Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-13


good that they'd feel inclined to heave
something throwable Mt the player making
such remarks. no matter how strongly such
q player might be Installed In the favor OF
all hands. And yet tie umpires commonly
ignore all of these <acrid and fercely In
sulting words of the players. always pro-
vidang the players giving utterance to them
are sufficiently wise to say them In tone
not capable of being heard by the spec
tators That's the one objectionable SIN
for the bucking player who can't keep his
tongue under control-hurling his deroga-
tory cracks at the umpire In such a loud
tone as to cause them, to be heard by the
folks who've paid to get In at the gate
But when player doesn't do this. and
simply exudes his knocks. no matter how
vicious their character. at close range to
the umpire, the arbitrator in nearly every
case lets such remarks slide. by either pre-
tending that he doesn't hear them. or by
getting back in kind at the man making
them. taking equal pains to keep his voice
pitched In an undertone- If he chose to
strictly interpret the rules there are fire.
quent games In which the umpire could
put every player attached to both teams.
including the reserves holding down the
benches. of the lot. SILK O'Loughlin hui
morousiy told me one day last summer that
he had seen tempestu0us moments when he
felt like doing this very thing. hut that
he'd been restrained from doing 1t by the
certain knowledge that he'd be torn limb
from limb by the enraged spectators
Most umpres have got a system of dope.
based upon experience. that enables them
to forecast the days when they're going 70
have trouble with the players. One OF the
strong factors of this brand of ump.res
dope is that the players are most peeyish
on the stick. humid. depressing mid-sum-
mer days. when the flies are biting hard.
and the clothes stick to the SIX n ana the
latent Crouch of the most normally good
natured man Is only waiting about an inch
and a quarter beneath his hide.
81 never set out for ball yard on such
a day, says Umpire Como iy. that
don't take an extra swig. 50 to speak. out
of my vial of hold-t-in med cine. And
always take just a little bit more credit
to myself when I'm abe to swing along the
path of perfect justice on one of these
gummy days when every man in the yard
has got chip on his shoulder and is wait
ing for the indicato--handler to start some
thing There's kind OF triumph. after
all. in achieving the victory of constantly
displayed self-controi over bunch of eigh-
teen peeyish men one of these days
when the dogs are Swapping at their own
tails and men are trying to pick fuses
with their wives because their WIVES hair
refuses to stay in curl. and 1t Is on such
days that l make most particular hit
with my self--!f an umpire can ever be said
to be a genuine hit even with himself In
other words, / like to feel at such times
that I am working real hard for my
money"
The writer hereof lad a chance to observe
Connolly work at his hold-it-in game on
Just such sticky nuisance of a day in st.
Louis last summer.
The catcher working for one of the mines
was an old pal of Connoiiy's. and for that
simple enough reason he started in from
the call of PLAY hall!' to give Connolly
the roasting of his life. The c1tcher had.
as a matter of fact had pretty busy
night of 1t before turning in somewhere
along the rosy hour of dawn that morning,
and he consequently felt as much like play
ing ball a small boy feels like having
l.; y ~ nNd
neck on an icy morning. So. with the
workout perspiration streaming in run
nels and rivulets down his face the catcher
started in to play for his side determined
that he'd amuse himself. anyhow. by pick
ing on Connolly, who had to stand behind
him most of the time. throughout the
game.
The things that that catcher said to Con-
molly for four five innings of that game
would have made the typhoon talk of
pair of bosuns mates a pirate ship
sound like a pleasant little discourse be-
tween a couple of Epworth Leaguers on
the immortality of the soul. The grouchy
catcher with the dark brown leftover said
all OF these things in a low tone of voice.
while working, and without so much as
turning around, and al length the unmoved
Connolly saw what the backstop'S dodge
was
Il know what your law is. boy" said
Connolly to the catcher along toward the
end of the fifth inning, when the backstop
was plainly suffering miSer1eS from his
exertions after his hard previous night.
You want to get put out of the game
II dare you to put me out of the game"
said the backstop. wheeling upon the UNI
pire bellgerently. Il just doube-dog dare
you put me cut of the game"
Put you out" replied Connolly, with an
aggravatingiy calm grin MOT In 4 thou
sand years. You couldn't say do any
thing bad enough to get put out of this
game. you sWinky old rounder, Wo-k, you
old fish, Stay with it. Bust yourself VIDE
open! Get down TO It! Just swim In it,
But get out of the game? Not If you
banged me over the head with all the cats
of both teams! You work, you gay old
knocker. and keep on a-working!'
And the backstop who had really been
trying with all his might to get his re
lease" for the day by means of the UNI
pire's disqualification had TO go on and
murder himself with work for the remain
der of the game.
To both the players and the umpire. OF
course, there's something com ng in all of
these disputes little and big minor ana
serious, on the ball lots but nobody gets
into genuinely close contact with the bali
playing business without making up his
mind sooner or later that at no stage of
1t does the average umpire get all that Is
coming to him in the way of kindly feeling
and generous consideration. And the won
der ever grows with the man who knows
the inner life of professional bali clubs
that such intelligent, just and self-rcSpect-
ing men most umpires actually are can
be found to endure what they have to en-
dure for the wages they get