Most folks remember Gregg for his time as a major league umpire. The Philadelphia native worked in the National League for 23 years until he resigned as part of a union protest during a 1999 labor dispute. While some of the umpires involved were eventually re-hired, Gregg was not. It was clear for many years that the league did not have a favorable attitude to Eric, in part because of his size and in part because of what some felt were his questionable umpiring skills. It's sad, because in retrospect, despite his faults, Gregg was far superior to many of the umpires we see today.
Phillies fans would always look forward to having Eric umpire a Phillies game and not because he favored the Phillies. In fact, many would say he went out of his way to show no bias towards his home town team. Phillies fans enjoyed Eric because he had personality. You could often hear him in the stands. Most of all, I'll always remember the fun he had with the Philly Phanatic who was clearly Eric's biggest fan. They danced together. They wrestled. They had some great mock arguments.
Eric was never quite the same after he left baseball. It hurt him financially even though he eventually received a modest settlement from the league following a lawsuit. I always think what he missed the most were baseball fans. He did everything he could to stay in touch whether it was working at Chickie and Pete's sports bar and restaurant or at their concession stands at Citizens Bank Park.
Eric was a regular contributor to WIP's Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi. Listeners finally realized how much he loved baseball and how knowledgeable he was of America's pastime. Above all else listeners learned that Gregg was just a man like most Philadelphia men. He was passionate about sports and passionate about everything he did.
Every January, Eric got to relive at least a portion of his umpiring days. For years he was the Commissioner of WIP's annual Wing Bowl. In his trademark black and grey outfit and oversized hat, Eric would keep his keen eyes on the contestants - some even larger than himself. It was he who came up with the famous Wing Bowl rule, "If you heave, you leave." Before and after the event each year, Eric would wander the floor of the Spectrum and later the Wachovia Center talking to fans and the gathered press. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, even though we all knew that his heart was long ago broken by the game that he loved the most.
I suppose Eric's fortunate that he passed away following the stroke. He wouldn't have wanted to live in the condition he was likely to find himself. He enjoyed life too much for that. I guess we can take some solace in the knowing that today Eric is probably somewhere else back on the field umpiring a game with The Babe, Joe, Mickey, Jackie and lots of other baseball heroes long past. We can take solace in knowing that we were here, in Philadelphia, when Eric passed our way and made our lives a little more fun.
You can read more about Eric Gregg's last days and his career in today's Philadelphia Inquirer and in an Associated Press article on MLB.com.