Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-12-23
the TRIALS or AN UMPIRE.
His Is the Most Thankless Job on
Earth.

Earth.
New York sun: Nobody who mas
not been through the mill can realize
the POPULATIONS of a professional base-
bali umpire" said a member of that
long suffering clan the other day. VI
all jobs on the face of the broad ear.h
it is the most thankless "a the iease
desirable. In the first place the UNI
pire has got TO keep by himself a gooo
deal during the playing season. his
Is a lonely and Isolated existence a
good part OF the time. He cant al
ford to associate with ball players, De-
cause IL he got friendly with any or
the players 1t might create talk or in
fuence his decision unconsciously.
So tlc umpire holds aloof almost en-
tirely from the players, stays at diff
ferent hotels from them and v by
different roads. I've seen the time,
when I had my wife with me at a no.
tel, that I would not want TO pass a
group of ball players who might be
standing near, lest one or them shouia
say something insulting TO me as We
passed and there would be trouple-
Some players are bitter enough 10 IN
suit you under just such ctrcum-
stances,
81 used to instruct the employees of
the hotels where / stopped not to mem
ton baseball to me at all. I refused 10
think of it off the field. There's no get
ting away from the conditions of lone
illness. 1t follows you from town to
town, and in each place they have their
grievances against the umpire. If you
should happen to give a decision
against the home club the street car
coductor, if he knows you. the walters
and everybody else with local affilia-
tons scowls on you. Many a time you
are entirely friendless.
"Then there are the police. Some-
times there are not enough of them on
hand to insure proper protection, and
sometimes when there are enough
they'll scowl at you and swear at you
under their breaths, grip their clubs as
IL they would like TO use them on you
and otherwise give you to understand
that they are protecting you against
their inclination. / was once iltsuited
by a cop while on my way to my Dress
ing room after the game. You know
where / dress / replied. Perhaps you
would ike to come back there M set
tie the argument But all he did was
TO call me an incompetent blankety
blank, his fellow cops doing likewise.
The cops are just as prejudiced rooterS
as anybody else.
"As for the players, well, o know
how they make life miserable for an
umpire. They are always ready to
roast him, and seldom, If ever, have q
kind word for him. ] believe some of
the players would like to encourage the
umpire once in a While IL 1t wouldn't
seem so strange to them. On the 9th
err hand, there are players who, when
you umpire your best game, are sore
because you didn't give them a chance
TO kick. Managers and owners also
have their growl at you, and 1t is very
unpleasant, after a game, when you are
dressing all alone, feeling that you are
the most forlorn creature on earth. to
have the home magnate sem word to
you by one OF his h%irelings that you
were rotten, that he is much displeased
with you and will hav you transferred
to some other town, a threat which he
doesn't make good, now that league
presidents stick up for their umpires.
THE umpires will make mistakes OF
course. They know 1t and feel worse
over the mistake than anybody else.
Sometimes, too. an umpire gets care
less or lazy and doesn't get around to
see the decisions as he should. Then
a little roasting does him good and
puts him on his mettle. But there's
no use In bounding a man. Poor blind
Snyder is the way a Philadelphia pa
per referred to Charley Snyder every
day for a whole season.
"The bumps that the umpire gets
with the ball take the starch out of
him sometimes. ! got three raps on
the wrist In quick succession one day
In Brooklyn, and the last caused me
such intense pain that I felt heart
broken. 1t simply took my nerve, un-
strung me completely. And to be guyed
by a lot of people when you are in phy-
steal and mental distress does not add
to our comfort"