHO WOULD SWING SO HARD THAT, WHEN HE MISSED, THE BAT WOULD COME AROUND AND HIT HIM IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. “ONE DAY GENTILE WAS PLAYING FOR MAX MACON’S TEAM AND THE SCORE WAS TIED 2-2 IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH. GENTILE SWUNG AT A PITCH, MISSED AND KNOCKED HIMSELF GROGGY BY HITTING HIMSELF IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITH HIS BAT. ON THE NEXT PITCH, HE HIT ONE OVER THE FENCE AND RAN THE BASES BACKWARDS. I CALLED HIM OUT AND HERE CAME MACON CHARGING ONTO THE FIELD. I LISTENED TO HIM FOR A WHILE, AND FINALLY I MADE MY LANDMARK DECISION.” “I SAID ‘OKAY’ HE RAN THE BASES BACKWARDS SO HE JUST UNTIED THE SCORE. YOU LOSE 2-1".
ONCE AGAIN COLLYER WALKED AWAY AND LEFT THE ADVERSARY SPEECHLESS.
NOTE: THIS INTERVIEW WAS FOUND IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE OSSINING HISTORICAL MUSEUM. IT WAS NOT MARKED WITH AN AUTHOR OR DATED. THE ONLY MARKING WAS ‘TODAY SPORTS EDITOR VERO BEACH’.
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