The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-19
cAYL0R TALKS BALL
WHY THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CAN
NOT RETAIN IT'S BEST UNI
PIRES.
KICKING ON The DIAMOND.
RAPID GROWTH OF HOODLUMIsM
WHICH MUST BE STOPPED
AT ONCE.
MAKE PLAYERS PAY THEIR FINES.
Good Words for BurrelI of the
BroOkIyns-More About the
Tebeau Case
MAKE PLAYERS PAY THEIR FINES.

Special Correspondents of the Globe.
NEW YORK, July 16.-When Tim
Keefe, the old time pitcher and ma
tional league umpire recently sent his
resignation to President Young, he
made statement for publication ex-
planning the cause Of his withdrawal.
Mr.. Keefe boldly asserted that the
vicious custom Of Kicking on the
ball field has become SO general. vio-
lent and continuous that no man with
self respect can serve as an umpire.
He declared that the undeseryed
abuse which players .heaped; upon him
this year was more than human ma
ature could ibear.s4s ie4s's 5aisrs$tssssi = 4
There is much truth in this valedic-
tory of the ex-umpire. For two years
have been calling attention to the
steady growth of the kicking evil and
have been warning the base ball law
makers to curb it or'wipe it out before
the abuse got the better of them The
warning was not taken, and the Ma.
tional league is now confronted by a
condition which must necessarily give
it extreme concern.
The magnates have seen this grow
Ing danger, but had not the courage
to take 1t by the throat and choke it
into non-existence. Last year they
had a 500 maximum penalty, but UNI
pires were loath to use 1t on account
Of its after effect. They knew that
clubs and not the offending players
We're paying the big fines, and that.
therefore, they were storing I'D
against themselves the enmity of the
clubs and not of the players. This
year the heavy fines were repealed.
and removal from the game was
substituted. In only half a dozen in
stances has that penalty been i'm.
posed, though it has been merited
hundred times. The rule is avoided by
the umpires for the same reason which
made the 500 fine useless weapon.
Al the last annual meeting Mr.. Robi-
son, OF Cleveland, proposed a rule to
pron1blt coaching and to make it I'M
iaWTuI Tor any player to question ali
umplre,s decision except where it in
VOWED the Interpretation Of a playing
rule This proposition did not get
vote. And now, before the. half of the
playing season is over, Mr.. Robson
IS defending his captain and manager
from the punishment Of the league for
the gravest of all offense under dis
ciplinary rules of the ball field.
believe this theory advanced bv Mr.
Robson last winter is bound to be-
come law and practice in base ball
Something must be done to crush
senseless kicking against umpire de-
cisions or the interest of the game will
suffer severely. / saw the Princeton
and Yale teams play one of the decid-
ing games In the college championship
last month, and the umpiring was
faulty Both teams knew 1t, and vet
there was not as much objection made
in the whole game as there is usually
in a half inning OF National league
game When men were called out.
they retired quickly and without even
a word Of protest, even in a few in
stances where the decisions were SO
close that the victims must surely
have believed themselves to have been
wronged.
You can never get professional ball
on that plane of field decency until
the mouth Of every player is locked up
tightly. There seems to be raging
belief In all professional teams that un-
less they kick a little more than their
opponents they get the worst Of the
decision. 1t, therefore, becomes a cross
fire of bulldozing with the poor UNI
pire at the junction Of the angles.
Keefe resigns, Hurst whips two Pitts
burg players after the game. and Te-
beau gets out an injunction to restrain
the league from collecting fine Of
5000 for disorderly conduct on the ball
field. aIl In one week. That shows ex-
actly the demoralizing extent Of this
umpire batting.
The public does not know half OF
the abuse which players heap upon
for the mere purpose of Off
setting or destroying the effect Of the
bulldozing by the other side If the
base ball lawmakers do not hurry UP
and squelch this spirit Of disorder on
the ball field. the national game will
soon simmer down to "serapping
match. 'snt
The old cry OF base bah slavery"