Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-25
BASE BALL
THE WILLY TRICKS
 THE LIMP MEETS
Ball Players and Their Peculi al Ways They Have of Batting
 the Umpire.

| game in the big leagues you VIII see an umpire suddenly grow angry and
 fire a player out of the game. AS far as can be seen from the stands, the player simply has been arguing quiet ly, and the pun -shment appears too severe. If the people in the stands could hear those conversations be- l tween the players and the umpire | they wouldn't blame the official.
 Rather, they would wonder that he didn't poke the player in the nose. It is impossible to print even a
 small percentage of what is said to
 umpires by ball players in the heat
 of battle, but the odd thing is that
 the umpire seldom fires a player out
 when he gets abusive or profane.
 The player who gets fired is the nag ging, sarcastic fellow who hits at the weak spots and does it maliciously. If the umpire sees that a player
 merely has lost his temper it amuses
 him, and he pays little attention to
 what is said. The scarcastic boy
 gets it.
 A short time ago one of the New York Americans was chased by Jack Sheridan. All he said after being
 called out on strikes was, Look out
 Jack; if you drop your watch blind
 man will see it first"
 Billy Dahlen of the Boston Nation als perhaps has been driven to the
 bench oftener than any player in the
 country. Dahlen is a nagger. He
 keeps right after an umpire from
 the time he, gets displeased with
 decision until the game ends and
 then starts over again the next day.
 He never is abusive, but he can
 make the meanest kicks and the
 most personal remarks in the quiet
 estway of any player in either league
 Every time he gets near an umpire
 during game, if he happens to be
 after that umpire, he dishes out a
 shot.
 One of the funniest things Bill
 ever did was when he was playing
 with the old Chicago club. Just
 before the game started he remark ed to o'Day quietly, Hank. If I run
 up to you and call you a blank,
 blankety blank in the first inning, will you chase me out of the gamer" Huh, grunted Hank, q should say I would" All right" remarked Dahl. want to get out to Harlem in time for the fifth race" Hank grinned. For two innings Dahl abused Hank like a pickpocket, but Hank made him stick.
 Few spectators ever have had any idea what Manager McGraw of the New York Nationals says to umpires Tho chances ls could hear some of his remarks Me Graw would have been driven out of baseball years ago. He Is past mas ter at abuse and billingsgate. He knows the weakness of umpires and hits at them. People who know Me- Graw of the field as a clean. gentle manly little fellow hardly can be- lieve what he says. With him 1t is cold blooded science. He isn't mad He wants the next decision, and he burns the umpire up. His great success is in knowing exactly when and where to stop, and he can tell by the umpire's looks just when to quit. His remarks about the per sonal appearance, habits, family life. | etc., Of umpires hurt, and he has driven more umpires out of business than any one.
 Clarke Grifith. former manager Of the New York Americans. always has been an umpire batter. Grif is | mean and sarcastic and in deadly | earnest when he kicks. One day in | Philadelphia Al Warner chased Grif out of the grounds. and Grif came fretting and angry mp into the press box, complaining that Warner had | been unjust T didn't say anything loud, so any one else could hear it." said Grif, "I just told him the truth.
 What did you say. Grif?" Why. l walked up to him quietly and fin a gentlemanly manner and told him he was blank, blank, blank.ty blank, blank, blank" Don't you think that was enough 2" asked some one. ''No," said Grif. That's what he Is. and he didn't nave any right 10 put me out"
 Remarks concerning the salaries of umpires is another favorite meth od of roasting Cheap forty-dollar -a-month skate has been thrown at almost all of them. Ball pIavers don't know what salaries umpires get. but regard them as underpaid and cheap labor. Another favorite way of going at the umpire is 10 cast insidious aspersions on his eye sight. In game in the Chicago White Sox park recently Jiggs Dono- hue slid to second and was called put by sheridan. Jiggs thought he vas safe. SO for a few moments his for Sheridan ceased.
 Why, he yelled al Sheridan. "a .LLrLA ......nl ]