| Lord Byron | |
| Birth Name: | William Jeremiah Byron |
| Birth Date: | September 18, 1872 |
| Birth Place: | New York, New York |
| Death Date: | December 27, 1955 (aged 83) |
| Death Place: | Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Other Names: | "Lord" "The Singing Umpire" |
| Employer: | National League |
| Occupation: | Umpire |
| Years Active: | 1913–1919 |
William Jeremiah "Lord" Byron (September 18, 1872 – December 27, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball umpire.[1]
Byron began umpiring in the Michigan State League in . He would then work in the South Atlantic League from to . From to, Byron umpired games for the Virginia League, Eastern League, Southern Association, and the International League.[2]
Byron made his major league umpiring debut on April 10, for the National League. He would work in the NL from until, umpiring 1,012 games and the 1914 World Series with Bill Dinneen, Bill Klem, and George Hildebrand.[3]
He returned to the minor leagues with the Pacific Coast League from to, and then retired from umpiring.
Byron was known as the "Singing Umpire", because he would occasionally sing his calls.[4]
Whenever a batter complained about being called out on strikes, Byron would recite a poem:
Let me tell you something, friend
Before you grow much older
You cannot improve your average, Sir
With the bat upon your shoulder.
Byron died in Ypsilanti, Michigan.[5]
