St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-24
A TRIPLE-SIDED AFFAIR.
1t Takes Managers, Umpfres and Crowds
Of Partisans
TO MAKE A BASE BALL GAME.
Some Of the Rights of Each as Sug-
gested by the Recent Min ne
apolis Protest.

The Minneapolis ball park was tenn
pOrarily transformed into lake yeSter-
day, and the smooth diamond became a
a little ocean, with the base posts and
pitchers box standing up like islands.
The game with ST. Paul was declared
off. and the dozen and odd athletes who
wear the livery of Minneapolis had
nothing to do but discuss the science of
scooping up hot grounders and figure
up their Individual averages, neither of
which afforded any special qualification.
Umpire Steve Hagan read the papers
yesterday with considerable disgust,
and for an hour mOralized on the par
tlSan preJudiceS of a grand stand audi
ence. To GLOBE ball crank he said:
Il have always had fair reputation
as an umpire, but these roaStS l am
getting here hurt me. They are en-
tirely uncalled for and unjust. AT st.
Louis Mr.. GoOding told me l gave him
the first umpiring he had got. Take
this game yesterday. L was very close
when Winkleman ran to second and saw
him knock the ball out of Skaters
hands. Winkleman is not that kind of
player, or | would have fined him in
addition. If Pickett had interfered with
BrOsnan it would have cost him S25. l
saw the way he did, but as Brosnau
caught the fly there was nothing to be
done; but instead of BroSnan coming
to me, L went over myself and made
the statement. If there is one
thing that l will not stand, it is
dirty base ball, and | will make
every diSreputable trick costs player
so heavily he will not care to repeat it.
This thing Of a coacher running out of
his box to deceive catcheri is contempt
IDLE, and | will see that it does not oc-
cur in any games over which preside.
You know well enough the difficulties
of an impartial umpire, and if a crowd
wants to see the game kept up to high
standard, it must support the honest
umpire"
Every true; it will, so long as it
thinks he is honest. The supposition
is that the crowd does not credit the
umpire with fairness and honesty"
Il know that. If the home team is
behind and decision is made against
it at critical time, the bleaching
boards will never think it honest, but
the fair-minded spectators. who appre-
ciate base ball, will not be blinded by
partisan prejudice. Remember this,
is in position to see better than anybody
else, not even excepting the players
themselves. do despiSe the umpire
who is home umpire as it is called,
OF who, making an error, honest or
otherwise, endeayorS to even it up
afterward. That shows vacillation or
lack of judgement. l have umpired
many games, but don't think l ever
could be accused of either"
There are many sides to every ques-
ton. The partiSans at ball game are
those who take the deep interest in the
game, and are mainly those whose
money supports the team. A lack of
partiSanShip shows lack of interest
that would soon kill the game. AS long
as there are strong partisanS there will
be that many attendants at games.
Nothing is more natural than that
crowd should resent what it considers
an injustice TO its favorite team, and the
crowd has an inalienable right to its
own opinion. The honest, intlexible
umpire will often err in Judgment, but
he will command the respect of
the habitueS even of the bleaching
boards, but none will be quicker than
those same bleaching board crankS to
detect favoritism. In the Minneapolis
st. Paul game of Tuesday, for example,
apOlis crowd were highly satisfactory to
the st. Paul contingent for obvious rea-
rOnS, and would have been so, no matter
how unjust There are bali attendants
who can rise above local pride and jeal-
OuSy, they are too few in number to en-
courage manager. Umpire Hagan is
very intelligent, firm and Well-pOSted
official, and it is a matter of regret that
this controversy should have arisen.
Manager Gooding, on the other hand,
feels, to use his own expression, that he
''has had the worst of the umpiring."
He may be mistaken in this, but he has
the same right to demand the credit of
entire honesty in his belief. The Min
neapolis public, or any public, will APP
preciate the feelings OF man who has
invested heavily and is willing to in
vest still more in putting in team that
will make Minneapolis rank high as a
ball team, and feels that he is Sys-
tematically being wronged by partial
umpiring. Let him be as mistaken as
he will, and this feeling, if it is honest,
he would be less than human in not
protesting. II do not believe Wrinkle
man knocked that ball out of Skaters
hand Intentionally" he said. He is
not that kind of player. Shafer stood
directly on the line and of course he
was run into. Winkeman had his hand
badly spiked at the same time. l
we got very bad roasting on our trip.
l didn't complain for the simple reason
that the close decisions favored the
home team, which was about right.
There are sometimes decisions so close
that it Is impossible for even the umpire
to know, and in these cases, it is my be-
lief, the home team should get the bene-
fit. The reason is simple enough. Any
assistance of that kind strengthens a
team at home and helps out the attend
ance, and it is the home attendance which
pays base ball salaries. If | get at home
as good umpiring as the home teams re-
ceiyed while | was travelling, I've not a
word to say, but | am not the man to
tamely submit to being robbed by any
umpire"
There is one more word, while this
subject is under discussion. When the
Western association was in process of
Incubation, objection was made to the
election of officers who were in any way
connected with individual teams. The
point was raised that no officer con-
nected with any team should have the
employing of the umpires. SIT is
clear case of bread and butter"
said the objector, ''and umpires are only
human after all. They would belong to
a superior race of men if they did not
feel little like turning close decisions
toward the power that gave them their
position" However, the objection was
overruled, and the complaint is now
made that Sam Morton and jim Hart
run the association" Without further
comment on this, the hope is expressed
that further difficulties will be avoided;
that umpires will be honest and impair
tial; that players will be manly and
above trickery, and that audiences will
support their home teams zealously,
while recognizing the difficulties that