The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-25
TRIALS OF AN UMPIRE.
sssandy'' McDermott Talks Of His work
and Experienceo.

@Sandy" McDermoft, who il unquestionably
| enc Of the best umpires in the country, was
/ drawn into conversation last night at the Ar
Hngton hotel about his business s'Yes." said
| he, 'sumpiring baseball game Is considered Q
ticklish piece of work, and it is. You get
| plenty OF hooting and kissing when you make q
mistake. and when you do well, that is taken
| for granted.
II don't mind IL very much when the crowd
gets up and boots. They're excited over the
| game and carried away By their excitement
But do object to the fellow who gets up and
deliberately abuses the players and the umpire,
who are in position to prevent their retorting.
The man who does that sort of thing il . black
guard who takes mean advantage
people should remember that an umpire Is
human, and all he can do Is his best He is
bound TO make some mistakes, but If he In hon.
est the mistakes balance each other in the end.
know that from my own experience.
IAN umpire has no alternative but giving .
decision as he sees the play. 1t is possible that
he may not be in so good position as some Of
the spectators to see some of the plays. but still
he must give his decision, and give it al best
he can. Then, too, ii he finds out he has made
mistake he mustn't try to balance it by shad-
ing decision for the other side. Always do the
best you can with each play independently, and
the mistakes which are inevitable are sure to bal
ance themselves-perhaps not in one game, nor
even In week, but in y season.
I'll man is honest and gives the decision
according TO his first impulses, then he viii
come out all right In the long run
"While the crowd on the grand stand may
now and then be so placed as to know more
than the umpire does about play-ssill they
should remember that he is much nearer and is
much more likely to see the thing as it actually
Is. A man several hundred feet away is much
less likely 70 know whether ball touches q
player or comes within an inch of him.
"You are aware OF the ease with which q
clever prestidigitateur can deceive q crowd of
people. Well, as q matter of fact, baseball
player is often clever slight-of-hand man, and
be handles the bali so that the people on the
stand are tricked, and perhaps the umpire him
self. 1t is easy to make passes with the hands
so as to make the ball seem where it is not
Most OF the close decisions are at first base.
The best place from which to watch them Is in
side the diamond, and run up there whenever
can. keep an eye on the baseman's foot, aud
listen for the click of the ball in his hand. The
crowd on the benches may not be able to see his
loot, may not hear the click and may not be sure
whether the runner has touched the base, and
yet these people are often quite sure they. know
more about the matter than the umpire himself
"Yet in ali my experience I have never had
the mob after me but once-that was in Mime
apolis in 1853. had always been treated pretty
well In Minneapolis, and liked the spectators,
who were the best people in the town, intelli-
gent, well-bred and wealthy.
THAT particular day there was q close game
between Minneapolis and st. Joe. 1t had run to
ten innings, and everybody was excited. Fin
ally young fellow, quite prominent, and the
correspondent of the Sporting Life, began abus-
Ing one Of the players. Jansen. ISugeested to
the manager that the fellow Be pus Out but the
manager did not want to do it because the man
was the LIES correspondent.
''The fellow. who was drunk, continued his
foul language, which was shockingly indecent
"Then stopped the game and insisted that
he would wiite a letter to the LIE, which would
blast my reputation forever. But / wouldn't
give in on point OF principle for all the letters
and all the Sporting L.tes that ever were.
$50 the young man went. b
"His friends were very angry, and in . few
minutes they began to raise row over a decis-
ion of mine. man was on third and his run
would tie the game. Then came passed ball
and he started for home But as the bail went
BY it just clipped my trousers-I barely felt it.
"The catcher got it quickly and reached home
to put the man out; but the point of the ball
touching me was raised, and had to decide
that the ball had been blocked.
"The crowd got crazy and yelled that the ball
had never even grazed me. / knew perfectly
well that it had, and there was no getting aroind
the fact. When would not give in, then they
Rocked into the field from all sides and were
going 10 DO al sorts OF unspeakable things to
me. The secretary of the league was going to
dismiss me, and everything else terrible was
going to happen to me. 1t looked a. if my last
day had come.
81 told them, however, that If they didn't
come to order in fifteen minutes, I'd declare the
game forseit-9 to O. At the end of the quarter
of an hour the pandemonium still ragged around
me. and declared4he game q iorfeit-and the
decision stood.
"rhe CORRESPONDENT CANA n INV rooy, ~.
night and was going to thrash me-
.sBur he didn't
However, he wrote long scorching letter to
his paper. The editor. who knew me, remailed
IL to me and called in the fellows credentials.
1.-The day alter the game the reporters of the
daily papers, who knew more about baseball
than the mob had, came out in my favor.
THAT was my first aud last mnhhinr