A stretch of road in Steve Palmero’s hometown of Oxford, Mass., was dedicated to the former major-league umpire who died of cancer in 2017.
Palermo, who made his home in Kansas City, had his umpiring career cut short in 1991 when he was shot in the back while coming to the aid of robbery victims outside a Dallas restaurant.
Doctors told Palermo he wouldn’t walk again. His umpiring career was over, but Palermo recovered, walking with the use of a cane.
He was hired by Major League Baseball as a special assistant to the chairman of the Major League Executive Council and became an umpire supervisor MLB, serving as a liaison between the umpires and the commissioner.