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Show Star Players Are Easiest to Handle rpHE life of an umplro Is a tough one, believe me. For days ho may not bo called on to make a close decision and he and tho players get along like brothers, but for weeks he officiates In battles where for Inning after Inning In-ning he has to decide eyelash plays. The players of both teams continually pounce on him and argue with him; the home fans roast him to a brown It Is then that the Job gets on his nerest and makes him long for home and tho" farm. Tho umplro Is practically exiled too Ho cannot mix with the players after tho gamo and go out and havo an evening of sport If he wants to go tc a theater he muBt travel by his lonesome lone-some One day last summer Umpires Connolly Con-nolly and Mullen vere on the same train with tho Yankees on the return trip of the New Yorkers fiom Washington. Wash-ington. When their appetites drove them to tho dining car they found tho players occupied neirly every sat. Connolly 'Informed his oung protege that It would never do to be seen eating eat-ing with tho players, so they strollod back to their chairs and waited at least an hour, and a half for tho diamond warriors to fill their "bread baskets" There are certain players w'ho make all kinds of trouble for umpires and others who never cause a rumpu3, no matter If they believe the official hns given him the worst of It in a close decision And It is the stars who nearly near-ly alwajs abide by the umpire's decisions de-cisions without a murmur "Why, Hal Chase nc. er mado a kick In his life." aald Umpire Egan recently. recent-ly. "One day I was working on the bases In New York and called Chaao out on a ery close decision 'That was a hair line decision Hal I remarked. Well, I thought I had It beaten. Mr i Egan,' replied Chase, "out you could j tell bpttcr than I could ' v "That's all he had to say. Why I know of fifty players who would hao been ready to scalp mo had they been In Chase's place "Whllo I don't believe there Is an umpire um-pire In tho American league who would give a wrong decision with Intention, It's a cinch a fellow of the Chase type Is not going to get any of the worst of It from an official. "Christy Mathewson Is another great player to work behind. An umpire often of-ten makes a mistake on balls and strikes, but Matty never makes a beef. "Ira Thomas thf Athletics' backstop. Is always pleading witi the umpire and Is really funny at time" as he begs for S f ' jj Photo by American Press Association. HAL CHASE. a strike. Charley Street, the former New Yorker, Is Just tho opposite, and he ia continually crabbing when his pitcher Isn't given a shade on close ones. But both are grand fellows, and; their heart Is In their work." "Willio KccJcr was an Ideal fellow." says Connolly, the American lcaguo indicator in-dicator holder. "Whenever ho mado a kick you could bet ho was pretty near right, but Kceler realized ho had nothing noth-ing to gain by 'baiting' "Ty Cobb Is another good man for the umpires. While he may look to be a scrappy player, he seldom kicks at a decision. Cy Young. Nap Lajolo and many of the other great performers are the same." |