The Detroit times., 1913-09-03
.SANBORN Tells
OF UMPIRES'
7 FAST THINKING
Believes That OLOughlin De.
serves the Prize For Light
ming CerebratiOn
HIT WITH EIGHT MEN ON
FIELD-WHATS ANSWER?
Ball Game is Not Being Played
Legally Unless Nine Men
Are In Field

Dali payers prlue tnemSelVeS--tne
good ones-On their ability to think
quickly, says |. K. Sanborn, in the
Chicago Tribune. 1t is an essential
to success In fast company, ando the
slow thinkers never get above the
mediocre level In the majors. But
the players are not the only ones out
there on the field who have to have
their wits keyed up to high speed
and figure out all the possible plays
In advance. The umpires Job re-
quires lot more than accurate eye.
sight and judgment, and the ability
to stand the gibes of the roOters. The
successful arbitrator must think as
fast as any OF the players. sometimes
faster than the foxy men OF the dia-
mond, or they will catch him mapping.
Occasionally they do, but not as often
as one would believe, to hear the
players talk.
Quick Thinking by O'LouahIin.
The quickest exhibition Of thinking
ever saw under the circumstances
was given by Silk O'Loughlin, OF the
American league star, some half doz-
EN- years ago. A situation arose with
out warning which never before or
since has been duplicated on the ma
jor league diamonds.
Washington was playing at the old
White Sox park and Long Tom
Hughes was being hit pretty hard by
the south siders. At the end of the
inning Captain Schlafy, who was in
charge of the team temporarily. lett
the field to hunt up another pitcher,
who was warming up back Of the pa
vilion to be ready to relieve Hughes.
Three Senators we're disposed Of in
succession In remarkably short
time and the White Sox went to bat
again. Hughes remained on the slab
and Manager Jones stepped to the
plate. He hit the first ball pitched
on fast bound straight through the
position usually occupied by the sec.
ond baseman-but there was no sec.
ond baseman there. Schlafly was
still looking for the relief pitcher,
and no one had noticed his absence
from the infield.
Before the right fielder picked up
the ball or Jones reached first base
on the hit, Umpire O'Loughlin had
slipped of his mask and was vigor-
ously motioning for Jones to come
back to the plate. The Sox manager
was inclined to argue and stuck to
the advantage he had gained on first
base. He did not get far with his ar.
sument, for Immediately O'LOughlin
elled: You can't play ball with
eight men In the field"
That Is as true as gospel, and II IL
stated in plain language in the play
ing rules, but how many persons
would have thought of that obscure
rule. seldom referred to, and have ap-
piled 1t instantly to the situation, as
OLoughlin did?
Recently Bill Klein had an original
problem to solve. 1t came of In Phil
adelphia, and the bases were full OF
Phillies, with two out. Becker was
on third, Knabe on second, and To-
bert on first. Paskert played the
string out to three and two" and, OF
course, the runners started from their
bases On the next ball pitched Knabe
took such a long lead that he rounded
third and was only few yards be-
hind Becker, planning to score along
with his predecessor II the Cubs fail
ed to get Paskert out.
Lavender failed to get the ball over
and .Paskert walked, thereby forcing
all the runners to advance. Knabe
crouched, as II trying to escape no
tice. and sneaked back toward third
base, but Needham spotted him and
fired the bali TO Phelan. who tagged
the runner out before he could re-
touch third. Nearly all witnesses
agreed that Becker had not crossed
the plate when Knabe was touched
out, retiring the side. Everybody
knows the rule that no run can score
after the third out is made. but there
is also a rule declaring that runner
Is entitled to advance one base when
he Is forced so to advance by the
awarding Of base on balls to sue
cessful batsman. It does not say any
thing about how long said runner may
take TO complete his journey.
There might have been a lengthy
argument and perhaps a protest OF
the game, but KLEIN did some quick
thinking right there, and declared
Becker touched the plate before
Knabe was declared out. That re-
moved the play from the argumenta-
tive stage. There can be no protest
except a misinterpretation OF the
rules is charged. Klein did not try to
unravel that rule tangle, he merely
made Il a question Of his Judgment
as 10 whether or not Becker had reg
istered In time. and there Is no pro-