The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-08-17

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You certainly must have
something on your boss to hold your job"
The only thing about you that looks Ike 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.
airy" expressions Of a like nature are hurled
at the umpire during the course of q closely
contested game.
II IS really strange and wonderful into what
a frenzy tho average baseball fan can work him.
self during the progress of an exciting game
II IS almost incredible to think what he viii do
or say when he lmagnes the umpire has made
u 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, vii! invariably jump to their
feet at what they consider punk decision"
and shake their fists violently, utter all kinds
OF ncoherent remarks, and insist that nothing
will satisfy their thirst for revenge but the
life blood Of the poor, dcicnscloss umpire.
Tho next day, when some one meets one Of
She fronzied rooters and in n Joking way ex.
plains TO him how he acted and tells him some
of the things he said about the umpire, Mr..
Loyal Rooter takes 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 ,fternoon, II the prop
er occasion arises he iii 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 peculiar sort of man.
Perhaps 1t might be well 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 ono day last year. While
on my way to the hotel after particularly
brilliant game, which the home team had
lost by a score Of TO o. after a desperate strug
gle was much amused at the conversation Of
a number Of dycd.in thc-wool fans who happen
ed to be IN the same car.
It was the unanimous opinion OF every
one that the home team needed goods2ed
boards instead Of regulation bats Il they
we're ever TO win game. They cited
half dozen instances where q hit, or even
fly to the outnold would have won tho con
test All of them were sore over the loss OF
the game principally because Of the weak
hitting of their fayortes. They proclaimed
the visitors stronger in every respect mat
one run was the big event OF the day. Tho
FANS seemed 70 forget Lnbl w ~ 4HH'"b'
tho 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 a lucky bound which sent 1t
over the second basemans head To me II was
one OF the best games of the year.
The following day the home team won by
n very one-sided score OF 10 to 1. As fate
would have IT, | bumped into several fans
of tho previous day on the car down town.
The contest was decidedly poor one, |
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 little incident that hap
pcned to silk" OLaughin 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 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 or
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 was sit
ting in the third base section OF the grandstand
chose to disagree with the arbitrator on prac'
tlcally all of his rulings. He kept up a
yolley of remarks throughout the game, and
before its close had enlisted quite few vol
unteers.
Because OF the actions of this one lone
IAN. silk" was subjected to a rather siren
uous afternoon, although his work was well
nigh perfect. SILK" discovered that his en-
envy was sitting in the front row 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 a
brilliant ninth inning rally. In his jublia
tiop over the winning OF the game. the fan
had forgotten entirely that a person bearing