Skip to main content

Gary Darling, Sacramento's Umpire



Gary Darling

Although born in San Francisco, Gary Darling grew up in the baseball talent-rich South Sacramento area where he played for Parkway Little League and went on to Luther Burbank High School. Under the guidance of Coach Mike Inchausti, Gary was a steady right-handed first baseman for the Titans, graduating in 1975. 

Some of his best baseball memories were playing American Legion Baseball for Joe Gill’s Southside squad, along with teammates Chris Gandy and Rod Zanze. They won the area title in 1975.

With his baseball career winding down, after two years at Cosumnes River College playing for Jerry Conway, Gary decided to stay in the game via sports officiating, and enrolled in umpire school.
Gary has rich memories of his days umpiring in the minor leagues, specifically in the Class A Northwest League. He remembers having terrific partners, sharing hotel rooms, and trying to make $900 stretch for a month. Sometimes it was just a hotdog for dinner. 

Gary didn’t have to toil in the minors very long. On June 3rd, 1986 he made his Major League debut in Montreal, working third base, as Vida Blue’s San Francisco Giants defeated the Expos 7 to 6. The veteran crew of umpires that night included Lee Weyer, Dutch Rennert, and Ed Montague. Gary would go on to enjoy a 28-year career as a Major League Umpire. 

There is a famous book about umpires called, “The Best Seat in Baseball, But You Have To Stand”, and for all the great baseball moments that Gary witnessed, one weekend stands alone. It was during the great home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998. Gary and his crew were on the field when McGwire hit his 60th, 61st, and 62nd home runs. Roger Maris’ family was there, along with hundreds of other baseball dignitaries. For the first time, the league was using a special ball with holograms on them. It felt like a World Series atmosphere. Gary recalled how close that crew was and how much they enjoyed being a part of such a historical series of games. 

Gary’s last game was on September 29th 2013. He retired the following year. Gary was a part of the World Series in 2003 and 2010, and also worked the All Star Game in 1993 and 2003. He is credited with 111 ejections including Sacramento’s own Dusty Baker, Tommy Lasorda, and Bruce Bochy (3 times)

He is currently behind the helm of Umps Care, a fundraising group comprised of major league umpires who stage a number of activities throughout the country to benefit at-risk kids and adopted children, often in partnership with Major League Baseball.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

J.P. Howell

 J.P. Howell Reflecting back on J.P. Howell’s senior season at Jesuit, Coach Joe Poltuny said: “I will never coach another player that will dominate the way J.P. did in 2001.” He was a free spirit on campus, and he kept his teammates loose, while racking up every honor available. Leading the Marauders to a Section Championship, J.P. was 10 and 0, with 155 strikeouts over 155 innings. He was 3 and 0 in the playoffs with a record 19 strikeouts against Del Campo. His ERA for the 2001 season was 0.09. Cal-Hi Sports named him player of the year, and that magical summer continued when he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round. Coach Joe continued: “I may have helped him with his fast ball, but that curve ball was a gift from God.”  Choosing the college route, J.P. was a two-year All American at The University of Texas winning 25 games against only 4 defeats. He led the Longhorns to two College World Series appearances and was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taylor Duncan

  Taylor Duncan  Taylor Duncan was one of the finest athletes to ever come out of Sacramento. He was a three-year varsity starter at shortstop for Grant High School, earning KFBK/Sacramento Bee All-Star status in 1970 and 1971. During his senior year, Taylor stole 26 bases, drove in 23 runs, and finished the season with a league leading .514 average. Future baseball star, Robert “R.J.” Reynolds remembers shagging batting practice balls for Taylor and his good friend and teammate Leon Lee. Robert said: “These guys were only 17 years old, but to us young kids, they were men. Grown men.” Taylor was the tenth overall pick in the 1971 draft by the Atlanta Braves, and he tore through rookie ball with a blistering .446 average until a horrific injury on July 4th paused his meteoric quest for the big leagues. Taylor never gave up, and he eventually reached the majors in 1977 with the St. Louis Cardinals. The following year, he signed with the Oakland A’s and hit .257 as a uti...
Post a Comment
Read more