The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-11
MAJOR LEAGUE UMPIRE
RISKED LOSING JOB BY
WORKING IN FED GAME

Big Al Ortiz, now an umpire in the
National circuit. but formerly a star
hurler In the major leagues, schanced
being suspended by organized base-
bah during that period when the Fed
eral league was forcing dts way and
: raiding the various clubs of the Ma
tionaI, and the American leagues,
rather than refuse a favor asked by
his old friend, Larry Schlaf1y, at that
time leader Of the Buffalo Federal
League club.
scbiafly simply asked big Al to
l1n1pire an exhibition game between
the Ruf-Feds and the Washfn gton &
Lee college boys during the first year
the locals trained in sunny Virginia.
Orth knew that the mogals did not
want him to be mixing in with the
Federalgtrash and was sure that Pres
\ 1dent Teher would be real peeved if
he knew that one OF his arbiters had
offfciated at a game staged by the
outlaw organization
But big Al did perform all the du-
ties of an umpire for the F'ederals in
that one game, and furtn ermore Pres
1dentf Tener or none of his associates
ever knew of the incident, FOR eit GER
tain Orth would have heard of it,
had they known. But now that the
two years of strife between organized
bah and the outlaws has been settled
Though the demise of the Gilmore
circuit, big AL will not suffer if the
head OF. the NauOna1 League S44Ou1u
learn Of his lnfraction of o. b. s rules
two years back.
But. ais was said before, ,Orth agreed
to umpire at the behest Of Manager
SehIaf1y, who found that ne was shy
the regular Federal League umpire,
when the team arrived satT Lexington.
Va. for a two-game series with the
crack Washington & Lee college team.
Garnet Bush was the league umpire
and he was assigned to get In con-
dition at the Buf-Fed camp in Dam
vile. Va Lynchburg was the first
stop for exhibition games on the way
north and then Dick Carroll, busine ss
manager of the Buffalo club, took
the squad toy the historic city of Lex
1ulgton where Generals Robert e. Lee
and Stonewall jackson are buried.
TO get to Lexington the team had
to start at O'Clock in the morning.
1t was early TO bed for the boys tile
H~nisht before and all were in the spe-
ciaI car on time. As the train was
puHfng out Umpire Bush who had not
been awakened In time-by the hotel
clerk, rushed after the train. but did
not make 1T.
sit was a long, slow ride from Lynch
burg to Lexington and when the
train arrived it was close to the time
set for the game with the collegians
After dinner at the hotel the players
I hurried to the college, gym and dress
ed for the game. Both teams were
on the diamond when It was discov-
cred that Umpire Bush was missing
Some of the players then remember
ed that the arbiter had missed the
train.
Umpire Orth that year had been
betting as coach for the Washington &
Lee baseball squad and someone sug-
gested tn at he would handle the indi-
Gator, hit he demurred when asked
by one Of the college players
Manager Schlafly and Ortiz were
good friends before the baseball war
and he did not hesitate to ask AL tc
work just once for the outlaws A
finaIly agreed to handle the indicar
tor, after he had conference with
the newspapermen, who promised tc
keep his identity q secret Orth was
mighty pleased when Umpire Bush
reached Lexington in time to handle
the indicator for the next. days ex-
hibition game between the Feds and
the college boys.