April 1, 1996, 30 years ago: Umpire John McSherry dies of a heart attack while officiating at the Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Montreal Expos, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. He was 51 years old, and listed at 325 pounds. The game was called and postponed.
McSherry had just begun his 26th season as a National League umpire (the 2 Leagues have had a combined umpiring crew since 2000), and was one of the most respected "men in blue." He officiated in 12 postseasons, including the 1977 and 1987 World Series, plus 3 All-Star Games.
Opening Day is a big deal in Cincinnati, perhaps more so that in any other Major League Baseball city. Because it was home to the 1st openly professional baseball team, the 1869-70 Cincinnati Red Stockings -- the current Reds team dates to 1882 -- it was traditional for them to start the day before the rest of the National League teams, and have a parade before the game.
Reds owner Marge Schott was a Cincinnati native, and loved the Opening Day tradition. She expressed concern that the children in the stands saw a man die, which was a reasonable concern. But she made it sound like the tradition was more important than a man's life, saying, "Snow this morning, and now this. I don't believe it. I feel cheated. This isn't supposed to happen to us, not in Cincinnati. This is our history, our tradition, our team. Nobody feels worse than me."
Eventually, the controversies, including several incidents of bigotry, piled up, and the other MLB team owners forced her to sell the team in 1999. She died in 2004.
The game was restarted the next day, with the statistics already tallied thrown out. The Reds won, 4-1.
McSherry was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York – the same cemetery as Babe Ruth.
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In addition, the Final of the NCAA Tournament was held that day, at the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at what was then known as the Continental Airlines Arena. Kentucky beat Syracuse, 76-67.
This is the only time the NCAA Final Four has ever been held in New Jersey, and the only time it's been held in the New York Tri-State Area since 1950. And it's the last time the Final Four has been held in a venue with fewer than 40,000 seats.
