The daily critic., 1890-07-30
BAD UMP1RING.
WASHINGTON F0RFEITS A GAME
TO THE BALTIMORE CLUB
RATHER THAN SUBMIT TOH DECISION
That Was 0uiragsously Unfair---lt Won
the Second Game, However--Ths
Rules Of the Game Quoted.

HNAAAhAhN VI AAAN AAAlAa AAAAAAAk wa ANA-
feited to the Baltimores, and after q
long wrangle another game was played,
which resulted in a victory for the
home team by score Of 4 to1.
As TIE CRITIC has remarked on
numerous occasions there are umpires
and umpires Mr. Hunts a new acces
sion to the Atlantic staff, although be
umpired last season and was dismissed
| for Incompetence When he made his
| first appearance In Hartford recently,
| the local papers after seeing an exhibi.
tion Of his work, were led to remarks
more In sorrow than in anger, that there
/ were men
IN A NEIGHBoRING GRAVEYARD
who were better fitted for the position
than he. The gentleman who made
/ that assertion had his Views wonder
fully corroberated yesterday afternoon.
The trouble occurred Ia the third in.
/ ming The scOre was 2 10 I In our
| favor, and Donohue, the first batter,
| had reached first on balls The first
| ball pitched to Gleason struck him on
| the arm, and, according to the umpire
he had thrown himself across the plate
with the intention Of being bit. Mr.
I Hunts wisdom then began to shine IN
| all Its irTidcscent glory, for he declared
Gleason out for interfering with the
| catcher The Washington man pro-
tested, and Hunt was firm oh, be
knew his richtsl And when Gleason re-
fused to leave the plate he took out his
watch. and after waiting three minutes,
declared the game forfeited to Balti.
! more--0 to 0.
THE CROWD suReED
on the field and for time things
| looked serious, but finally the spec.
tators quieted down and after a long
wait the second game proceeded.
| Had Mr.. Hunt known anything about
the rules he would never have made
such an egregious blunder as calling
Gleason out for being hit by pitched
ball. The rule on which he based his
decision Is as follows: "The balsman
Is out II he attempts to hinder the
catcher from fielding the ball evidently
without effort 10 make q fair hit"
II Is mooted question whether
Gleason tried to get hit Intentionally,
but granting, for the sake Of argument,
that he did, the above rule Is In uowisc
applicable Gleason having been struck
by the ball, could not make an effort to
make fair hit, nor did he hinder the
catcher from fielding the ball, for Dona.
hue, who was on first, had made no cf.
fort 10 steal second. Had he attempted
10 do so there might have been a slight
foundation for the plea that the batter
attempted TO hinder the catcher. Oh.
| yiOusly there must exist a chance for
the catcher 10 field out a man before he
can be inteffered with, and as 20 op.
/ n4fEHaH Ia a
becomes fallacious and
MS cIAIM FALLS TO THE GROUND.
Now, Iule forty four says; The bats
man becomes base.runngr, II, while he
be baisman his person or clothing be
hit by a bail from the pitcher unless IN
the opinion Of the umpire be intention.
ally permits himself TO be so bit" No
| penalty Is attached for player, who in
the opinion Of the umpire Is Intention
| ally struck except that under rule
thirty. three, the ball Is a dead ball, and
neither the batsman is entitled 70 his
base nor can baserunneT advance a
base, If he does be has TO return % the
base occupied before the play. Only
can batsman be declared out for being
hit by pitched ball under section Of
| rule forty three, which says he Is out,
IF, while making the third strike, the
ball hits his person OF clothing.
| Mr.. Hunt nor no one else can find
any justification for
his ABSURD DECISION.
The rule he quotes was drafted 10 pre-
vent a play that has been uncOmmOnly
frequent and Is as follows: When a
man started 10 steal second, the batter
would wave his bat around, purely 10
disconeeTt the catcher and without an
effort to make a fair hit Under the
rule be would be out Where no at
tempt is made TO steal a base and the
man Is struck by pitched ball inten-
uonally, II cannot, BY the widest lmagi
nation, be construed as an effort 10 in
teTfeIe with the catcher.
The most disgTaeeful feature Of tue
whole business was its acknowledged
| pItmeditation. The BsltimeTe players
told Hunt at the hotel that Gleason
would attempt 70 get hit BY the ball,
and showed him the rule above quoted.
He was the willing tool Of BaTnie, aud
hence for a time the game must be
counted as lost, although there is not a
| particle Of doubt but what il was 10
be put aside ard ordered 20 be played
over
| Manager Sullivan last night wired a
| formal protest against the forfeiture Of
the game 10 President BTaden, and this
viii be followed up 10 day With a full
| statement Of the affair Hunt admitted
last night that he had
ERRED IN MS DECISION,
and appeared 70 regret il very much,
/ but the mischief was done The
Washington management have also
| protested against his further c0ntin-
uanCe on the staff Of umpiTes and as
| several other clubs have likewise pro
tested HuHt viii probably be 0ut Of a
| situation
i The corps Of umpiFes in the Atlantic
/ Association Is extraordinarily poor, and
| il seems strange that competent men
| cannot be secured. There is a slight
| feeling that Gleason should have aclui-
| esced Ia the umpiTe's decision but
/ among bah people and those . ho know
| anything about The game be did right
| la refusing % continue the game. III
was the only ettectual protest be could
make against the ignorance Of the um-
/ piIe, and he did perfectly right
PRESIDENT YOUNG s OPINION.
President Young, Of the League
this afternoon ID reply 10 an inquiry By
| q CRITIC reporter, said that Hunts de-
| CisiOu was clearly illegal Gleason
/ should have been given bis base iu-
stead Of being called out and 81 the
most II could be nothing more than q
dead bah be SAID
Win such al eminent authority as