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Show Old Umpire Tells of Bis Troubles Hardest and Meanest Position in Our National Game, Says J. E. Johnstone. J. K. Johnstone "An umplr" has a sort of Judicial position. lfcvSias to mako a decision, but he's got "to hand It down In a flash Instead - taking threo weeks off. as a Judge- 'icos, to consider tho point in cas-. Vhats more, he's got to leave 'aside all questions of personal feeling and decide tho case strictly on Its merits. That's what mnkes a good umpire. A man who watches tho ball every minute he's at work, who has a quick working mind and who gives his decisions as he thinks perfectly fair, will succeed. No other kind can. I had ono unpleasant experience in tho Southern lcaguo, but better discipline Is maintained in that league under President Presi-dent Kavanaugh. Tho foul tips and passed balls that sometimes hit us are awful. Why, I'vo had the bones In my left anklo broken with a spent ball and tho wind has been knocked out of mo hundreds of times with a foul tip. They hit you all over and they como fast and hard. It's no joke. Sometimes you get hurt so badly bad-ly In a gamo that you want to get a rcsL But there's none for an umpire. No matter mat-ter how sick ho is nor how badly ho Is hurt, be can't quit. That's where a pla er has it on him. But I want to eay tho umpiring Is different now from what is used to be. With the president of tho lcaguo Insisting that there shall bo no rowdyism and lining obstropcrous players, It's easier now. Besides, the ball players of today seem to bo more sensible. Tho game is their business and thoy don't waste bo much time kicking. Thcy'ro very gcntlomenly and, altogether, tho averago ball player of today is a lot easier to get on with. Being an umpire he has a lot of strange sides. You take some decision that you make and you'll hear the grand- I stand or bleachers yell, 'Got a pair of specfl!' 'Rotten!' 'Robber!' or something llko that. Yet you'll hear theso same fellows fel-lows sitting together talk about the same play and one'll say, 'Ho was out four feet.' another, 'I think he was Just out,' while-tho while-tho third will be more likely to say, I thought ho was safe.' Yet, If you make mistakes, you get roasted. Another unpleasant un-pleasant thing Is that you travel so much alone. You can't go around with tho players, becauuo you arc apt to get Into quarrels, You make a decision a player doosn't like and he'll harbor rcvengo for awhile. Now if you wero in the samo hotel ho-tel or traveling with tho team, he'd probably proba-bly say something and you'd get Into a acarp. So tho best thing Is to keep by yourself. At that, I think tho life's pretty pret-ty good and as some fellowsald. 'If you umpire for a year you're wure of heaven.' If you umpired in tho old Southern leauo for two weeks you'ro certainly sure. So I havo a chance on two counts." |