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Show I ffwE PAR1AH3 OF THE BIG LEAGUES "i I I J ICopjrittit. 1011. bj- ths Nw Tork HeraM Co. JU1 rlthti rerrl.) jfo ) Lives of umpires all remind us J& We nrc well off with our graft, Sjjs',j And departing leave behind us 5 ' Something for an epitaph. t& i s E'RE out-1" bawled a blue, sulked man at l' tne Iol Ground onc dn5" lfltc last summer, :5ip.' jerking his thumb over his shoulder, as jjSfi Fred Clarke, the Pittsburg manager, slid !4J(j' lat- the plate, trying to score from second i I base on a hit by "Wagner to right fleJd. The rue might s j$ have saved the game for the Pirates. It was the last J Inning, and they were one behind the Giants, Clarke ft Jumped up, stretched his hands apart four feet, rushed JX u it Klein, umpiring, and said: Jh f ajJ! ,i "Safe by that much, you wall eyed Inmate of the 5j$ 1 ome for the near sighted." btfii 3 The rest of the Pittsburg team started for the urn- jVJ ;' )Ire. But the Giants had scamnered for the club !H. " ousc, and the crowd began to spread over the field. ?JJ i The game was over. The bell had saved the umpire t"1 v i , l violent argument. fTr- v T1's "ttle comedj. or tragedy It depends on the jj 1 olnt of view Is enacted dally on ball fields all over fy?! "f hc country. "The most abused individual In the ! U5j ; A-orld." the umpire has been called. It Is a gleaming CgJ generality, but very true. 5' "If I had the choice of being an umpirp or a clay Q ' pigeon, I would take the bird," somebody has said. Jjftl MA clay pigeon can get shot only once." I Down at Coney Island any suninipr night one may ill tQe youn men turowlnS baseballs at tnrgets with 3J ' Colorado maduro complexions, the heads being stuck ijiai ? through holes in the canvas background. These men ljA!f are paid to duck baseballs. "While an umpire does not ftiitipk 'eccivc his stipend on account of his agility In dodg- Tn? 'nP PP bottles and cushions, yet there have been lr$A times when these judges of play have been called "e&i upon to show some ability in this line. For -when the 32 i American fan pays his six bits to go Into a ball park fjli aud gets his rain :hcck he feels that It entitles blru 'jf . to abuse the umpire It Is one of his privileges, even . though an arbiter In the big leagues gets something mTbb : jgfj more than SI 00 a week, and the hurler of sarcasm (7) whi r draws down maybe but $13. Therefore, when a man ittt'i I ?S ; signs as an umpire he expects to take some abuse as J4 1 a part of his business. How much be gets depends jj :j on the man. Some take more and others less, JA "! According to the old timers, baseball Is getting u5 ' civilized now. An umpire is seldom killed, and when iM 1L is done It always happens In some uncouth Western HI bush league that no onc ever heard of. In fact some JuMI jjgl( umpires go through a whole senson nowadays with- j'lfwf out having police protection to take them safely away MjJ&jl from the grounds. tjjyU "Baseball ain't what it used to be," lamented onc of IfTyvl HtS those old school Individuals the other day. "Why, I lsSel remember In Kansas City In 'S4 all those butchers 52 ) used to come out to the ball park for a Sunday game 44,5 with guns. As soon as a high fly was knocked by the fitt-1 visitors they would all start shooting at the ball In the S ' iope that It would disconcert the man who was going JfE!:'1 to try to catch it. This very often did rattle him a eSTs' trifle- The umpire would no more think of giving s35 j anything to the visiting club In those days than he 2 tvould of committing suicide. "Whenever be made a fft Icclslon that the butchers did not like, they would g ill start shooting their guns off In the air, but the 4T?f umpire never knew when some wild and Inebriated aM' spectator was going to get the fever and take a shot jOjU at him. They didn't use blank cartridges, jj "I saw tho manager of the old Boston club, then ui known as the Beancaters, make a kick on a close play l)nl In Kansas City one Sunday afternoon, and onc of his 3L7J players came up to him and asked him to cut It out. Hh Everybody was shooting off guns. & " 'Never mind this game. What do we care about (J5' the game? Let's get out of here alive.' begged the B I player of his manager. 'I have a wife aud family at wA home'' StS'S "Oh, I tell you baseball ain't what it was," con- jSTJf eluded the old timer, $!i "I And he was right Why, there hasn't been a good js mob scene since Henry 0Day. the war horse of the al5H National League umpires, was attacked at the Polo tfiJK Ground by the crowd on September 23. 190S. when he WjB-l denied that Fred Mcrkle touched second base. He tfjffl - started to deny it from the field, and he concluded his 9? statement under the grand stand, with a row of po- fltjfyi Uceinen protecting his position. It all happened so iv-'' quickly that even O'Dny did not realize his danger 5l ) until a couple of "pop" bottles had been bounced off gjTii. It requires the hurling of only one "pop" bottle for !0'. thousands to catch the Ideu. Some onc threw the 5?. weapon of the fnn at O'Day. Another threw a cush- M ! . Ion Then the effect of waving a red tlag at a bull jjj looks like a peace conference compared with the way nQj j O'Day incited the crowd. Those nearest to him put rji) their faith In nature's weapons, and those handicapped SH! by distance threw cushions and bottles. They all eSf- fouf-'bt t0 set a shot at him. For the first time in his -j&$ life the Impcrturbuble O'Day was beared. Tic turned rfSS' white and dropped his mask and chest protector and '-fyS ran for the gute under the grand stand, afciit The crowd, seeing red, was fast closing In on him, li ;"J and this avenue of retreat was prettj badly blocked. 'JS : lie had to run the gantlet of blows and thrown mls- J0 i slles. The police rushed and drove the crowd away 5" HJ from his retreat They went, looking for more vlc- jg tlms' thc Chicago playern if possible, but these had sgp " heard about discretion being the better part of valor iSS ' an nud S0U5ht thc shelter of their club house while .flHi ', O'Day was yet the centre of interest Xothlng Is fj&BL more lrrltablo than a baseball mob, and nothing Is SUSSy worse, once It is worked up to a frenzy. p9 "Bill" Evans' Start. jlt One of thc smoothest going umpires in cither big league la William Evans, the American League olll- &') cial, known as "Billy" Evans. That shows he la liked. jfjjji Whenever a man is called "Billy" he Is popular. And ilffp) It Is true that all thc players like this man and many wrM of t,,c bpecuUom now, which Is a really remarkable mPj$i , concession. Kvans has had a very picturesque career. Wjm ; Hc wasn't always called "Billy." Ho weut to Cor- & ' nell, wierc he 'played football on the varsity team. MM - That Is a grca't little training for any man who ex- IH . nects to make a successful umpire. Hc then started 'W , n the newspaper business and picked up a little extra I '. BM WAILED at by the Ctonvd' md Scotded bV IflisN IflHHHlBI y0mK W money on Suudaj"s umpiring games fora semi-pro fessional team whkh jilajed on the lots of St. Louis These games were known to be the tbiighcst In the city, and three or four umpires had been earned away from them to the hospital befoie Evans lipgan to work there. Onc ilay "Jimmy" McAleer, now the manager of the Washington club and once the greatest great-est outfielder In the'gamc. wandered down on the lots having heard of the mortification which usually spl In at tliebe games and the dangers to the umpire. They were fnmotis for this half the patrons attending fr the fun of throwing things at th judge of play and demanding rain checks If they did not see an umpire mobbed. McAleer found Evans getting away with the Joa and still keeping his features in the same positions in which nature had placed them. This made an Impression Im-pression on the manager who then had charge of the destiny of the St Louis club. Hc told "Ban" Johnson, John-son, the president of the American League, about this prodigy, and to Evans was given a chance in thc big show. Ills first game was in Chicago, when the old timers In that club used to make a lot of trouble for umpires. There was a close play at first base along In the thhd or fourth Inning, which Evans determined against the White Sox. "Jlggs" Donohue, the first baseman, , now gone to the minors; "Nick" Altrock, thc old pitcher, and some others came 'storming at Evans, the kid umpire, who is something of a dandy in his manner of dress. "Call another one like that and I'll knock your block off," said Donohue. "And I'll make you look like a plugged nickel," added Altrock. "For fear I might disappoint you, gentlemen," said Evans, "and bo that I won't take away any pleasure which you may anticipate in knocking oD" my block, I am going to give you an opportunity to make good. 1 will be in my room in the Great Northern Hotel from six until nine o'clock lo-liight It is No. 3-13. Come right up, as many of you as want to, and knock my block ofT. Have a good time. That man at tlnt base Is out, and you get back to your positions before I put you out of the game." Thoy went back "beefing." And not onc called on Evans that night. But In spite of this Evans got a bad start In tho big league He was calling them wrong because that was the way he saw them, and ho was pretty generally disliked all around the circuit Then one day In St. L011I& some one bit him on the hcad with a pop bottle, that Inevitable weapon of tho fan In the fracas, and he was carried away to the hospital In an ambulance. Whatever else that bottle may Inno done to Evans, It made a good umpire out of him. lie has been the best In the league ever since and has worked in two world's series. He seldom has any trouble, and all the players like him and treat him as one of thoiii. lie is probably the o'nc mnn In (he business for whom umpiring is a pleasure. Even the players make allowances for him, realising that one cannot be right all the time, and that sometimes the bunds are quicker thuu the eye. A picturesque old umpire Is "Bob" Erasllc, of the National League. He is supposed to be partially blind now, but he continues to shoot every winter and win most of the money at thc traps, and wIiopvpi heard of a blind man being a crack shot? A very pathetic pa-thetic thing happened at the Tolo Ground one day in thc seaFon of 1900, which shows thc cruelty of players and spectators. "Old Bob" was behind thc bat during a game between the Giants and St. Louis. A hitter raudc a foul lip which struck Emslle on the head, and he went down unconscious. Players rushed toward him with water and sponges and began to mop his hcad. Shi Emsllo wears a wig, and some cureless pluyer pulled this off during the process of resuscitation. resuscita-tion. "Looks like the cornerstone of the new cathedral," shouted one fan as "Bob's" nude pate was exposed to view. "No wonder he has called so many of them wrong." The old man, semi-conscious, realized what had happened and struggled to his feel. He grabbed for the wig to cover his naked head and hide lib. humiliation, humilia-tion, and then, although but a minute before unconscious, uncon-scious, he fought like a tiger players and attendants. Hc is a game veteran. It Is an old trick for ball players to criticise tho sight of nmplres. A story is told about "Billy" Mc- V. F. Pcrjns ' ..Tom, ConnoUy S Lean, an umpire who the players used to say was bllud. One night he got an Idea, no wandered away from the hotel and road the electric signs about a mile away, memorizing them. Then he returned. Several players were sitting about in front of thc hotel smoking. "Here's thc blind ump." said one. , Reading the Signs. It was Just the opening for which McLean was waiting. 1 "Blind am I?" he asked. "Well, we'll sec. Can you make that Hag flying over thye? Sec the electric sign near it? Can you read that?' The players all tried and failed. "Can't make It out huh?"' chuckled McLean. "Well, we'll see what I can do. Looks like A-S-T-O-IM-A. Let's go sec If that Is right" . Of course It was. The players couldn't understand under-stand It. ! "Thought you had pretty good eyes, didn't you?' grinned McLean. He fooled them for n long time. At last some one noticed that hc was missing every night after supper for a short time boforc he read his signs. Ho was getting his data. They shadowed him and found out how he did It A story Is told of Connolly, an umpire In the American Amer-ican League. He was riding on a trolley car In Washington recently nnd -the conductor wns making change for him. "Did I give you $2 or ?35" asked thc conductor of the trolley car. "I don't know," answered Connolly. "I can't sec At least every one says I can't." Another story about the capital. "Silk" O'Loughlln, who says "Strike tub," was umpiring a game there one day between New York and Washington. Some fan. with a voice like the fog horn of the Lusltanla, had been on the umpire's hip during the whole afternoon. New York changed pitchers late In the game. "Who's the pitcher?" bawled the fan. "You know everything eKe, you ought to know Quliin." Hashed back O'Loughlln. It must be remembered that after all, umpires aro human. Sometimes they lose their tempers and commit com-mit some overt net, but not often. "Tim" Hurst, who used to olllclatc In the American League, had the reputation repu-tation for being ono of the quickest tempered men In the business. One day lu Chicago a fan had called him all the vile names that he could think of. Hurst stood It a si long as he could, and then hc walked across the field, up Into the stand and Jumped on the man who had been abusing him. It was an act that required re-quired nerve, for he was going single handed right Into the stronghold of the enemy. The crowd attacked him and had torn off every stitch of his clothes before thc police rescued him, battered and bruised. One duy at American League Park, In the season of 1009. Hurst called "Kid" Elberfeld, then with New York, out at tho plate In the eleventh Inning with what would have been the winning run. It was a close play and could have been decided cither way. Now, Ilurst and Elberfeld got along together about an well as gunpowder und a lighted match. Euch hus the Kumc kind of a disposition. Elberfeld got up urtd landed his mitt on the point of the Ilur&t jaw. "Tim" cume right back with u left, and there wus n great little go until the players .separated them. It was finally the flare-up temper of Hurst that cost him his Job In the league. He got Into a dlsputo with "Eddie" Colllus, tho second baseman on the Philadelphia team, and as a consequence the wholo thing was reported to Ban Johnson, and Hurst was dismissed, "Silk" O'Loughlta "Strike: .-fRh?' McLean, who used to read the signs, was also very fust tempered He was a boxer on thc side nnd carried car-ried on umpiring as his regular profession. Onc day a fan In Philadelphia irritated McLean so that he seized a bat, hurled It into thc grand stand and broke a man's arm. It cost him his Job. It Is one of the rules of the profession that an umpire cannot como back at his assailants. Many funny stories arc told about umpires. A man named CIcary, who used to umpire in tho Kansas Stitc League, had thc habit of using one plug of tobacco a game. He was to work a double header ouc day between the two leading teams, and, according to his custom, he brought two plugs to thc park as ammunition. ammuni-tion. The day was beautiful and n big crowd was on hand. When nine Innings had been played In the second sec-ond game the score was tied, but Clcary had exhausted all his tobacco. lie asked some one to go out nnd get him another plug, and every onc thought that It was a great joke for an umpire to expect to have a favor done for him. All refused. It was still light and bright and clear. "I can't umpire without eating tobacco," said Clcary, "and if no one will get me any I'll call this gauic." And, according to the tale, he did. The next day the newspapers published the account of thc game, and In parenthesis that It was called with the score a tie because the umpire had run out of chewing tobacco. The case was carried up to the National Commission, the Supreme Court of baseball, aud the game stood a tie. It Is the only case on record In which a contest wus called because the umpire had no tobacco. Stories could bo strung out endlessly about these men, ostracised from all thc world by their profession. profes-sion. Fans seldom realize that umpires are doing the best they can. A man In the far left field bleachers will abuse an umpire unmercifully on called strikes and balls when he has not a chance In thc world to see whether n ball Is good or bad. How Umpires Are Chosen. Umpires arc lequlrcd to go through a great deal'of preliminary training before they can attain to positions posi-tions In the big leagues-. Thc Judges of play are recruited re-cruited from two sources old players and minor league umpires. Good umpires are scarce. Some fans declare that the only good ones aro dcad The business busi-ness requires many qualities combined In the one man. First of all, he must have patience, unlimited patience and self-control. Then he must have a quick eye, ability to decide a thing one way or another on the spur of the moment, and, lastly, nerve The method of trying out umpires for service in the big leagues Is a good ono. Tho American League has a chief of umpires, oue of tho oldest lu the business, busi-ness, and he. scouts through the mluors during tho Season and picks out likely .ooklng men. It Is the saruo systcin as that employed by big league clubs In the search for new players to replenish the gaps made by age and depreciation among the stars. But the order of things Is reversed. Tho uniplies are tried out in the fall and the young players In the spring. In thc National League several old baseball men keep an eye throughout the season on good umpires among the minor leagues. Then, after the lesser league seasons have closed, these selections get their chances In fast cemj any In unimportant games be J IH twecn two teams that arc hopelessly out of the race foj H the pennant Thc candidates arc tried out on thc dog. H It is the delight of players on teams which arc out of ' H the race to rag newcomers and make their lives miser- 1 H able. It Is thc same spirit that prompts a sophomore H to haze a freshman. . H Recently umpires In both leagues have been obliged " IH to have their eyes tested by oculists to assure thcli 1 IH perfect sight No regular system Is followed In ap- H pointing umpires to certain games. The president of H each league assigns his umpires to games for the sea- H son, and thc schedule of the umpires is given out , H Two always work together in couples so that they get 1 H used to each other. These partners appear together M all around the circuit Sometimes the president of the , H league will judiciously switch his schedule when a H certain umpire nnd onc team have had a great deal H of trouble. The Philadelphia National League Club had had difficulties with William Klem for years. H There was an outbreak early this season, and Thomas , H Lynch, thc president of thc National League, changed ) M thc umpires for the Philadelphia game the next day. H When two veteran umpires work together they al- H ternatc each day between judging on thc base and H behind thc plate. Thc man behind the bat one day M takes thc Held the next But, If a new man Is break- Jfl Ing in hc Is kept In thc field until hc gets the swing ! H of the thing, as It Is a harder Job to work behind tho , M catcher. Tho man with the mask and wind rad Is the vM head umplreor that game. H The president of each' league Is thc court befors H which squabbles between players and the umpires an M decided. He takes the evidence and acts. His deel slon may be appealed to thc National Commissloi M when a club protests a game because of some deel M slon of an umpire. This body, which is thc most in: 1 M portant in thc machinery of modern baseball, scldoc M reverses tbc league president H The National League umpires are O'Day and Bren . H nan, BIglor and FInneran, Klem and Doyle, nnd John M stone and Eason. Thc American League men wltl - M the Indicators arc Egan and Connolly, Evans and Mul M lln. O'Loughlln and Dlneen, and Sheridan and Pcriue M There arc eight In each league when the staffs aw recruited to war strength. Occasionally one of these M men loses out and an umpire has to work alone for a B time, which Is a very hard piece of business. "Old M Bob" Emslle has not started to work in the National M League yet, but he Is still an umpire and will appear . ' M ngaln as soon as hc Is well enough. H Some days umpires admit that they are bad. The? H just can't catch plays. It is an old Illustration of th hand being quicker than the eye. But for the mosl J part they are right. In a game during thc recent J series between the Boston American League Club and M thc New Yorks Egan was umpiring behind the plate 1 M nnd "Joe" Wood was pitching for Boston. From dl- M rcctly behind tho catcher in the press stand It seemed H as If Egan bad missed several perfect strikes which ' H Wood hud put over the heart of the plate. I saw , M Wood In the club house after the game. 1 M "Egan was pretty bad to-day," I said. "Hc missed I M a lo that you put In tho 'groove,' didn't he?" I M "No. he was good to-day," replied Wood. ) M Yet he had been "beefing" all through the game, M aud so had his catcher. Ask any player, after a game M that hc has fought through, and hc will usually tell H you that the umpire was right In the heat of tho M contest hc tights. But afterward, when be has cooled off, he will tell you thc truth. H A high place lu thc topography of the game Is tho u H day that thc New Y'ork Natloual Leaguo Club shut ' H Jumcs Johnstone out of thc Polo Ground because It M was declared that he had had malevolent mental H operations during the game with thc Cubs on tho day H before, which had proved to be detrimental to the M home team's chances. Hc had been escorted from the M grounds to bis boudoir by thc police on that day, Au- H gust 6, 100(3, and thc next matinee found him burred 1 M out Emslle was his co-worker, and hc was asked to M umpire thc game alone, which he rightly refused to H do. Then McGraw suggested that a player from each H side be chosen to officiate, and hc selected Samuel H Strang as his delegate. Chance declined the proposl- H tlou, and both sides claimed thc gumc, thc whole thing cudlug In a big rumpus. j So the umpire's lot Is no bed of roses. In the old dnys In the wild leagues hc was often escorted from H thc grounds by thc police. With snakes thc umpire has always been regarded as thc common enemy of H mnn, a necessary nuisance. It Is a Job that lakes M Mullln, n youngster, now umpiring In thc American M League, tried to break Into thc National and was M being tried out late In 1000 at a game between the H Giants and Philadelphia. He has a very deep voice H and a grave professional manner, nnd thc players H from both sides started to rag him. It was an unim- H portant game. Thc Quakers arc a bad team with au t M umpire. They kicked until this novice finally for- M felted tho game to Now York. The players didn't con- H shier the fife I that this wns his one chance to maka M good, aud that they might change his whole life by l getting him "In bad." As a rule the American base- M ball player and tho American fan arc very bad spdrts M where an umpire isNluvolved. M The men In thc blue suits ulwuys have to face tho M pop bottle thrown by thc man hidden in a crowd, thc M sort that does not come out in tbc open to light No' onc wants to enthrone thc umpires as the players are J enthroned No one cares who they are. They slip I H Into tho grounds the back way and out again. Men H llko Evans have done a good deal to raise the cstlma- j M tlon of thc profession In tho mind of thc public. But H did you ever hear any one care enough about an urn-, M pire to ask where he lived or whether he was married M or uny of those intimate questions? H I. jB |