Jim Honochick
George James John Honochick (August 19, 1917 – March 10, 1994) was an American professional baseball umpire, whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) began in 1949 and ended in 1973. During that span, Honochick officiated in six World Series and four All-Star games. He also called balls and strikes for three no-hitters: the first of Virgil Trucks' two (1952), Jack Kralick (1962), and Sonny Siebert (1966). Honochick was the crew chief who declared that the Washington Senators forfeit its last game (1971, playing at home, in DC) because a mob, furious that the franchise was going to relocate to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex the next season, stormed the playing field with the team only one out away from victory.
Jim Honochick | |
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Born | |
Died | March 10, 1994 76) | (aged
Occupation | American League Umpire |
Years active | 1949 – 1973 |
Employer | American League |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
During the mid-1970s, Honochick was one of the many professional sports-related celebrities who became spokespeople for Lite Beer from Miller. His first commercial played up the clichéd notion (usually bellowed out by hecklers), that umpires should get glasses because of questionable calls made on the field having been caused by poor eyesight. In it, he helped to promote the product without realizing who the other pitchman in the ad was. After putting on spectacles, he immediately noticed who it was, exclaiming, "Hey! You're Boog Powell!"[1] This theme continued to be used in subsequent Miller Lite spots.
References
- "Miller Lite, 1978 11 26, Boog Powell and Jim Honochick". YouTube. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
External links
- Career statistics and umpire information from The Baseball Cube, or Retrosheet
- Jim Honochick at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Jim Honochick at Find a Grave
- Jim Honochick Obituary at Morning Call Newspapers, by Keith Groller
- Jim Honochick Oral History Interview (1 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection
- Jim Honochick Oral History Interview (2 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection
- Jim Honochick Oral History Interview (3 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection