The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-10

ietes who If they did not want To xii
nm themselves. urged the populace ia
90 IT, Inc education of PLAYERS TO the
ing and abusing the nmpire would nn,
WIN, but tended to turn the decisions
against them, was slow. The education
| or spectators to sense OF fair nln
above parusanship has been slower As
conditions improved, however. higher
and higher. types of men entered fhs
umpinng held, until now the salaries
ana the work attract manv clean. do.
cent men who command The confidence
and respect of PLAYERS and spectators
me great mistake of the officials of
ihe leagues has been upholdinp ;he
goats as well as the sheep. TO a great
extent the reformation of The umpirinp
system, and the steady improvement
IN experiment of players and the work
OF lhe umplres has been due 10 Presj
dent B. B. johnson of the American
league, who has either had the luck
or the Judgment and hrmpess. 10 revo.
IuClonlze conditions existing ten wears
ago and set an example which all OK.
ecutlves have been compelled 10 fol.
low. ms hrst move was suppression
OF roWdX1sm by stern methods, and the
suppression Of the rowdles at once re.
suited IN. better umpiring. and large
increase IN the number Of desirable men
who wanted the positions
Inc large majority of umpires arc
honest and mean to be fair, but, as
Umpire Johnstone remarked: .sSomc
nmpIres have one bad fault, and that
is not being able 10 forget today to-
morrow The umpire who remembers
is n bad umpire, and it is almost as bad
Tor the player to remember. Tim Hurst
had bad day at Washington, and Joe
Canhlllon thought he robbed his team
Of the game. The following dav Hurst,
willing TO forget, walked over TO the
Washington bench and asked cordially:
" Who h. is your pitcher today. Joe'''
Guess, damn you.'' responded the
retentive mem-ried Cantiliion. THAT 3
all YOU did Yesterday" and the trouble
was renewed
Heads of leagues make their serious
mlsta kes in upholding umpires who are
palpably wrong. They are compelled
to uphold them on MI questions of judg-
ment, but 10 declare the umpire was
right in some cases is laughable. There
Moran umpiring. Corcoran, at short
for Cincinnati, picked up a grounder
barted by Tinker and threw the ball
hive feet over Pletz's head, Pietz play
ing first base. The ball went on TO the
bleachers, sixty feet away Peltz
jumped, pretended he had caught the
ball and Moran called Tinker out 9th
PiaScio "eie con Pelieu 10 nolu LIN
ker to keep him from assaulting the
umpire. who ordered him off the field
and ordered all players who talked to
him out of the game, Peitz chased the
ball around the bleachers, ran back
to The bench and touched Tinker
Now, Tinker said Moran, "vou
are out, ANYWAY And the decision
stood.
In Brooklyn, in 1908, with the score
n ro Rrpnl-I,-n h,I
ond and third bases and two out when
the batter missed the third strike. The
catcher dropped the ball. but recovered
and threw the runner out at first. Two
runners crossed the plate, and the uu-
pire permitted both runs to count But
the Chicago club. IN an exhibition game
at Birmingham. met the worst on rec
ord. a runner irving TO score with
two out IN the ninth, was thrown out
so far from the plate that he did not
slide, but turned and ran through the
diamond 20 the bench The umpire
called him ont, but when Manager
Vaughan protested the runner had not
been touched, the umpire lost his head.
The runner in the meantime had gone
into the dressing room, had his shirt
off, and was starting to wash When
notified of the situation he put his
shirt on, ran under the stand, climbed
through a box. ran behind the catcher,
after two balls had been pitched TO
the next batter, and when be touched
the plate the umpire allowed the score
and tied the game,
TO uphold decisions Of that sort is
to put premium either upon dishonesty
or incompetence.
One of the greatest examples of in
diyidual beroisn the game has known
was that of Henry O'Day in tho his.
toric game between New York and Chi
csgo on September %, 1908, when Mer'
kle forgot to touch second base. Ten
days previous TO this game q Day had
been umpiring at Pittsburg and missed
the same play. turning away 10 get n
drink and failing TO see Gill, the run"
ner. who forgot 10 go 10 the base. In
New York when the hit was made that
sent home what seemed the winning
run, the crowd surrounded the field.
swarmed upon it, O'Day, remembering
the Pittsburp play, raced nearly to sec.
ond base. saw Merkle turn and go to
the club house, saw Evers with the ball
on the base. 1.-The run doesn't count, =,
he said-lust as the crowd swarmed
over HIM. For 200 feet he walked
through raging mob, telling them the
run did not count, while they shrieked,
struck at him, pulled him and threat
ened his life.
Even after New York claimed the
game and The entire country was
aroused over the situation, 0 Day
could have ended the trouble with
word and given New York the pennant
He knew the National league wanted
New York to win He knew The Giants
ought 10 have won. that the hit was
clean and one that deserved to bring
home the winning run. Even when