The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-21
.UMP|RES DISCUSS THE TOUGHNESS OF
 THEIR EXISTENCE
By W. S. FARNswoRTH

!. While travelling with Yankees on their 7 first western trip this spring l met Um- ; pres Tommy Connolly and Jack Egan, ,.s two of the most competent indicator hold CTS in the American league, and for that matter in the country. It is seldom his umps" will talk about his troubles, but Connolly and Egan gave me a lot or interesting dope concerning the jobs and players in general. ,
 The life of an umpire is a tough one. : believe me. Many fan has sat up in tie stand and wished he could secure such a position. They figured it Fretty soft to ride around the. country witness- { ing allsthe great diamond 5battles But if they only half realized the hards1ips connected with the position they would z never have. another longing for the job. P While baseball team Is securing the : ''breaks'' and winning, the players find the going smooth, but when that anti quated lady, Dame Fortune, is strutting around with the opposition, the players ilife is far from being rosy. Andsit is just the same with the umpire. 7ssf5 snir
 For days he may not be called on to make any close decision, and he and the F players get along like brothers. But for weeks he officiates in battles where for inning after inning he has to decide eye :. lash plays. The players of both teams : continually pounce,on. him. and argue with as him. the home fans roast him to1a brown. It Is then that the job gets on his nerves and makes him long for home and the , farm.
 The umpire is practically exiled, too N He cannot mix with the players after the { game and go out and have an evening of sport. If he wants to go to a theatre he must travel by his lonesome. While he may have many personal friends on the teams, it would never do for him to be seen in company of ball tosser. The :. fans would say that he was favoring the . player if he did.s-ssss
 Connolly and young Mullen, who is { breaking in this, year in the American 2 league-and letinle add he appears to have the nlakings of fcor<ing good official were on the same train with the Yankees on the return trip of the New Workers from Washington last month. When their appetites drove them to the dining car they found the players occupied nearly every seat. Connolly informed his young protege that it would never do to be seen eating with the players. so they strolled back to their chairs and waited at least . an hour and a half for the diamond war riors to fill their breadbaskets.
 - There are certain players who make all kinds of trouble for umpires, and others who never cause rumpus, no matter if they believe the official has given him the, worst of 1t in close decision. And 1t is the stars who nearly always abide by the umpre's decisions without mur- mur.
 Why, Hal Chase never made kick in his Ufe," Egan told me. "One day was working on. the bases in New York and called Chase out on very close de- csion., That was a hair-line decision, Hal l remarked. Well, thought had it beaten. MT. Egap,' replied Chase, but you could tell better than could.
 That's all he had to say. Why, I know of 50 players who would have been ready to scalp me had they been in Chase's place.
 While don't believe there is an um- pire in the American league who would give a wrong decision with intention, it's a cinch fellow of the Chase type is not going to get any of the worst of it from an official.
 "Christy Mathewson is another great player to work behind An umpire often makes a mistake ons balls and strikes, but Matty never makes a beef.
 Ira Thomas, the Athletics backstop, Is always pleading with the umpire, and is really funny at times as he begs for a strike. Charley Street of Washington is ,s-just the opposite, and he is continually grabbing when he isn't given a shade on close ones. But both are grand fellows and their heart is in their work
 = "Wilie Keeler was an ideal fellow" < broke in Connolly. Whenever he made a kick you could bet he. was pretty near right. But Keeler realized he had noth- ling to gain by batting
 2: 'sHy' Cobb is another good man for the umpires. While he may look to be a scrappy player, he seldom kicks at de- foision. Cy Young, Larry Lajoie and many of the other great performers are the same"