, 1888-09-06
HI UMPIRE,S r
Bob Ferguson Says He Is a Slave TO the
Whims CT Players

whims CT Players
Robert Ferguson, the veteran baseball
player, who is now an umpire of marked ex-
c~ellence, consented a faw DAYS ago to give a
New York Mail and Express reporter a chap
ter of incidents from his experience as an
umpire. Ferguson, when captain of the Troy
Baseball club, then in the National league,
was noted for his bluntness and firmness
when on duty, and the same characteristics
have made him a success in the delicate task
of umpiring a ball game. Ferguson was
asked how he came TO select his new voca-
tion. He said:
81 did not choose it; that is to say, l did
not seek it very earnestly. / had been active
on the ball field for SO many years that 1
knew it would be only a question of a short
time when my efficiency as a player would be
impaired to the extent of my being forced to
retire, and the position of umpire being pos
sible for me to obtain, and, in fact, offered
me, l accepted it that l might surely be able
to continue upon the field, where l have spent
most, and in a general way the happiest
years of my life.
allow do l like itl 1 do not like it at all.
An umpire, notwithstanding newspaper talk
regarding his being master of the field, is
practically a slave to the whims of players.
He does not, as is generally supposed, go
upon a field, and pom the slightest provoca-
ton fine a player to any amount simply be-
cause that man does not act in accordance
with his ideas. He is not there for tina pur-
pose. He is simply the representative of the
officers of the association in which he happens
to be employed. 1 give all clubs, whether
weak or strong, m equal chance The position
of umpire is one that no self respecting man
can hold long without wondering whatever
possessed him to accept it, and wishing to be
free from it. But every one has to earn a
livelihood, and I am ~endeavoring to earn
mine, but l will say that / am thoroughly
disguised with the business and will welcome
the day when l can say: Robert, you are
free; your slavery days are over; you can
now enjoy the fruits of your labor Don't
misquote me now and say that l am dis
gusted with the national game, for it would
be utterly untrue. 1 am fond of baseball, as
my many years on the diamond will attest;
but to be a player, which position 1 loved, is
one thing; to be an umpire is another
ut has been asserted more than once, Mr..
Ferguson, that the national game has a de-
moralizing tendency. Are you in accord
with that o%pinionF'
81 am glad you asked me that question, as
it gives me an opportunity to express myself
fully upon the subject. No; 1 do not think
the game of baseball, in itself, comprises any
features which would VIC Q moral injury to
any one. On the contrary, my firm convic-
ton is that it is a benefit. 1t is a harmless
sport, and one which tends to cul-
tivate the muscles, thereby insuring robust
health and bodily as well as mental activ-
ity. A comparatively dull youth can, if he
possesses the necessary playing ability, go
upon the ball field and in a few years time
be transformed into a clear sighted, keen
man. There are so many points of the game
which, in order to become a successful player,
must be carefully watched and instantly
taken advantage OF, that a man learns to be
continuously on the alert. This works to his
advantage in private life. So much for the
mental and athletic cultivation connected
with the game. Now for the moral part.
l do not mean to say that base
ball is a factor in moral education, but 1 will
venture the statement that the game, as a
sport, is less demoralizing thar perhaps any
other. 1t is a game on which betting has
been, and is today, INDUCED in, but that
should not bring discredit upon the game.
The bettors and not the game should receive
the benefit of whatever odium is attached
to it."