The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-25

1 the umpire right. tHSR were 50 CCIldIA
that they had heard the ball strike
| the bat and that the umpire was mis-
| taken, that they determined to appeal
! to the authorities controlling the league
| to see if they could not obtain a re-
versal.
When Umpire Bower was asked for
| statement, he said that he heard no
| foul tip and therefore gave his decision
| for strike. When the Keios protest
| ed, he inquired of several bystanders as
| to whether the ball had been a foul
| tip or a strike, but, as there was no
unanimity of opinion, he stood by his
| first decision and called it a strike. He
| also quoted the rules for his justifca-
! ton, referring especially to the one
which states that there shall be no APP
| peal from any decision of the umpire
! on the ground that he was not correct
| in his conclusion as to whether ball
was fair or foul, or any other play in
| v0lving accuracy of Judgment.
The opinions of the members of the
| board of trustees present and others
not directly interested was then given,
! and the concensus was that, while some
of them had heard the foul tip and
| believed that the umpire would have
| been right to so decide, there was no
| appeal from his decision in this case.
| Mr.. Thurston went into the matter
at some length and explained that the
| board of trustees was court of ap
peal and that they were bound to in
/ terpret the rules as impartially as the
Supreme Court of the United States in
! tefprets the laws and Constitution. The
| question, he said, simmered down to
| whether the board of trustees had the
/ power to override the decision of tne
t umpire in this ease that the trustees
| had no such authority, and that, in his
opinion, the protest must be disallow'
ed But he thought that the trustees
should recommend to the Diamond
Heads that they volunteer to play the
| game over again.
Mr.. Chillingworth then offered two
resolutions that were unanimously
adopted. That the protest be disal- !
| lowed and that the best interests of
baseball and good sport would be sub
served if the Diamond Head team
| would agree to play the game again.
Mr.. Petrie then brought up the mat
ter of the Isenberg Cup and the aver
ages. This matter was satisfactorily
settled by the Keios agreeing that the
individual scores of last Sundays
This was brought before a meeting of
the league later in the day and the
average question was settled in that
way.
After the meeting Mr. Thurston sent
the following letter to the captain of
the Keios:
"To T. Takahama, Captain of Keio
Baseball Club
"Dear Sir: On behalf of the Ho-
nolulu Baseball League trustees I here
by acknowledge receipt of your COM
munication of the 10Th inst, protesting
the game PLAYED on said date between
the Keo and Diamond Head teams.
"The said protest was duly consid-
cred by the trustees of the Honolulu
j Baseball League this day and the said
protest disallowed on the grounds that
under the Spalding Rules for 1908, |
which govern the game in question, the |
umpire having ruled that the play in |
question was a strike and not foul i
tip, and having refused upon protest of
your team to reverse said ruling, under
Section 81 of said rules there is no |
power in the baseball trustees to re-
verse said decision of the umpire.
"I have to inform you further that,
irrespective of the judgment of the UNI
pire and the above decision, the trus-
tees believe that there is great doubt
as to whether or not said play was
foul or a strike, although convinced
that the unpire's ruling was in ac-
cordance with his observation and be-
lief Under these circumstances the
trustees have adopted a resolution rec
ommending the Diamond Head Baseball
Club to voluntarily offer to play the
q
the trustees is not binding upon the
Diamond Head club. and any action
which they may take in connection
Herewith will be purely voluntary ON J.
their part.
''The trustees desire to express to
you, upon this occasion, their extreme
qualification that You have come to Ha-
wall to play this series of games, ana
their appreciation of your gentlemanly
conduct and clean, conscientious base
ball playing. We regret exceedingly
that this unfortunate incident should
have occurred, and. notwithstanding
the fact that, under the rules, the trus,
tees have felt obliged to disallow your !
protest in this matter, the trustees and :
the baseball fraternity of Hawaii gen.
orally are anxious that you should not
only receive Justice, but generous treat.
ment at the hands of all interested in
the game in Hawaii.
For your information | enclose here
with copy of the minutes of the
meeting of the trustees held to con
slider your protest above mentioned.
81 have the honor to remain, your ]
obedient servant,
"L. A. THURSTON,
g Secretary, Trustees of the Honolulu
Baseball League