THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607040689
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: TOM ROBINSON
LENGTH: 117 lines
With Bullet behind the barbecue instead of home plate, tonight's USA-Cuba baseball game at Harbor Park will lack a certain familiarity.
Around here, if a national team comes to play the United States, Richard ``Bullet'' Alexander comes to ump. He was there when Cuba visited Met Park in 1988. Korea got him in '92 and Chinese Taipei last year. Then when Australia routed the Colorado Silver Bullets last month, Portsmouth's Bullet in blue spent a long night working the bases.
Today, though, scads of family will descend upon Bullet's place for a long-planned holiday bash. Knowing that, I'd say Francis Alexander was well-justified when she hinted to her husband that he'd really need protective gear if he worked this game.
Bullet, shall we say, was not born yesterday.
``Hey, if you win the battle, you don't want to lose the war,'' he says. ``Family comes first on this one.''
Besides, the Alexanders know Bullet has a certain ace in his cuff - he is one of five Americans, and 17 men in all, who will umpire at the Olympics.
So, with any luck, the Bullet, 58, will draw the Cuba-USA rematch July 28. Or perhaps the Aug. 2 gold medal game, which could feature these same heavyweights. By then, Bullet presumably will have finally sweated out the ``flabbergasted'' state that gripped him last fall when he was chosen.
Since 1966, Bullet's built a hefty resume calling the kiddie leagues, high schools, NCAA regionals and the Triple-A International League as a substitute. He's a regular on the ACC, Colonial Athletic Association and international circuits.
He's collected references from the late National League ump John McSherry, former ump Joe Brinkman, whose school Bullet attended, and ex-Old Dominion coaches Bud Metheney and Pat McMahon.
He has never been called for the College World Series, though, and that's one of his regrets. But those feelings began to soothe when he learned he was among seven umps under consideration for the Olympics.
As requested, Bullet fired off an updated resume and waited. He knew he'd been an alternate for the '92 Games, but a guy's status can change in four years, you know?
``I've been disappointed so much at times over things I thought I might get, I didn't ever get my hopes up on this,'' says Bullet, who got his father's nickname early - and has no idea what it means.
``The day the envelope came, I was about to go fishing on my boat so I didn't even open it. I said, `I'm not gonna let this ruin my day. I'll open it when I get home.' ''
The good news was quite the catch for the Wilson High star, who took up umpiring after a two-year minor league playing career. Bullet says he never wanted full-time duty, though, and instead fought fires in Portsmouth, retiring as a captain in 1983.
Umpiring just always was, and remains, a sidelight that Bullet says he'll indulge in ``as long as I can run with them. I get a checkup every three months. I told (his doctor), `You've got to keep me alive till the Olympics are over.' He said, `Don't worry, you're not going anywhere.' ''
Nowhere except crazy with anticipation.
``I've known since November, and I told myself I couldn't get too psyched up then, I was gonna have a damn heart attack,'' Bullet says. ``Now I leave in less than two weeks. And I still don't know what I'm gonna pack.''
With Bullet behind the barbecue instead of home plate, tonight's USA-Cuba baseball game at Harbor Park will lack a certain familiarity.
Around here, if a national team comes to play the United States, Richard ``Bullet'' Alexander comes to ump. He was there when Cuba visited Met Park in 1988. Korea got him in '92 and Chinese Taipei last year. Then when Australia routed the Colorado Silver Bullets last month, Portsmouth's Bullet in blue spent a long night working the bases.
Today, though, scads of family will descend upon Bullet's place for a long-planned holiday bash. Knowing that, I'd say Francis Alexander was well-justified when she hinted to her husband that he'd really need protective gear if he worked this game.
Bullet, shall we say, was not born yesterday.
``Hey, if you win the battle, you don't want to lose the war,'' he says. ``Family comes first on this one.''
Besides, the Alexanders know Bullet has a certain ace in his cuff - he is one of five Americans, and 17 men in all, who will umpire at the Olympics.
So, with any luck, the Bullet, 58, will draw the Cuba-USA rematch July 28. Or perhaps the Aug. 2 gold medal game, which could feature these same heavyweights. By then, Bullet presumably will have finally sweated out the ``flabbergasted'' state that gripped him last fall when he was chosen.
Since 1966, Bullet's built a hefty resume calling the kiddie leagues, high schools, NCAA regionals and the Triple-A International League as a substitute. He's a regular on the ACC, Colonial Athletic Association and international circuits.
He's collected references from the late National League ump John
McSherry, former ump Joe Brinkman, whose school Bullet attended, and ex-Old Dominion coaches Bud Metheney and Pat McMahon.
He has never been called for the College World Series, though, and that's one of his regrets. But those feelings began to soothe when he learned he was among seven umps under consideration for the Olympics.
As requested, Bullet fired off an updated resume and waited.
He knew he'd been an alternate for the '92 Games, but a guy's status can change in four years, you know?
``I've been disappointed so much at times over things I thought I might get, I didn't ever get my hopes up on this,'' says Bullet, who got his father's nickname early - and has no idea what it means.
``The day the envelope came, I was about to go fishing on my boat so I didn't even open it. I said, `I'm not gonna let this ruin my day. I'll open it when I get home.' ''
The good news was quite the catch for the Wilson High star, who took up umpiring after a two-year minor league playing career. Bullet says he never wanted full-time duty, though, and instead fought fires in Portsmouth, retiring as a captain in 1983.
Umpiring just always was, and remains, a sidelight that Bullet says he'll indulge in ``as long as I can run with them.
``I get a checkup every three months,'' he said.
``I told (my doctor), `You've got to keep me alive till the Olympics are over.'
``He said, `Don't worry, you're not going anywhere.' ''
Nowhere except crazy with anticipation.
``I've known since November, and I told myself I couldn't get too psyched up then, I was gonna have a damn heart attack,'' Bullet says. ``Now I leave in less than two weeks.
``And I still don't know what I'm gonna pack.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Richard ``Bullett'' Alexander by CNB