The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-01

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
% get you"
These and few million more compliment
ary' expressions of like nature hurled
at the umpire during the of a closely
contested game.
1t is really strange and wonderful into what
frenzy the average baseball fan can work him
self during the progress of an exciting game
It is almost incredible to think what he will do
Or say when he imagines the umpire has made
a 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 punk decison,'
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, Mr..
Loyal Root r takes a then and there that
he will never again open his mouth at ball
game no matter how thrilling the situation.
Perhaps the very next afternoon, if the prop
err occasion arises he will unknowngly COM
nit the very act Of the previous day.
Civic pride is to be admired In all things.
baseball fan who doesn't want to see the home
team triumph is surely a peculiar sort Of man.
Perhaps it might be we'll for him TO have his
sanity invest igated. 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 we'll
Illustrated to me day last year While
on my way to the hotel after particularly
brilliant game. which the home team had
lost by score Of to 0, after desperate strug
gle was much amused at the conversation Of
a number Of dyed-in-the-WOol fans who happen
Cd 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, if they
to win a game They cited
half dozen. instances where hit 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 iavorites. 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 II innings
the hitting Of the visitors 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 lucky bound which sent 1t
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 I. AS fate
would have it, I bumped into several fans
of the previous day the down town.
The contest was decidedly poor one, I
thought the one and only redeeming feature
being the hard hitting Of the home club
The fans were satisfied however, for it 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" O'Laughlin during game at
Washington, 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 on
the bases. All the close plays seemed to come
up on the bases. Silk had at least dozen
plays that could have been given one way
the other because Of the extreme closeness.
Practically all of the plays went against the
home team and while silk had little or no
trouble from the players. fan, who sit
ting In the third base section Of the grandstand
chose to disagree with the arbitrator prac-
tcally all of his rulings. He kept up
volley of remarks throughout the game and
before its close had enlisted quite few vol
unteers.
Because Of the actions of this one lone
fan, Silk was subjected to rather siren
uous afternoon, although his work was we'll
nigh perfect Silk discovered that his ell
envy was sitting in the front of the
grandstand. also that he wore glasses. He
made up his mind long before the close Of
the game that he would express himself to
the gentleman in question.
The home team managed to win out by
brilliant ninth inning rally. In his juba-
ton over the winning of the game, the fan
had forgotten entirely that a person bearing