R. I. P. Joe Sawchuk

Longtime umpire and official scorer for Toronto Blue Jays games Joe Sawchuk is battling Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Howie Birnie

*Canadian Baseball Network writer Danny Gallagher reports that longtime umpire and former official scorer at Toronto Blue Jays games, Joe Sawchuk, has passed away at the age of 82. We would like to express our condolences to his wife, Frances.

We are re-publishing this feature article that Danny wrote about Sawchuk that was originally published on February 15 as a tribute.*

February 15, 2021

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

If Joe Sawchuk could remember, he would tell you tales about his umpiring career in and around Toronto.

If his brain's hard-drive would allow him, he would tell you tales about his long stint as an official scorer at Toronto Blue Jays games.

But he can't remember anything because Alzheimer's has robbed him of his memory. Devastating. Poor Joe has had this vicious disease for close to 10 years. He does not know his wife Frances, and he does not recognize his only sibling, son Jeff.

"He does have the odd good day,'' Mrs. Sawchuk said of her husband. "When the nurses show him pictures I took of him, they ask him, 'Do you know that woman?' And he'll say, 'Yes, that's my wife Frances.' Amazing, eh?''

Until recently, Mrs. Sawchuk was able to look after her husband at home in Toronto's Etobicoke district but not anymore.

"Joe fell in the bedroom and broke his left hip,'' she said. "He went to Etobicoke General and then they transferred Joe to William Osler (health centre) in Brampton. He has had two operations and another one scheduled. They keep finding different things.

"Joe cannot go to rehab because of his Alzheimer's. Joe will not come back home. I could not look after him and help him walk. I have MS and I am very weak.''

If Sawchuk, 82, had recall, he would tell you about the time he was umpiring a Pearson Cup game in 1979 at Exhibition Stadium when the Expos were playing the Blue Jays.

Gary Carter was catching for the Expos and Sawchuk took the opportunity to ask Carter at home plate, "Any chance I could get your autograph for my son Jeff?''

Carter was very obliging, saying, "On this day, you are thinking of your son? What a wonderful person you are.''

So after the game, Carter signed a ball for Jeff.

Later that year, maybe the next year, as Sawchuk's wife recalled, her husband travelled to Florida and did a 7-Up commercial with Carter and his daughter, Chrissy.

Sawchuk umpired for many years, mostly doing midget and junior games, and a number of MLB games as a substitute. For 26 years, he was in the press box at Exhibition Stadium and then the SkyDome, scoring Jays' games. He used to always tell people, "I don't work for the Blue Jays. I work for the American League.''

It's true. His pay cheques came from the American League in New York.

"Joe does not remember anything about the baseball,'' Mrs. Sawchuk said.

One of the highlights of his umpiring career came when he was a substitute umpire in the AL in 1978 and 1979.

Sawchuk worked home plate on Aug. 25, 1978 at Exhibition Stadium in a game between the Jays and Twins when the regular umpiring crew went on a one-day strike.

According to Retrosheet's boxscore of the game, helping Sawchuk out were Toronto-native umpires Rich Panas in left field and Alan Contant -- along with two coaches. Don Leppert of the Jays was at second base and Jerry Zimmerman of the Twins worked third base. Odd but true.

The following day, Sawchuk was back at the ballpark, umping at third because somehow the league could only round up three regular umpires: Bill Kunkel, Al Clark and Terry Cooney.

Then the following year, Sawchuk was summoned for further duty when the regular staff of umpires conducted a longer strike at the start of the season. Sawchuk took some time off work from Ontario Hydro, where he toiled for close to 40 years as an illustrator, and worked 17 games in April and May, as did Panas and Contant.

Mrs. Sawchuk said that when her husband worked Pearson Cup games he wasn't paid but instead, he was given a ring.

"He started to lose weight and he would put scotch tape on the ring,'' Mrs. Sawchuk said, laughing.

For close to 30 years before Joe was diagnosed, Mrs. Sawchuk had volunteered with the Alzheimer's Society so she knew some of the symptoms of the disease. About nine years ago, she told her husband she was going to water the plants and he shouted at her to tell her not to do such a thing. Then she said, he was watering the plants two minutes later. She knew then that he was off kilter.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Mrs. Sawchuk normally wouldn't be allowed to see her husband at his new home but she saw a loophole where, if she volunteered at the home where Joe is, she could see him all the time.

Mrs. Sawchuk has her own problems to worry about but amazingly, she keeps a positive frame of mind.

"I'm not a complainer. I use a walker,'' she said. "MS affects your writing. I can't write. My hands are numb but I can drive the car. I'm able to hold my hands on the steering wheel. I'm going to drive as long as I can.”

Mrs. Sawchuk said one of the beautiful things that help most Alzheimer's patients is playing music and more often than not, the patients remember the lyrics word for word.

Joe, God bless.