RAMSTEIN, Germany — Larry Barnett has escaped from the tragic umpire's dungeon of anonymity.

But it wasn't by choice and the circumstances surrounding the new-found fame are less than desirable.

Barnett, the youngest man ever to break into the major league umpiring ranks, was involved in one of the sport's most famous incidents in recent history when his ruling that there was no intentional interference on a home-plate collision between Boston's Carlton Fisk and Cincinnati's Ed Armbrister during the 1975 World Series, resulted in a public blast at him and threats against his life and those of his wife and child.

Barnett, who is conducting the umpiring portion of the USAFE baseball clinic here with University of Arizona coach Jerry Kindall, feels his call was a correct one, the rules back him up and that the media blew the incident out of proportion.

"The rule book backs me completely," the 31-year-old seven-year veteran said in an interview here. "The rule states that home-plate collisions between the batter and catcher are not to be considered as interference unless in the umpire's judgement, the runner made an extra effort to block the catcher from a play. I couldn't read Armbrister's mind. I couldn't see intentional interference then, and I don't see it now."

Barnett, who broke into the major leagues at 23 — the youngest anyone has ever been signed — added that photographs taken of the incident also show that following the collision, Fisk still had a clear shot at the ball and threw it away.

Boston and Cincinnati were even after two games and were tied, 5-5 after nine innings of the third contest. Armbrister, with Cesar Geronimo on first, laid down a bunt. He and Red Sox catcher Fisk collided and Fisk threw wildly to second, allowing Geronimo to go to third. Joe Morgan followed with a base hit to bring home the winning run.

"Sure it was a big play," Barnett said, "but I wouldn't say the World Series was decided because of it."

And that, according to the American League's eighth-ranked ump by seniority, is what the press did to the incident — blew it out of proportion and hinged the outcome of the Series on it.

Barnett, following threats against he and his family, was heavily guarded for the remainder of the Series and lashed back at television announcers Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek, saying they were largely responsible for the threat. "I was angry and hurt and very concerned after the threats," Barnett said, "but I've talked to Kubek on the phone since then and we have pretty well settled the issue. It's like anything else. That was last year, this is a new one.

"Actually, controversy is good for baseball. I didn't have that in mind when I made the call, but what the hell, I kept baseball in the news during the middle of football season."

Barnett did say that he and other umpires would like to see a gag rule enforced like the one in football that fines a player or coach for attacking officials verbally in the press.

"I could also make comments about things the players did in the game that I thought were wrong," Barnett explained.

"But what the hell. Those guys are only human — they make mistakes. A lot of times a guy gets mad — he should. There's a lot riding on these games. Usually after an initial blast, the guy settles down and that's it."

What it all boils down to, says Barnett who gained his umpire training at the Al Sommers umpire school in Florida, is wanting to ump.

"You have to want to umpire or you'll never make it. Fan harassing doesn't bother me at all. Hell, I owe fans a lot. If they didn't come to the game, baseball wouldn't survive and I wouldn't have a job. They can harass me all they want. I still get my check."

Only 48 umpires are in major league baseball — 24 in each league — and the competition is growing keener each year says Barnett, who graduated first in his class and says he was "at the right place at the right time" in referring to his selection.

"I was 23 and the expansion of 1968 was under way. Charley Berry, a former American League umpire (now deceased) watched me work a number of times and recommended the American League buy my contract. They did and I'm happy."

Barnett, a native of Prospect, Ohio, near Columbus, said that umpires today are making much better wages and the chance to break into the major league ranks are thinning each year.

Barnett said the starting salary far an umpire is $16,500, with a $10,000 expense account plus all travel expenses. The retirement is also lucrative with the league matching the 10 per cent withheld from the umpire's pay.

"I was lucky to get in at my age and I was pretty immature. I made a lot of mistakes — got too shook early. But you grow up fast," Barnett said. "Only about five per cent of the umpires ever make it into the majors. You have to go to a school (Sommers or the Umpire Development School) and even then you aren't guaranteed a job. The only thing you are guaranteed is that they'll take your money and they'll teach you all they can.

"Anyone can learn the mechanics — be perfect on mechanics. But being able to make the right call is not so teachable."

Barnett is a humorist, who enjoys giving banquet speeches during the offseason. He takes the pot shots thrown at him and his profession well and makes light of his work. "I never let truth stand in the way of a good story," he explains. But Barnett is serious about one point — politics should be kept out of officiating.

"It hurts college and other amateur level sports," he said pointing out that too often an umpire works his own area and is somewhat liable to his home team. "An umpire who is paid by the home college coach knows where that pay is coming from. He may remember it on close plays."

Asked how a major league umpire responds to that type of feeling, Barnett said: "I used to be a Yankee fan. But the first time Thurman Munson jumped up and bit my head off, I forgot all about what my favorite team was. Besides, all calls are snap calls. You don't have time to say 'that was a close pitch. This is my favorite player so I'll call it a ball.' You just call it."

Barnett recalled one incident when former Oakland catcher (now with Cleveland) Ray Fosse complained about a call. "I told him if he said another word I would bite his head off," the hefty Barnett said. "Ray looked back and said 'if you do that, you'll have mare brains in your stomach than you do in your head.' I also got a Christmas card from Carlton Fisk. He said he hoped I had a wonderful winter because I sure had a (expletive deleted) summer."

Barnett, getting a large round of applause from the clinic audience said, "I haven't gotten that much applause since I left Boston after the World Series."

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