The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-08-01
BASEBALL STANDARD
DUE To The UMPIRES
President Lynch Says High
Standing Of the Game May
Be Credited To Arbiters.
FEW WITHSTAND THE ABUSE
Holders OF the indicator are Sub
iected To More Mistreatment
Than Falls To the Lot OF
the Players.
FEW WITHSTAND THE ABUsI

New York. Special; President Thomas
J. Lynch of the National league, be-
lieves that the high standard Of or
gan!zed baseball IS due in a large
measure to the integrity of the profess
6ional umpires. He declares that the
umpires stand more abuse from spec
tators and players h players would
be willing to stand up under. Mr..
Lynch is of the opinion that, nine
tenths of our diamond stars woul be
driven back to the minor leagues If
they had to take, day in and day out,
h criticism, abuse and scorn heaped
upon even the Fest arbiters.
In the following interview, Mr.. Lynch
expresses himself fully in defense OF
major league umpiring. The interview.
verbatim, follows:
Baseball would have a lot more Hans
Wagners and Ty Cobbs If the profess
sion kept pace with the umpiring. Fan
dom is too apt to pass snap Judgment
upon the arbiter. / do not hesitate to
say that not one player in 10 would
stand half the abuse to which eve the
ablest officials of the play are subject
ed. and still be able to hold up his
head. If the a n got after the .ordin-
airy player as the players themselves
get after the Indicator wielders, l am
sure many of our present stars would
be driven back to the minor leagues In
short order.
I have been criticised in some quar-
ters for backing up my umpires and
for banking SO heavily on their word in
a question of dispute. Why shouldn't
/ do So? I know every heartbeat
of these fellows. I did not umpire four
teen years without having experienced
the prejudice, rancor. bias and unpopu-
1arity with which both crowd and play
ers regard an official at times. Still. I
an inclined to believe that much of the
fault lies with the player-not with the
crowd or umpire.
A player too often tries to cover his
own sins by showing them onto the
umpire. He is fooled by the opposing
pitcher or he Is out at the plate on a
close decision. He doesn't wish to face
the music of a call from his manager.
So he makes q demonstration against
the umpire, and tickle fandom is al
ways too willing and too eager to help
him out.
! contend that a player has no more
right to belittle an umpire than an UNI
pire would haye to belittle him. What
O farce 1t would be IL, after a batter
famed on a ball two feet wide of the
plate, the umpire should grasp him by
the shoulder and belittle him before the
eyes of the public by showing them
how far wide Of the plate the pitch was.
"Oh," would a the Official. You bit
at hat one. you big bonehead, and it
was q foo to the outside. You ought to
be back in the brush. What do you
know about playing major league ball?
Solid mahogany"
That would cause some sensation
wouldn't it? ] guess 1t wouldn't be a
Knockout for both players and fans?
Yet 1t would be no more ridiculous or
unjust than a player belittling the urn-
pire.
Fred Merkle is one of the greatest
players in the world today. He would
be great II he couldn't play half so
well. He has a heart Of a lion. How
many men. do Q think, could have
stood up under the criticism he took for
memorable game OF 1908? Public, press
and fraternity tool good care that he
never forgot the fact Of his blunder
until he had lived the matter down by
proving his real worth. Not one in a
million had TO surmount the obstacles
that confronted Merkle. That's why I
think SO much Of him. In my, opinion
ne Is n Of the gamest fellows in
baseball.
Dc you know how many would have
stood the GAIT? Well. I can, perhaps,
give you q little idea. I'll not mention
n names IN this anecdote. The player
70 whom I iefer is now one Of the
most successful managers iii the big
leagues. 1 was umpiring d game at
HE city he represented. For years this
player ~ peen ans1dol. But he struck
q slump n in several days had failed
70 get g hit. This day ne came up
three times with men on the bases and
q pinch hit needed. and each time he
either struck out or popped an easy
ny. The bleachers had been raggin
him all day. Finally. toward the end
Of the game, he came up again il the
pilch: The crowd hisaed him and
cried for some n that could deliver
the goodEs
1 never saw such look 81 shame
and morttficationx on anybody,s face
rwo weeks befor he would have beer
Willing Il Az into my face On thu
slfxiltest provccnttcn, Now he was az
q swtngs and b bieachefa groaned