Screenshot
To be a baseball umpire, one has to love the game.
Phil Cuzzi certainly has a passion for the game. After all, he’s been an umpire at the highest level for close to three decades.
The Nutley resident and Belleville native reflected on his long and now historic umpiring career in the major leagues.
On his 70th birthday on Aug. 29, Cuzzi, in his 27th year, became the first Major League Baseball umpire to ever umpire a game at age 70, during the game between Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
His love of the game goes back to when he used to play baseball with his friends while growing up in Belleville.
“I always had a love for baseball,” Cuzzi said in a phone interview on Sept. 10, when he was in Cleveland as part of the Guardians versus Kansas City Royals
series. “From the time I was a kid, whatever season it was, that’s when we played on the street or the playground.
“My best friends to this day are guys that I went to junior high school with and high school with. I still see them to this day. The girl I married, I met her in junior high as well.”
Cuzzi first started umpiring when he was a student at Belleville High School, working Belleville Little League games. Back then, he would umpire two games a day and got paid for $15 per game. Making that much money was pretty sweet for Cuzzi.
“As a high school kid in 1972 or ‘73, to walk away with $30, that was great,” Cuzzi said.
Cuzzi lettered in baseball and football at Belleville High School. After graduating in 1973, he attended Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), where he continued his baseball career. Unfortunately, he blew out his shoulder. Baseball was out of the question as a career. Cuzzi had to figure out what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. So he became a school teacher. His first job was in Union at Burnet Middle School.
His path to becoming a Major League Baseball umpire actually started at Yankee Stadium. “One night, I was at Yankee Stadium with my buddies. I was focusing on the umpires and the way they were rotating on the field. I didn’t know why I started watching them. I said, ‘That would be a great job.’ ”
Cuzzi’s buddy sitting next to him then mentioned an umpiring school that he saw advertised all the time in the Sporting News. So Cuzzi gave it a shot.
“People kept saying, ‘Aw, you know how hard it is to be a Major League umpire? You have to know somebody. Do you know anybody?’ I said, “Nah, I don’t know anybody.’ But I said, “You know, somebody has to make it.’ I got it in my mind. I said I would rather try it and fail, then to never try it all and wonder what if.”
Cuzzi worked hard and eventually became an umpire, starting off as a minor-league umpire. He then was promoted to the big leagues in 1991 in the National League as a MLB reserve umpire.
After two years, Cuzzi’s career came to halt. But he returned to the big leagues as a full-timer several years later.
Throughout his career, he worked some memorable games, including no-hitters, World Series games and All-Star games.
As much as he is busy calling games and traveling around the country, Cuzzi always remembers his roots. He started the Robert Luongo ALS fund in honor of his Belleville classmate who died of the disease. Luongo was an All-State football player and played football at Harvard University. Luongo and Cuzzi were also somewhat related. They were technically not cousins, but they had the same first cousins, Cuzzi said. “His mother’s sister married my mother’s brother,” Cuzzi said. “We always went to family functions together.”
Every year, a lavish fundraising dinner takes place at Nanina’s in the Park in Belleville. Each year, more than 600 people are in attendance, some of whom are former famous baseball players, coaches and managers, as well as other celebrities. The next fundraiser is set for Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Cuzzi always has cherished his umpiring career. But don’t expect Cuzzi to call it a career any time soon. Cuzzi’s unbridled enthusiasm and youthful spirit is as strong as ever.
So what kind of advice would Cuzzi give to any aspiring umpire?
“I would say the biggest thing is, besides being in good physical condition, you have to put your nose in the rule book,” he said. “You have to know the rules. There are just so many new rules now, than when I first started. When I first started, you just had to know the rule book, which in and of itself, is a lot of information there. But now, with instant replay, pitch clocks, there is a whole another host of rules and directives, and things like that. The best advice is to work as many games as you can to gain experience.”
About the Author
