Barrier Breaker

As a 10-year-old routinely glued to televised Yankees games, I recall the umpire Emmett Ashford (“Behind the Mask,” May 2020) as a presence almost as memorable as Mantle and Maris. His distinctive, animated style stood out, and remains vivid half a century later. His enthusiasm for every call, every pitch, made the mundane balls and strikes, safe and out calls an event unto themselves. To hear his name mentioned as part of the day’s umpiring crew meant excitement was ahead. There’s little question that he endured much to reach the pinnacle of his profession.

— Bernard Kavaler | West Hartford, Connecticut