The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-08-18

honest and mean TO be fair, but, as
Umpire JohnstoDe remarked: Some
umpires have one bad fault. and that
is not being able to forget today to
morrow" The umpire who remembers
is bad umpire, and 1t is almost as
bad for the player to remember. Tim
Hurst had q bad day at Washington
and Joe Cantillon thought he robbed
his team of the game. The following
day Hurst. willing to forget. walked
over to the Washington bench and
er today. Joe?"
Guess, damn YOU" responded the
retentive. memoried Cantillon. That's
all you did yesterday" and the trouble
was renewed.
Heads of leagues make their serious
mistakes in upholding umpires who
are palpably wrong They are COM
PEELED to uphold them on all questions
of judgment, but to declare the UNI
pire was right in some cases is laugh
able. There was a case in 1894 in
Chicago with Moran umpiring Cor
coran, at short for Cincinnati, picked
up a grounder batted by Tinker and
.hrew the ball five feet over Peitz's
head. Peitz playing first base. The
hall went on to the bleachers, so feet
away. Peitz jumped, pretended he had
caught the ball and Moran called
Tinker out. Other players were com.
-el'ed to hold Tinker to keep him
rom assaulting the umpire who or.
dered him OF the field, and ordered
I'll 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. you
are out. anyway" And the decision
stood
In brooklyn, in 1908, with the score
to 0. Brooklyn had runners on sec
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 umpire permitted both
runs to count. But the Chicago club,
in an exhibition game at Birmingham,
met the worst on record A runner
trying to score with two out in the
ninth was thrown out so far from the
rlate that he did not slide. but turned
and ran through the diamond to the
J0nch. The umpire called him out,
Git when Manager Vaughan protested
Re runner had not been touched, the
umpire lost his head. The runner, In
he meantime, had gone into the dress
ing 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 he touched the plate
the umpire allowed the score and tied
the game.
To uphold decisions of that sort 10
to put premium either upon dishon-
esty or incompetence.
One of the greatest examples Of in
dividual heroism the game has known
was that Of Henry O'Day in the his
toric game between New York and
Chicago on September 28, 1908, when
Merkle forgot to touch second base.
Ten days previous to this game O'Day
had been umpiring at Pittsburg and
missed the same play. turning away to
get a drink and failing to see Gill, the
runner who forgot to go to the base.
In New York when the hit was made
that sent home what seemed the win
ming run, the crowd surrounding the
field, swarmed upon H. O'Day, re-
membering the Pittsburg play. raced
nearly to second base. saw Merkle
turn and go to the clubhouse, saw
Evsrs with the ball on the base. The
run doesn't count" he said-just as
the crowd swarmed over him. For
200 feet he walked through a raging
mob, telling them the run did not
count, while they shrieked. struck at
him, pulled him and threatened his
life.
Even after New York claimed the
game and the entire country was
aroused over the situation. O'Day
could have ended the trouble with a
word and given New York the pen.
nant. He knew the National league
wanted New York to win. He knew
the Giants ought to have won, that
the hit was clean and one that de-
served to bring home the winning run.
Even when officers, politicians, men
big in baseball, urged him to say he
had not seen the play, had not made
a decision. he stood firm. II was said
O'Day would be mobbed II ever he
went onto the Polo grounds again. but
when he next appeared he was greeted
with cheers that showed the admira-
tion OF the fans for his courage.
There are weak umpires and strong
ones. The weakest is the Homer
who gives all close decisions to the
home club. But the Homer" is not
as bad as his antithesis, the bull
head" who gives all close decisions
against the home club for fear he will
be called Homer"
Some expulsions are laughable. In