The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-09-14
TROUBLES OF The
POOR UMPIRE
."Silk"O'LoughIin, an American
League Arbitrator, Tells
Some Interesting Stories,
ALL KINDS OF PLAYERS
Some of Them Kick Because They
Can't Help 1t, While Others Are
MaIicious-Some Amusing
Stories.
ALL KINDS OF PLAYERS

supposed. While on the field there Is
frequently an exchange of words thai
causes the fans to him that nothing
but gore will ever wipe out the stain
AS a matter of fact the men under
Stand each other pretty well and real.
ize that in the neat Of the contest many
bitter things are likely to be said
which are forgotten the moment the
contest is finished. Yet there are play
ers who are mean and ugly at all times
These furnish the umpires with the
most trouble Occasionally a manager
breaks into the game and makes trou-
BILE, but the unSpOrtSmanlike individ-
uals are few and far between, it is be-
lieved.
One of the most interesting discus
sionsr~ regarding the game from the UNI
pire's statements is old by a sporting
writer in a Chicago newspaper. Silk
OLaughlin, who is attached to the
American league staff Of umpires, is
one of the best known n most popular
a~rbitrators in the business. M he is
a student of human nature as the fol-
lowing interview with him shows:
If umpires We're to take to heart all
of the cracks the players make at them
during a season they'd all be drawing
green tickets for the BOBBY hatch II
making bughouse finishes" said
OLoughlin this week.
Some ball players a no more help
giving slack to an umpire than they
can help their hair growing. They
We're born aggressive. ard they've been
p~ugnaclous from the cradle.
Natural Born kickers.
1T would be unfair to treat these
are all right n the best chaps imagin-
able, as players are treated who have
complete control of themselves and
who chuck insults at umpires with
utter and wanton elaboration without
being sore at all.
different kinds Of bugs. Some of them
will carry their bats to the bench with
out a word when the umpire an
nounccs that they've been whitfield out.
but they'll put up a below that can
be heard a mile when they've been
nabbed by a cables length in trying to
pilfer a base.
These are the ones who have got
1t into their conks that they are an
beatabie base runners, and no matter
how obvious it may be to all hands
that they have been beat to it by the
ball, they'll emit the bull roar every
time the umpire that they've
failed to nab a sack.
Others Of the born buckers will
wheel upon an umpire and growl at
him out of the corner Of their mouths
every time they're called out on strikes,
while they never exclude a bleat over
the closest kind Of base decisions in
which they figure. They are bail play
ers who have been in the game for
nearly two decades, and still regard it
as a personal reflection upon them and
an acute humiliation when they're
called out on strikes, no matter how
we'll it may be known to all the fans I'M
the country that they're sagging in
their hitting.
Fired the Sneerinu PLAYER.
tits the cool, sneering fellows who
let out their cracks at the umpire. with
out ever being in the least het up over
decisions, who get on the nerves of an
arbitrator of the ball field. They're the
chaps who like to take up subscriptions
to buy an umpire a silver loving knife.
SO to speak.
Il once put a team captain out of the
game and off the lot altogether for a
peculiarly vicious and offensive remark
that he made to memo over a decision
that had been rendered, but Just as he
was passing out to the lot when his side
went out. He just sided alongside of
me and let out the dirty stab in a low
tone of voice, so that nobody else. not
even any of the players, heard him.
lie was Off he grounds inside OF
three minutes, and 1 got the roasting
or my life from the crowd. They didn't
Know what had happened, for the cap
tain Of the team hadn't even looked in
my direction when he addressed the
offensive renar to me.
Now, the catcher of that captain,s
team had been bawling around like a
DUN OF Bashan over my decisions on
strikes and balls all the afternoon. and
When, after putting the captain out for
nus nasty uppercut, I failed to maverick
me catcher too, who kept right on bel
lowing, the u gods just got up on
their hind legs and let me nave it from
soup to nuts. They didn't know the an
sWer, which was simply that the catch
er, while kicking-he was one Of the
natural born buckers-hadn't done mr.
SAID anything to warrant his being
chased, while the captain had more
than merited being escorted to the gata
The crowds that set up a ROASTING If:
me umplr can't see or heal everything
That comes off on a ball lot. IF tha1
could they'd be a whole lot less prone
10 sudden and unjust attacks upon the
arbitrator. no
II never put a player out Of a game
When he acts suspiciously. as if ha &c
trying to get put out. That would make
II 100 soft entirely for such a PLAYER
u ran into one of them in one Of the
western cities not long ago. He's a
catcher, and a swell one at that.
l noticed when he began the game
Ihat ne was perspiring in a way that
Apiioi iidI lOE d man Who pprI-
orally keeps himself in such fine condi-
ton, and I had it correctly figured out
that he'd had a bit Of a quiet whiz
with the bunch the night bofere. He
was doing his work all right. but Is
was lard work for him, as / could cas-
lily see. 9N'
Well, along toward the middle Of the
game was compelled to maverick one
OF the players for offensive and persist
INT bucking. and then the catcher
turned upon me and began to emit a
bunch Of grunts at me. He never was
a kicker. and he surprised me.
ThatIl be about all from you, pal,
1 said to him--he's a man I've been or,
terms with for q good many years.
9 watch y or out you'll 60. too
mopping his perspiring face with the
sleeve Or his jacket. 'Igdare you to put
me Quit I want to be put OUT,
And that's the answer, old mani
know you do I said to him. I can't
help these hard nights of yours. You