Al Barlick - Later Career

Later Career

In 1961, the Sporting News polled managers and coaches to determine the best umpires in the Major Leagues. Barlick was voted as the most respected umpire in the National League, as well as the best caller of balls and strikes, best on the bases, best knowledge of rules, best at being in the right position and most serious-minded. When asked about the poll, Barlick stated that it was a disgrace, due to the lack of qualifications of the writers and some of the categories in the poll, which included "most sarcastic," "hardest to talk to," "biggest grandstander," and "worst pop-off." Barlick later stated, “The very idea of the ratings is unfair in that they place labels on hard-working officials who always try to do a good job...What constitutes respect? Does refusal to take abuse from a manager or player signify respect and is that respect forfeited when the player or manager is thrown out of the game?"

In 1963, the league instructed umpires to crack down on balks by pitchers. A few weeks after ejecting pitcher Bob Shaw due to an argument about balks, Barlick called Fred Fleig, the secretary of the National League, and said, “I'm fed up with the whole thing and I am going to quit and go home.” On June 17, 1963, league president Warren Giles announced that there had been a "misunderstanding," and that Barlick would relax at his home for a few days, and then rejoin his umpire crew.

After the 1963 season, Barlick took a job as a public relation representative at Springfield's Water, Light and Power Department. However, he returned as an umpire for the 1964 season. Barlick's crew worked the first game at the Houston Astrodome in 1965. In 1966, Barlick missed 9 games after his mother, Louise, died in Springfield. He missed the last two weeks of the 1966 season due to high blood pressure. After the 1968 season, Barlick accompanied the St. Louis Cardinals on a five-week tour of Japan. In 1969, Barlick was the crew chief for the first-ever National League Championship Series. In 1970, he umpired the final game at Forbes Field, as well as the first game at Riverfront Stadium.

In 1971, Barlick was awarded the Umpire of the Year Award at the Al Somers Umpire School, which was based on a poll of other Major League umpires. He stated that the award was "very special," and that it was "a true, honorable, sincere award because it is given to an umpire by umpires." 1971 was Barlick's final year of umpiring, and he skipped the final series of the season at the advice of his fellow umpires. Barlick wore uniform number 1 when the National League adopted them for its' umpires in 1970, however the league retired number 3 in Barlick's honor after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.