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In Memory of Umpire and Friend
Hal Arthur Kaiser Jr.
Sacramento umpiring legend Hal Kaiser passed away last
Saturday evening approximately 6:30 pm at his home. Hal has been a
mainstay in Sacramento for many years, having trained umpires that he
himself umpired when they were growing up.
The following was Written by Vince Miles, Manager of
the 38 Dodgers and 38 Commissioner.
The old saying, "You can never judge a
book by it's cover" was ever so true when it came to Hal Arthur Kaiser
Jr. Larry Whitmer of the Dragons and I were the lone "non umpire"
representatives of the Sacramento NABA at Hal's memorial service. It was
like an umpire's convention, but they were very nice to Larry and I.
Umpire Chief of SAC NABA Thane Tuttle asked Larry and I to sign the
"umpire" baseball that was given to one of Hal's family members. That
was a very kind gesture I thought. Anyway, I mentioned the "judging a
book" thing when it came to Hal. What I learned about him at the service
was that he had a huge heart....This man went back to college so he
could teach preschool. His motivation was so that he could spend more
time with his adopted son. That's right, Hal taught preschool at the
Valley Christian Academy in Roseville. He was well known on the campus
and church grounds as "Papa Hal".
The kids truly loved him as they spoke so eloquently of their
experiences with him. We all have had our various opinions of Hal, but
to really get to know him you could not help, but love him. My last on
the field encounter with Hal was something I'll never forget. There was
something different about him, it was like, he found peace. We had this
amazing conversation and we would converse throughout the innings and
then after the game we shook hands and hugged. I told him to take care
of his self and with that weathered face and blue eyes he gave his
trademark wink and walked away....I actually saw Hal one more time after
that in his home.
He had just came home from umpiring in
Dixon...He looked very fatigued and withdrawn....At the memorial service
it was told that Hal had collapsed somewhere up in Auburn inside
Target.....His health was diminishing fast and furious. It was to the
point that Hal could no longer do one of his favorite things....umpire.
On Saturday June 21, 2008 Hal got called up to the "Big Leagues." Heaven
could always use a good umpire. During the service it came as a huge
surprise when one of the umpires used a quote from no other than the
"original #42," Jackie Robinson, to describe his relationship with
Hal......."A life is not important except on the impact it has on other
lives." Peace to you Hal
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and Standings posted through games of July 20th.
