Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02

seven or eight years AS this is Williams
home, he is doubly satisfied.
"A license to steal isn't in 1t with getting
money for umpiring ball games. as the for
mer must stay up nights The above is
the expert opinion of the man who manages
ball team, but does not meet the hearty
support of the gentleman who carries the
indicator. The man who has passed through
one whole season as base ball umpire and
would not much prefer a position night
Waterman on a canal boat should be looked
on as the cleverest of diplomats, brave as
the man who could smile at the muZZle of
Colts AZ in the hands of an abandoned hold
up, and as smooth as the man who can Dor
row money from a lawyer.
The greatest trouble in base ball at the
present time is the umpire question. The
pick of the arbitrator go to the big leagues,
just as the best players do, to find only a
moderate amount of success. The smaller
leagues are continually wrangling over this
question. and the men who put their money
in the game have no suggestions to offer
that will help out.
I'VE are getting all the worst of the UNI
plring, no doubt, for a purpose" will be the
message the officer of some league will re-
ceive from the officer of some ball club who
has taken his cue from some unreasonable
ball player.
The officers of base ball league have
more trouble, and unreasonably so, over the
umpire problem than anything else, and the
chances are ten to one that the umpiring is
much better than the bali playing. The
umpiring in the minor leagues is usually
very good when viewed from a wholly i'm
partial standpoint. The players made the
trouble. and not until the players have been
subdued will the umpiring become reason
ably satisfactory.
Last season was by far the most satisfac-
tory ever known in the major leagues as far
as the umpires went. This year the several
rows in both leagues show that the reins
must be frightened over the players once
more. Give the boys one inch and they will
r.ly oh IN he tAz,,a
man escape and you have oceans of trouble
AS the position is good one in the major
leagues the umpire is anxious to hold his
job. Jack Sheridan Is one man that is liv-
ing in peace, when 1t was but a few years
ago that he was driven from the National
League by the work of the players who rec
ognized no one in authority.
It's the nature of a ball player to get the
umpire's nerve If he fails he will then
commence to respect the man and give him
a show. Umpires will make mistakes The
most important one know of was made in
the last Yale-Harvard game in this city,
when Tim Hurst allowed Capt. Randall to
take his base after missing the ball on the
third strike, as the ball hit the batsman.
The rule was plain, but the Yale men were
ignorant or not alive to their rights. By
producing the rule book Mr.. Hurst was
bound to change his decision, and this would
take one run from Harvard. the only one
made by them in the game, and the score
would have been to In nine innings in
favor of Yale. The Harvard men were not
bound to tell Mr.. Hurst his business al
though they well knew he made the blum
Ger. can well understand how q ball play
er can become ratified when some ignorant
| umpire gives wrong ruling on a simple
| play. / believe the best way to get good
umpiring is to appoint your staff and keep
them right through the season, hoping they
Will improve. just as the young players are
expected to, for the best men are little good
unless they have explicit confidence in their
own ability. Some bright fellow may yet
start school for umpires. think 1t would
be an excellent idea and pay, as about $50
! men are employed annually to umpire the
games of organized ball alone.