Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
Intimidation by the Giants.

Intimidation by the Giants
All last season the local National League
club suffered from the intimidation of UNI
pires at the hands of the New York club.
The feeling that fair play cannot be re-
ceived on the Polo Grounds exists with other
clubs as we'll with the Boston club. The
worst of the whole affair is that there is
no need for this sort of thing at all. New
York does not have to descend to the tao
tics it employs to win games. In the first
game of the series here New York be-
haved well, but the only reason was there
was no chance to act otherwise. The next
day Boston had the lead, and then the
visitors stopped al nothing to land the
game and proceeded to make matters as
uncomfortable all the way round as 1t was
possible to do
1t was exactly this kind of conduct that
brought affairs in the National League to
such a condition not 50 many years ago
that American League became possible
and popular.
There Is no doubt that the conduct of the
New York National League players in this
city last week hurt not only the National
League cause in this city, but throughout
the country. 1t could not very well be
otherwise. People have tired of ineessaEt
wrangling and kicking and will not tolerate
it any more. Clean ball playing is what is
wanted and must be had. 1t behooves the
president to make stand in this matter
and it behooves the directors and the men,
berS to stand together in seeing that the
game is rescued from the hands of those
who would stop at nothing to gain their
own ends, not even the killing of the sport,
1t looks very much If the worlds
champions fear the PittSburgs and the Chi
Cages this season or they would not be so
obstreperous. If they keep up in the way
they have begun some rare scenes will be
enacted on the Polo Grounds before the
season is over.
Ban Johnson's Backbone
President Ban Johnson would not stand
for an umpire who allowed himself TO be
run over rough-shod. Ban knows his men.
He likes silk O'Loughiin. Tom Con-
molly Jack Sheridan and Tim" Hurst
because he knows they viii not allow them
selves to be run over rough-shod In the
battles between clubs and these men 1t has
been alleged that the umpires are altogether
too autocratic, but Is it not better so by
far than the other way of which the New
York Nationals are good example? There
has not been on the American League dia-
n,ond such scene this season or anything
like 1t as has been seen in this city this
week. In fact such an occurrence on an
American League field is fairly impossible,
but it should also be the same on a Ma
tional League field. 1t may not be true
that the New York National League club
does not dictate the apportionment OF the
umpires. butt Is said that the reason
oDay was not kept in Boston to umpire
the New York series was because the New
York club has no use for him.
The difference between progressive and
rowdy ball was well shown in the first two
games of the New York National League
series. New York played like champions
in the first game; in the second game the
local management should have ordered
police to the New York bench to preserve
order.
The incident chronicled brings one back
to the days of the rivalry OF Boston with
Baltimore In the later nineties, when two
officers were assigned to duty on the field
N farce tlln baltimore ntaYefS back TO
their bench at the least outbreak.
Good old Tom Lynch was driven out OF
the National League corps sof umPires
owing to the fact that he was treated In
the most outrageous and ignoTnjnious man.
ner Imaginable and retired from the game
In disgust. He had the backbone and was
decidedly an ornament to the game, ou, ne
was not backed up.
Change in Rules Necessary.
Those writers who say that only fault
finders critieise the present playing rules
are in decided error. No less an authority