The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-20
Is Years a Major
League Umpire Is the
Record of Robert E1nsIie.

Every educated kid knows that ssCy''
Young stuck in the big show as a
hur1er for twenty-one seasons, and
that 'Cap'' Arson was a National
It is also pretty generally known that
Napoleon >LaJoie-pronounced 'sLazh-
way'-haS been performer under
the main tent for twenty seasons, and
that f'Honus'' Wagner commenced his
big league career in louisville just q
year after the Frenchman had broke
in with Philadelphia Most bright
youngsters who have enjoyed any
thing like the proper educational ad-
vantages are aware that Orator Jim
O'Rourke< played professional ball for
thirty-three seasons.
Tt is probable, however, that many
of even the most learned and erudite
of schoolboys would have to do lot
of heavy thinking to lug up from
their store Of statistics the correct
answer to this question: What ma
jor league umpire has seen the long
est service?
In order to save wear and tear on
the minds of growing youth, and to
prevent the blush of shame from
mantling their cheeks, the answer is
hurriedIy given: Robert d. Emshe.-
Ems1ie was born in Guelph, Onta-
rio January 21, 1851, and Tomorrow
will be the hfty-ffth anniversary Of
his birth For thirty years he has
survived the sings and pop bottles OF
outrageous fortune as an umpire, and
last year he rounded out his twenty
fifth year as an arbiter of the Nation
al League. EmSIie's record of a quar-
ter of a century in the big show has
never been equalIed by any, other ''ena-
pre- In the history or the sport
Long and efficient as has been En-
s1ie's -seryice, emitting him ia the
slie's service, entitled him to the
was never called upon to oflciate in a
worlds series. Since the worlds Sc
ries was ihaugurated, KLEIN has been
called upon to of1ciate in the base
ball classic seven times, O,Day ana
Connolly each five times, Sheridan,
O,Loughlin and Rtgler each four
times, and Evans thrice, while the
veteran of the bunch has been over
| looked. While the Canadian arbiter
has made many enemies who, are
ready to swear that he is a fit inmate
for g. home for the incurably blind
and deaf idiots, he has only shared
the common lot of uTnptres and in
this geld season, when the passions
of the pennant hunt are compare
lively quiescent, most fair-ninded
fans will readily admit that Bob
holds high rank among the fatrest
and sQuarest of the men who have
playd the difficult role in the memory
e random.
IKE most umpires, Emsne was a
star ball player before his fail. He
first earned money as a pitcher with
Camden, N. J., back in 1882. The
next season he was with Baltimore,
For a couple of years ne was one Of
tn stellar twirlers of the old Aneri-
can Association. Then his wing gave
way and hewas sent to the minors but
soon turned to umpiring as a. trade.
For three seasons he refereed games
in the old International Association,
the parent of the present Barrow cir
cult This was followed by a. year
with the American Association, and
another season in the old Western
Association, then one of the greatest
of the minor CIRCUITS. His service with
the National League began away back
in 1891, the year after the Brother
hood 'fwar,' when the oldest major
league was a twelve-c1ub body, with
Louisville, Cleveland Washington and
Baltimore represented, in addition to
the present cities. Emslie's active
baseball career has extended through
all the baseball wars from the IN
ion Association conflict OF 1884 to the
recently ended Federal League war.