The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-25
LYNCH WILL RULE WITH AN IRON HAND HeydIer'S Successor Is Man
 With Lots of Nerve WAS SUCCESSFUL UMPIRE National League Maenates Are Well Satisfied With New President
 and Predict Satisfactory
 Term of Office.

New York, December 24.-(Special)- l Thomas J. Lynch. the new president of l the National League of Professional Basa- ball clubs is 51 years old. He umpired his | first games in the New England league
 and did so well that he was appointed to
 the National leagues staff by former i President N. E. Young in 1885 1 Lynch soon demonstrated that he was ! an autocrat on the diamond. He was
 sticlzler for the rules and ruled the row
 dies with an iron hand. But his path was
 not strewn with roses. and he had
 stormy time of it all over the circuit. The 1 supreme test came when Lynch was sent
 to the old Polo Grounds at 10th street
 and Fifth avenue to umpire six games ! played by the Giants with the Chicagos l and Detroits.
 Those teams were close together in the
 pennant race and excitement ran high.
 Lynch made his appearance on Monday , in the presence of 100oo spectators, and from the moment he called the first ball
 the crowd wanted his scalp. It was a riotous week and when Lynch left for
 Pittsburg he was a trifie discouraged.
 When he arrived at the Smoky City, however. he received a telegram from
 President Young. which read:
 'I congratulate you on your excellent
 umpiring at New York
 That dispatch,'' said President Lynch,
 surely made me a successful umpire and l intend to follow the same policy with the National league umpires next year. An umpire cannot do well unless he is
 backed up and I intend to be strict on , this point. If newspaper critics will take
 hint from me, I shall feel grateful.
 Whenever an umpire appears to them to
 be incompetent wish they would refrain
 from roasting him. Instead, if they will
 communicate with me will make per
 sonal inspection of the umpire's work and
 if he Is not up to the mark l will take the necessary action"
 Clashes With Jack Doyle. Lynch is generally regarded by veteran critics of the game as the best umpire that ever called balls and strikes. He re- mained on the National league stan until
 1891, when he laid of year. President
 Young finally induced him to return and he went along smoothly until 1885 Then at the Polo Grounds he fined George Davis and Jack Doyle of the Giants s100 each for disoroerly conduct The president of the New York club took sides with the players and Lynch re- signed from the umpire sraff. He came back later and did splendid work, but in game played by the Giants in Boston he got into another rang:e with Doyle. The latter rushed up to Lynch after the game in a threatening manner and was promptly knocked down.
 Lynch tired of the game after that and went into the theatrical business. He bought the Rosswin theatre in New
 Britain and has been managing it ever since. It was Lynch's department on the ball field that helped to raise the standard of umpiring an dwon the re- spect of thousands of fans. Baseball in those days was not so well governed as it is now. and when the Giants, for instance. visited western cities they were almost sure to prove troublesome until Lynch was on the job. Manager Stallings of the Highland CTS ran up against Lynch nearly 20 years ago when the big chief was catching for the Philadelphias Lynch was unpiring one day" said Stallings today, and my pitcher put a ball square over the middle of the plate. Lynch called it ball and turned quickly and said:
 Oh, Tom, That was a strike. Mir. Lynch, the Umpire. "Y Young man. said Lynch. tapping
 me on the shoulder. it is not Tom here; it's MT. Umpire. Be careful in future And I never forgot the incident" Lynch Is thoroughly independent. As a veteran baseball man said of him today: "If he makes as good a presi- dent as he was an umpire the National league will have found a jewell l It is already foregone conclusion l that rowdy players will be severely 1 dealt with by Lynch, who says there IS | no reason why the decision of umpires | should not be accepted without a pro- | test unless an interpretation of the ] rules is involved. Being a competent | judge of the qualities that make sue ] cessful umpire, it is safe to say that 1 Lynch will not waste time with incom- l potent officials. But 1t is also &C., | cepted as a certainty that if, in his l opinion, umpires are right in their de- cisions. no magnate of manager can l force Lynch to remove an official from | the staff
 Lynch has a strong will and is d 1 National league man to the backbone. | Furthermore, he is on the level, which 1 can league will quickly learn when the l time comes to sit with Lynch on the | national baseball commission. Lynch regards Garry Hermann as the rig..l | man for chairman of the commission and he will vote for the Cincinnati | magnates return to that important | place. For many years the National l league has been in need of president | with backbone and moral courage I Lynch possess both qualities, so that no club owners will be able to sway l him.
 An Objection to HeydIer. The chief objection to Heydler was the
 fact that he stood by his umpires. Heyd- Ter because of this objection never had
 chance in the recent election, but the ap- pointment of Lynch is sure to vindicate him Lynch and Heydler know wha' good umpiring means and they say they l will work in perfect harmony.
 A story was told today of a ciasf | I.ynch, az an umpire, had with cer' tain club owner in the days of riot ois conduct on the ball field. Lyncf had rendered Il number of close decisions l against the home team ond was ieavini the grounds when the mngnate coniront sd hlrp at the door of tine clubhouse l sIu not stand for such decisions