Behind the Mask

       In his hotly-controversial New York Times bestselling autobiography, former National League umpire Dave Pallone rips the homophobic mask off major league baseball with a brutal candor that bristles with drama and truth.   But the real kicker here is Pallone's parallel -- and explicit -- account of his coming to grips with his sexuality in a culture that seems as confused about this as him.   Through remarkably-detailed, funny, touching, outrageous, and sexy stories, he openly explores a complex life fraught with persecution, exhilaration, tragedy, and glamour (like brief affairs with a major “heartthrob” film star and a popular "macho" baseball player) without self-promotion or self-pity.   In straight, frank talk, Pallone opens himself to more public scrutiny and critique than any other professional sportsperson in memory, while reminding us that our culture, even in its 21st century, still wrestles with how to accept all of its citizens equally.