Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-04-21
THE FIVE uMPIRgs OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE.

his in the past more as a pure gift
from the National league than as I
remuneration for services rendered.
In theory it is fine-Mr. Day is to wan
der about the circuit almost incognito,
as it were, and to keep his eagle eye
on the umpires and players. In cases
of disputes over decisions that may be
of such vital nature that they decide
the fate of close game, the super
visor is to be the sole and final arbiter
1t is one thing for Messrs. Hart, Soden
and Brush to legislate in this pleas
ant way, but it will be quite another
thing for the players to depart from
the established habit of ''kcking.'
/ have sat through many a score OF
games on National league diamonds
watching the work of the umpircs
named for this seasons statf-it will
be seen that there are five umpires
while but four can be on duty at once,
because of the league circuit being re-
duced to eight clubs. Naturally / have
formed opinions of the ability of each
man. These opinions are personal and
doubtless they would not agree with
those of many who are in the habit of
witnessing games from less advan-
tageous positions-the newspaper men
sit Immediately behind the catcher and
umpire, where the balls that the pitch
err "foats over" the plate or near it can
be judged with about as much accuracy
as by the backstop and the umpire.
knowing these men, must say that
there can be no sympathy extended to
any critic who will say Umpire So and
So deliberately robbed" New York, or
whatever team might have been visit
ing the city in question, of game.
The umpires, whatever may be their
human proneness to occasionally err,
are high-minded sportsmen. They are
ilnpartial-owing their allegiance only
TO the national body, which pays them
good salary and expense money-and
they have no desire to throw a game
either way. The players realize this
fully as we'll as the close critics do,
but they are naturally prejudiced when
an umpire's decision snatchcs away
what looked to be certain victory.
OF all the men on the league staff. |
Tim Hurst is the most maligned by
those who do not know him. Because
he has officiated as referee in pugilistic |
bouts and has maintained his reputa-
ton for pugnacity when attacked by
senseless and british players, Tim is
denied the right to illumine the game
with his experience.
For two years Hurst was absent from
the league staff. He conducts some
prize dissertations with the noisy play
ers, in his quiet, undertone manner.
that are often more persuasive than
all the threats and brow-hcating Ian.
guage of some umpires. The men who
below loudest over his decisions are
the quickest to admit after game that
Tim understands his business. Once
''Muggsy" McGraw, the worst feared
player of the league by the umpires,
objected to Hurst's decision and APP
piled some vile epithets to the little
man in blue. Hurst stepped up to the
little third baseman, looked him in the
EYE and remarked: "You talk like
missing link. Some day hope to see
you take on human form and betruy
some sign of intelligence Now trot
off to the bench, You ourang outang."
Spectators there for the game die
not hear the repartec. But they won
1ered what sort of rapid firing gun
Hurst had turned on the belligerent