The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-12

AA-Ni anu NCDA
The umpire in one, Of the major organ
iZations draws good pay-about $500 a
year, With eXpenses-and he + absolutely
at the command of the president Of the
league, who is vested with utter power. a
man may umpire twenty games in one
town and then jump 900 miles TO anoth-
er town TO umpire. He may not have
made a mistake during the series; he
may have been as rotten as the
bleacherites said he was; but. without
reference TO this, the president suddenly
orders him TO report somewhere else. He
may umpire one game IN a city, and then
Jump 800 miles to another city. and jump
back again. The staff of umpires IS
switched constantly, and no one except
the president and the umpire knows
where a man is to work next.
This is necessary to keep the crowds
satisfied, as well as to keep the men them
selves confident and in the confidence OF
the patrons. Any umpire VIII get the
Ill will of some faction OF team OF
crowd if he remains in any city for two
weeks; but he can 80 away and return
a week later a favorite. unless he has,
made mistakes that are too bad TO be
forgotten.
Every umpire makes mistakes. I re-
member that even L made one at one time.
At least I think 1t was a mistake.
called 4 strike whel not more than the
seam of the bail was over the edge OF the
plate. I have been accused OF making
other mistakes-bUt that is unjust.
The main source OF trouble with UNI
pires Is in deciding too quickly. This is
natural An umpire wants TO MAS his
decision In a flash, and desires never 20
show any hesitation that may be seized
upon by the players. Therefore he de-
cides d man safe or out the second. or
the fraction Of a second, that play is
completed; and frequently an eighth Of
d second later he sees he was wrong.
Perhaps the ball is muffed. or the player
draws foot off the base, and len there
IS a howl from every direction, The
umpire who knows ne has made mistake
feels worse about II than the crowd does.
and therefore he Is more likely 10 get
" ratified and make worse mistakes
Some. naturally wishingto atone for their
blunders, try 10 AZ even up" and get into
worse trouble than ever
The umpire must be absolutely Impair
tIal. but even umpires are human, although
many DO not believe it, and they uncOn-
sciously favor some team against an
other. They would deny Indignantly any
such accusation, but as matter of fact
i cannot be otherwise. / know one UNI
oire who is so anxious not TO favor Chi
>ago-for which team he has a natural
liking-that he decides the close plays
against them: and l know another who
hates New York so much that he gives
that team all the best of his decisions for
ear Of being accused OF being prejudiced
against them.
These instances, however, are rare, and
as class umpires are remarkable for their
fairness and lack Of prejudice. Many do
not realize which side it is that is at bat.
D. recognize the man they call out. They
know the men, Of course, but TO them they
are as automatic figures.
Naturally the umpire must be two
stories higher above suspicion than
Caesars wife ever w~s, and. for this rea-
son he must make of himself almost a
hermit during the playing season. He
must dodge his best friends among bali
players, keep away from the mana gers
who are his warneSt chumS. and dodge
even the laity. There is q proneness
among base ball fanatics to talk wildly
about fafrness-and / know of one case
where an umpire sat down to lunch one
day. by accident. at table with a captain
OF a bali team and was accused later Of
getting drunk with this captain. This,
of course, was wild and irresponsible talk,
but it shows how careful an umpire must