It's really hard to rate _Behind the Mask_ without dividing it into two categories: as a book about gay life, and as a baseball book. I found it interesting and valuable in both areas.

Pallone, it must be remembered, came of age in the seventies, when the idea of being 'out' was difficult for anyone--much less a professional sports official. His story has the ring of truth and honesty, and would in particular be a good read for young people wrestling with sexual identity issues: it does not contain explicit sex scenes. Probably PG-13. Of special value is Pallone's own self-analysis; he has come to understand why he handled life the way he did, and the picture we see is of a man who has regrets about some things but is at peace.

With regard to baseball, we get a lot of closeups of Pallone's colleagues. Like anyone else, some good, some not so good; some competent, some not so competent. The degree to which umpires will engage a vindictive streak to the detriment of the game truly stunned me, and I'm generally a defender of the officials. The politics and union/management wangling that go into deciding just who gets to be a big league umpire are laid bare. Pallone contends that he was fired for being gay, and I don't think he necessarily makes the case for this very well; while I wouldn't put it past the league owners, it's also possible that he was fired for being controversial, and that his revelation of his sexuality was simply the one more bit of awkward press that baseball didn't want. Either way, it took a lot of courage for him to pursue his career in the face of a lot of adversity, and I'd proudly shake his hand.

A good read from either standpoint.

This book should be on the shelf of every gay person in America who is in doubt of his or her sexuality. For you baseball fans, there is the inside story of the famed "Pete Rose" incident, but you don't have to be a baseball fan, or gay to enjoy this well written book. It's out of print, but well worth the time and effort to hunt it down or check it out of your local library.

A well-written, honest, insightful book. Dave Pallone should be congratulated on his work, both as a professional in the baseball world and as a first time author. In the same "boat" as Dave Kopay, Pallone rises above and allows the reader to feel and to be ok with being who you are.

Dave Pallone did something in baseball that, to my knowledge, no one else has ever done: he came out of the closet. Pallone wasn't a player, but rather an umpire. It cost him his job. Reading this book you will find that you are angered and uplifted. Pallone did not deserve the treatment he received from baseball. Pallone's treatment will be the reason that any others in baseball who are gay, remain in the closet. After all, we can't have anyone who is in team athletics acting in a non-acceptable manner... Funny isn't it that drugs, illegitimate children, murders, assaults, etc. are all acceptable behavior by professional sports, but homosexuality isn't.

This book will provide you with an insight into something that is rarely spoken about. It isn't great literature, but then it isn't supposed to be. It is a biography of a person during a specific time. I recommend this book.

I have read this book a few times and am so glad that he was able to write it. This type of treatment needs to be shown to the world. How much longer will it be before people are accepted for their abilities without regard to their sexual orientation?