Born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1887, Harry Salsinger worked in his hometown, Dayton, and Cincinnati, before joining the Detroit News at the age of 20. Sal, as his close friends called him, remained with the Motor City newspaper for over 50 years, following the exploits of Tiger ballplayers from Ty Cobb to Al Kaline. For all but two years of his career at the Detroit News, Salsinger held the position of sports editor.

A former president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Salsinger was well-versed in many sports, but his forte was unquestionably baseball. His column was titled simply "The Umpire." The byline of Salsinger meant solid, factual writing in an interesting style. Westbrook Pegler called Salsinger "the best sportswriter in the country." Bob Broeg recalled that Salsinger was "a dignified man who brought figurative as well as actual stature into the profession."

Salsinger died at the age of 71 on Thanksgiving Day, 1958.

Harry George Salsinger