Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-27
WORK OF UMP|RES
|SUNSAT|SF ACTORY
Had Competent Man Been in
Charge, Yesterdays Forfeit
Would Not Have Occurred.
GRIFFITH WIRES A LONG
REPORT TO BAN JOHNSON
League President Is Likely to Stand
BY His Arbiters-Engel's
Motion in Dispute.
BY j. ED GRILLO.

FOR allowing the game to be forfeited
yesterday such thing could not have
happened had competent umpire been
IN charge. Any who has witnessed
ma ior league games has often seen an
umpire pull his watch when dispute
vas on Vet this is the first time in the
history OF the American Leac que that
game has been forfeited. Chill. after
waiting the stipulated minute. did not
go through the usual process of asking
the disgruntled players whether they
were ready TO take the field, Instead,
he made the announcement that the
game was forfeited.
t,ngels delivery in the fourth inning
was no different from what it in
the previous sessions. If il was Illegal
in that round. ii was so in the first.
yet Chill did not make any complaint
until the bases we're full in the fourth.
Griffith made the followin- statement:
When Chill began to call balls on
Ensel. with Oldrins up walked out
To Ensel and told him to stand per-
fectly still on the rubber to pitch. which
he did. The hall cut the plate. but Chill.
nevertheless. called it a ball know
that that one ball was delivered accord
ing to the rules. and Chilfs decision
was absolutely incorrect.
Griffith sent lengthy report of the
incident to President Ban Johnson last
night in which he made a vigorous pro-
test against Chill and Sheridan The
chances are that there Will be develop
ments in the ease some time today.
Ioe Engers position or the rubber when
delivering the ball was the cause for the
forfeiture of the game YESTERDAY. Chill
warned lin as early as the second in
ming that he was violating the rules. but
he did not hand out any punishment UNI
til the fourth after the bases We're full.
Then he called strikes balls, forced in
run and was fair way to force in
another when Griffith ran up to him to
demand an explanation. Chill inmedi-
ately pulled out his watch and. walking
around behind the plate. suddenly yelled
out, game forfeited. AS rule. when
umpire ,',:lls the watch a team he
gives one finai warning before he forfe!ts.
but chill failed to do this.
The score at the time stood to 0
in favor OF the champions. but. with
Bush pitching. this was by no means
safe lead, and there good chance
to overcome il before the game was
over. All chance of this. however. was
eliminated when the forfeit was made.
for the teams then left the field, and
the official records will show that Phil
sdelphia beat Washington. to o.
Just why combination such as Chill
and Sheridan furnish is allowed to UNI
pire in the American League is not
known. Chill is generally regarded as
incompetent. is too small to stand be-
strikes. so takes a position just about
three feet to one side. Incidentally, he
does not seem to he familiar with the
rules. and apparently lacks the ability
To rule correctly on balls. This vas
demonstrated on several occasions yes
terday. to the satisfaction of the parti
han crowd. which hooted. One of his
glaring mistakes came in the ninth in
ming. when Bender had three balls and
no strikes on Milan. the first man up
The next ball pitched was outside and
on the ground. and vet Chill called it
strike: and Milan. instead of walking,
was thrown out at first on ball he
hit to Collins. Chill missed strikes all
day for both teams.
His side partner. Jack Sheridan, was
retired i've Years ago because his eye
sight was failing. He was thought to
nave been nenSlOned. but was renovated
to make the world tour last winter dur
ing which he missing; on several oc-
casions. Vet he is allowed to officiate at
championship games with an apparently
Incompetent man assistant
If memory serves right. this is the first
game to be forfeited in the history of
the American League. There is heavy
nne in the rules imposed on the man.
aver who allows this to happen, and for
this reason no one ever INDUCED in the
practice Until Yesterday.
II is Of course. exasperating to have
game deliberately taken away by some
umpire. but the situation Is not going
to ne helped by simply allowing the
umpire to make a legal gift of the vic
tory to rival. Surely there no
chance to pull the game out of the fire
after the forfeiture. But Griffith was
mad as a Wet hen and refused to order
his players to their positions when told
10 do Chill did the unusual when
he failed to give a final warning that
he would forfeit the game before taking
that action.
II IS strange. too that Chill should not
make any protest against Engels way
of pitching until the bases were loaded
in the fourth, 1t was while this con-
dition existed that Ira Thomas, the vet
eran catcher and now Mack's lieutenant.
walked over to Chill behind the plate
and called his attention TO EngeIs way
of pitching. Right there and then Chill
began TO call strikes balls, regardless OF
where they were pitched.
EnGel had walked Mclnnis 10 start
the fourth. and Strunk had come
through with a hit Barry sacrificed.
and II thought best 20 walk
schans who looked danserous This
came out all right. for Bush struck
Out. Then Chill walked Murphy. and he
had oldrinG three-quarters of the way
down 70 first by calling three strikes
balls. when Griffith ard his players
protested
The forfeited game. CT course. goes
against the Nationals. to %. and gives
the Athletics that much more of an edge
0N the trrlH1nen. Tor though Irln1tH
has protested. there is not apt to be
anything done by Ban johnson. who is
sure TO stand by his umpires
What Doc Avres does not know
about pitching to Frank Baker would
Ill Volumes. The Doe made thu. seri-
mistake yesterday of growing the
ball twice on Mack's siuSger. and. two
long home runs over the right field
fence resulted. On both occasions there
was runner on and two out, and the
two clouts netted four runs. Later OF
Baker drove out d long fly. which al
lowed another runner to score, thus
doing more than his share of the run.
producing for his team.
Growing the ball in the pinches is a
fault which several of Griffiths pitch.
ers have. Ayers undoubtedly jeopardizeC
himself by doing this with Baker up
and Boehling was guilty of il in the
tenth inning of the second game. when
with Strunk on second. he grooved the
first ball pitched to SchanS, with the
result that d hit to left followed which
won the ball game.
Douglas Neff broke into the gam,
for the first time yesterday, taking Nc
Brides place at short in the ninth ant
tenth. after Williams had been sent t.
bat for the captain in the ninth. Nef
had but one chance. that of high fl,
Collins popped up for him. and he neve
got to the bat.
Though there were just about 100,
paid admissions at Shibe Park yester