Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-08-17

something on your boss to hold your job"
1.-THE only thing about you that looks like an
umpire is your mask and protector"
You better start to run for the back fence
as soon as the game is over, for we are going
to get you"
These, and a few million more Compliment
ary' expressions of a like nature are hurled
at the umpire during the course of a closely
contested game.
1t is really strange and wonderful into what
a frenzy the average baseball fan can work him
self during the progress of an exciting game.
1t is almost incredible to think what he will do
or say when he imagines the umpire has made
q wrong decision that has apparently put his
club out of the running.
Prominent attorneys, distinguished doctors,
wellknown actors, staid business men, in fact
men of all classes, will invariably jump to their
feet at what they consider a punk decision,
and shake their fists violently, utter all kinds
of incoherent remarks, and insist that nothing
will satisfy their thirst for revenge but the
life blood of the poor, defenseless umpire.
The next day, when some one meets one OF
the frenzied %rooters, and in a joking way ex-
plains to him how he acted and tells him some
of the things he said about the umpire, MIR.
Loyal Rooter takes a vow then and there that
he will never again open his mouth at a ball
game, no matter how thrilling the situation.
Perhaps the very next afternoon, if the prop
er occasion arises, he will unknowingly COM
init the very act of the previous day.
Civic pride is to be admired in all things. A
baseball fan who doesn't want to see the home
team triumph is surely a peculiar sort of man.
Perhaps 1t might be we'll for him to have his
sanity investigated. Desire to win at any cost
however often makes intelligent persons abso-
lutely unfair in their views and opinions.
.- The extent to which the fan will allow his
civic pride to dominate his opinion was well
illustrated to me one day last year. While
on my way to the hotel after a particularly
brilliant game, which the home team mad
lost by a score of 1 to 0, after a desperate strug-
gle. | was much amused at the conversation OF
q number of dyed-in-the-wool fans who happen
ed to be in the same car.
1t was the unanimous opinion of every
one that the home team needed good-siZed
boards instead of regulation bats, it they
were ever to win a game. They cited a
half dozen instances where a hit, or even a
fly to the outfeld, would have won the con
test. All of them were sore over the loss OF
the game, principally because Of the weak
hitting of their favorites. They proclaimed
the visitors stronger in every respect. That
one run was the big event of the day. The
fans seemed to forget that for IL innings
the hitting of the visitors was just as feeble
as that Of the home team. That the hit
that sent the only run of the game across the
plate was due to a lucky bound which sent it
over the second baseman's head. To me 1t was
one Of the best games of the year.
The following day the home team won by
a very one-sided score of IL to 1. AS fate
would have it, l bumped into several fans
of the previous day on the car down town.
The contest was a decidedly poor one, l
thought, the one and only redeeming feature
being the hard hitting of the home club.
The fans were satisfied, however, for 1t was
unanimously agreed that the home boys had
recovered their batting eyes, and that from
now on they would make the best of them
step the limit to win.
shall never forget a little incident that hap
pened to silk OLaughlin during a game at
Washington, one day, which illustrates what
some fans will do when the home team Is get
ting trimmed.
| happened to be working back of the plate
that afternoon, while silk" was performing or
the bases. All the close plays seemed to come
up on the bases. SILK had at least a dozer
plays that could have been given one way OIL
the other, because of the extreme c%loseness
Practically all Of the plays went against thu
home team, and while silk had little or M
trouble from the players, a fan, who was SIT
ting in the third base section of the grandstant
chose to disagree with the arbitrator on prac
tically all of his rulings. He kept up
volley Of remarks throughout the game, AM
before its close had enlisted quite a few vol
nnteers.
Because Of the actions of this one lon
fan, silk was subjected to a rather strer
uous afternoon, although his work was wei
nigh perfect. silk discovered that his ell
envy was sitting in the front row OF tn
grandstand. also that he wore glasses. H
made up his mind long before the close {
the game that he would express himself I
the gentleman in question.
The home team managed to win out by
brilliant ninth inning rally. In his jublt
tion over the winning Of the game, the ia
had forgotten entirely that q person bearin