The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-14
THE TRIALS OF AN UMPIRE.
His Is the Most Thankless Job on
Earth.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
Nobody who has not been through
the mill can realize the tribulations of
a professional baseball umpire" said
member of that long suffering clan the
other day. "Of all the jobs on the face
of the broad earth it is the most
thankless and the least desirable. In
the first place, the umpire has got to
keep by himself a good deal during
the playing season. His is a lonely
and isolated existence a good part of
the time, He can't afford to associate
with ball players, because if he got
friendly with any of the players it
might create talk or influence his de-
cision unconsciously.
so the umpire holds aloof almost
entirely from the players, stays at diff
ferent hotels from them and travels by
different roads. I've seen the time,
when l had my wife with me at a no.
tel, that l would not want to pass
group of ball players who might be
standing near, lest one of them should
say something insulting to me as we
passed and there would be trouble.
Some players are bitter enough to in
suit you under just such circumstances
Il used to instruct the employees of
the hotels where 1 stopped not to mem
tACAA DeboNpdAA " 4llC az diAs ACAuSN0
to think of it off the field. There's no
getting away from the conditions Of
loneliness. 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 de-
cision against the home club the street
car conductor, if he knows you, the
walters and everybody else with local
affiliations scowls on you. Many a
Won friandlacc
"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 if they would like to use them on
you and otherwise give you to under
stand that they are protecting you
against their inclination. l was once
| insulted by cop while on my way to
my dressing room after the game. You
know where I dress l replied. Per
haps you would like to come back
there and settle the argument But
all he did was to call me an incom-
petent blankety blank, his fellow cops
doing likewise. The cops are just as
prejudiced rooters as anybody else.
LAS for the players, we'll. you know
how they make life miserable for an
umpire. They are always ready to
roast him. and seldom, if ever, have
| a kind word for him. l believe some
of the players would like to encourage
the umpire once in a while If it wouldn't
| seem so strange to them. On the 9th
er 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 it 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 send word
to you by one of his hirelings that you
We're rotten, that he is much displeaSed
with you and will have you transferred
to some other town, 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 it 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
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 Philadelphia pa
per referred to Charley Snyder every
day for a whole season.
1.-The bumps that the umpire gets
with the ball take the starch out OF
him sometimes. 1 got three raps on
the wrist in quick succession one day
| in Brooklyn, and the last caused me
such intense pain that 1 felt heart
broken. 1t simply took my nerve, IN
strung me completely. And to be guy
ed by a lot of people when YOU are in
physical and mental distress does not
| add to your comfort. ;"