HE FINISHES THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Wisconsin resident Bruce Froemming has been calling balls and strikes for a long time.

When the 66-year-old Froemming signals "Play Ball" from behind the plate, he'll begin Game 5,000 of his 36-year major league career, joining Hall of Famer Bill Klem as the only umpires to reach that milestone. He also worked 13 years in the minors.

He's consistent, even when the history books are at stake.

He has never quite gotten over villain status at Chicago's Wrigley Field for the first of the no-hitters he worked, in 1972. The Cubs' Milt Pappas needed one more strike for the 12th perfect game in major league history, but Froemming called three close pitches in a row as balls. The resulting walk ended the bid for a perfect game. Pappas got the next out for the no-hitter.