NEW YORK — Former National League umpire Dave Pallone is on the interview circuit, promoting his book "Behind the Mask" that chronicles his life as a homosexual in the baseball world.

"I want people to understand that gays are everywhere," he said Wednesday on a talk show. "I'll tell you right now, we could field a whole major league baseball team, have some reserves and also have a general manager to run the team as far as the gays are in the game right now.

"Until such time that major league baseball accepts that gays are everywhere and that we're part of the game, it will never be America's game."

Pallone joined the NL staff in 1979 during a strike by major league umpires. He left the job late in the 1988 season because of personal reasons and did not return.