Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18
HONESTY OF UMPIRES
BULWARK OF NATIONAL GAME
Were Arbitrators, to Escape Abuse and
Injury, to Resort to Favoring the Tome
GLIB, Base Ball Would Be Farce.

feelings and goes out on the field to de-
eide the plays as they come up, regard
Ing everybody on and off the field as
total stranger. Ninety-nine times out of a
suit from giving the close plays against
the home team. The fans. angered be-
cause they believe the umpire is showing
the visitors favor. get after him and
make the going decidedly unpleasant.
1t would be a very easy matter for
the umpires to escape all the abuse that
is hurled at them, and very often the
suffering of serious injuries. All that
would be necessary for them to do would
be to give all the close decisions in favor
to any umpire and he would say some
things to you in return which would look
anything but proper in print. Such UNI
piring would be dishonest work, and any
self-respecting umpire would quit his job
rather than resort to such methods.
Undoubtedly the honesty of the UNI
pires has more to do with the success
and popularity of the game than any
one other feature. Showing the home
team favor, by giving them all the close
decisions, that might be decided either
way, would remove all the uncertainty Of
the game, feature on which the sport
thrives. The outcome of all the contests
would be sforegone conclusion, know
ing that the umpire would surely give
you shade. Home fans, in criticsing
the umpire for his work, forget entirely
how the umpire gives their favorites
square deal when they are on the road
visiting the other seven cities in the cir
cult. Dishonest umpiring would wreck
the game in very few years. Honesty
is the very foundation Of the game.
Easy to Overlook Plays.
1t would have been an easy matter for
Hank ODay not to have seen that Merkle
play in New York. O'Day saw the play,
and rendered his decision against New
York on the Polo Grounds. Never for
minute did he take into consideration the
feelings of the 10000 Gotham fans who
saw. the game; He realized his duty;
rendered his decision accordingly, and
stirred up a fuss that caused one of the
biggest disputes in base ball.
Billy KLEIN only smiled when $4,000
was offered him il he would give New
York the benefit of the doubt on all close
plays in an important game. KLEIN not
only spurned the offer, but brought the
case before the National League and had
ban placed on the man making the
offer. barring him from all National
League parks.
In that memorable seventeen-inning bat
tie between Detroit and Philadelphia in
1907 Silk O'LOughlin gave. a ruling
against the Athletics that proved to be
the turning point in the pennant race 1t
all resolved itself around the interference
of a policeman with one of the Detroit
outfieiders. To call the batter out for in
reference prevented Philadelphia from
winning. O'LOughlin rendered such
ruling.
These are but few of the many hun
dreds of instances that could be cited 10
prove the honesty of the Judges or play.
They realize the duty they owe to the
game and no amount Of glory or money
could tempt them to depart from the
straight and narrow way. While the fans
saw all sorts of unkind things to be men
in charge, none of them would for min
ute take up the burden of the umpire
nire from the grandstand and are con-
tent to do it from that position: After 1t
is all over and the fan gets back on terra
firma he fOrgets all about the terrible
sixth, when he declared a home player
out at the plate. His favorites have won
and he admits that possibly the umpire
was right after all: Victory always
brings out a spirit of forgiveness. 1t is
after defeat that he raves.