Evening star., 1905-08-20
MAJOR LEAGUE GOSSIP
BIZ ] c. MORSE.

home must be considered on par with the
best In the land.
1t is too bad that the umpiring in both
leagues should be SO poor as 1t has been
this season. Some ump!res are an aggrava-
ton and when yoked up with a good UNI
pire are infinitely worse than when vet
eran worked here all alone Mccarthy was
sent to work here with Sheridan. He
worked behind the bat in both games of
double header and failed to give satisfac-
ton in either contest. A poor umpire will
have both teams in the air and in most
cases scenes. will ensue that will result
most unsatisfactory to both players ana
spectators There will be sure to be fault
fir ding and players are. but human. 1t Is
all right to say that they must stand the
gaff but players are not expected to be
phlegmatic. 1t is all right to say take your
medicine. Players will take their medicine
when administered by umpres like Con-
molly O'Loughin and Sheridan, but not
when they get less than belongs to them.
The result is that man is out of the game
and perhaps suspended. Look over the
records of the games this season and 1t Will
be seen that in almost all Of the cases
there has been trouble with the vet
Grams. but lots with the newcomers. The
American League corps is a long way
weaker than it was last season. while the
National League has made precious little
Improvement. 1t is too bad indeed, that
the players should be made the butt of in
efficiency, and the rub comes when the
heads of the league offer a premium for
E'oI "plh Wy SuBpot t4HS pun uiipiiN''
Look at the decision in the game in Pitts
burg which almost precipitated a riot where
Emslie and Rauswne failed to render the
decision. Certainly the umpire nearer to a
play ought to give the decision. and If
Emslie saw the play and Bauswine did not
why. the former should have given his de-
cision on the play. However, if Bauswine
failed to see the play and did not give the
decision, naturally the runner was safe and
New York had naught to do but to play
ball when called upon to do so This ap-
portioning the wosk of he umpireS is
ridiculous. Probably no pair of umpres
ever got along together more swimmingly
than the veterans, Tom Lynch and Tommy
Connolly. They had their work down to
system. Each helped the other out as it
should be-
The only way two umpires can work in
tellgently is to work together. The man
behind the bat should never be called to
give any base decision unless the man on
the bases is in position so to do, for
in nine out of ten cases the man on the
bases is in the better position to judge of
the play. should be. Sheridan asked for
help here because he had cold. He could
have given better satisfaction even under
those conditions all alone. though he were
obliged to use the sign language, and the
players would do better work with him.
Nothing will take the starch out of club
quicker than to saddle upon it an umpire
in whom there is no confidence. Sleepy UNI
pires, with no action, life are worse
deal than sleepy ball players. No man
should be allowed to umpire unless he has
a voice that can be heard distinctly, for
there is very little enjoyment to q host
of spectators If the decisions of the umpire
cannot be heard distinctly. There is no
trouble al all in hearing the rulings of I'm
pire o Laughlin and he is doubtless one of
the best in this respect that ever graced
diamond. The biggest blot there has been
in the major league season of 1905 has been
the inadequacy of the umpiring. for. given
good umpires. squabbling is reduced to Il
II INN nd ,,Ni,1 fn,
having troubles with the players and men
are put out game after game it may be set
down that the official is more at fault than
the player, and it is high time change
were made. Bluff and bluSter are poor sub
stitutes for pluck and efficiency. and it will
not be long before the difference is found
out and a change for the better attempted
1t looks very much as If the finals would
be played in New York and Philadelphia.
How perfectly inadequate will be the ac-
commodat tions for crowd in either of
those cities. turnout of $1,000 would be a
modest estimate of the throng that will
want to see any one of those games let
alone the series. and spectators will come
from all parts Of the country to see the
contests. In case the two clubs named
play a series effort ought to be made
to play one of the games in this city and
even with Boston as a participant
there is no doubt at all that the turnout
would beat anything ever seen in this city.
The New York Giants have shown their
ability to hold their own in the series on
the road closed last week. Their slip-up In
Pittsburg was evened up by the showing the
Boston Nationals made in the Smoky city,
which helped out most decidedly New
York is not so much behind the showing of
last season as to make the matter at all
worthy of note. Last year at this time the
club was almost 100 points ahead of Chi
cagO which was then the runner-up, and
Pittsburg was in third place and Cincn-
natl fourth. This year Pittsburg is In sec
ond place well ahead Of the percentage Of
last season. PittSburg is nowhere near
equal TO the leaders in the box, and Prof.
DreyfusS Will have to do some rare mis-
sionary work to get array next season
that will compare with that of New
York New York has a fine array
of pitchers this season. Mathewson has
done some telling work For Pitts
burg Philippe has pitched very fine ball
and Prof. Sam Lever. like good old "Cy'
Young, has shown conclusively that he Is
not all IN yet by good deal, and will be
In the game another season at least. The
work OF the others has been decidedly un-
even and that IS where the shoe has pinch
ed with the former champions.