The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-12-24
Then the Game Went on, But the
Manager Nearly tainted on the
6pot-Direetors Were
Loudly Cheered.
HAM DUNNED THE UMP
Two Interesting Incidents of Local
Baseball as Told by Ned Egan,
Who Managed Home Team
In 1905.

Ned Egan, who was manager of
the Keokuk ball team in 1905, tells
the following interesting incidents
that happened in that
Occasionally you will read of some
major league manager having trouble
with his board of directors sor the
stockholders of the club for which
he Is working. but the prize board
OF directors of a baseball club anne
under my notice very sharply one
time while l was leading the Keo.
kuk team. They pulled n that was
q real gem.
Folks told me afterwards thai I
tainted right ON the field. 1 wouldn't
be sure of this, but it wouldn't sur
prise me II l had lone so.
This day we had an umpire work,
Ing by the name of Fleming. He
was a good umpire, too. as they ran
those days in the minor leagues, but
somehow or other he was deciding
all of the close one against rs. We
couldn't get a break with him at all.
and the crowd was getting pretty hot
about it. Fleming seemed not to
mind the disturbance he was Great
ing, but kept right on.
I noticed some activity in the
stands. but paid little heed to 1T, as
my mind was made up to win the
game regardless Of the decisions.
against us. But the board Of direc-
tors had other ideas. One of them
made a canvas of the grandstand
He did SO, and they went into xec
tive session over in one corner of
the place.
Presently 1 saw the gate leading
into the stand open and the entire
flock of directors stepped out on the
field and walked up to the umpire
at the home plate. They had elected
a spokesman, who started to make
his spiel. He told h umpire who
they were and said that they had
noticed that he had cen giving the
home team considerable the worst or
tba decision. especially on the close
ones. and wound up by requesting
him to please change and give the
home team a shade the better OF II
during the remainder OF the game.
The umpire listened attenuvely,
CAP In hand, and then told the olrec-
tors very politely that ne wouiu .Is
tn do better. This satisfied them,
- thev returned to the stand, the
game proceeding as If notnlnS hau
happened. o..
The crowd gave the directors great
cheer for their action.
no Won blame me if l tainted on
the spot? n
There was ever a stranger hap,
neninc on the field n day when l
had the Keokuk club. This a IN
100 Ham Patterson was at the
head of the Oskaloosa club at the
time. He is the Ham who later
owned the Dallas club, in partner
shin with Doc White, ne Ola So8
pitcher Jim Scott, also a o star
later on. was with Oskaloosa at the
same time. 1t was called the iowa
state league then, and was a lively
little organization.
Possibly you can go PACK 1ai
enough TO remember that famous old
battery o. Rhines and Harrington
We'll at n rate, Jerry Harrington
was an umpire in our league at the
time and a good one, too. being OF
the rough, scrappy type, but a fall
Judge.
This day things got pretty hot foI
all hands and there was a world OIL
kicking and arguing. Finally in the
fourth inning, after 1t had gone from
had to worse, Harrington ordered
Patterson not only to get on the
field, but out or the PARK. linen eh
sued a long argument at the plate
Harrington and Patterson walking
off to- one side and talking briskly.
The players stood around mean
time waiting for Patterson to get out
Finally Harrington walked up into
the stand and spoke to a friend who
handed hin something out of his
pocket. The umpire then returned
to the field and handed this some
thing to Patterson, who TODD at the
plate and wouldn't nov Ham
then put the something into his
pocket, walked off the field n play
was resumed.
I was mighty curious to know just
what had happened and that night
after the game, meeting Patterson, ]
asked him what it was all about.
Why. that's a funny thing" he
replied. you sees Jerry had Dor
rowed so cents from me the night
before and when he ordered me out
of the game l wanted to get back al
him. SO I told him l wouldn't bulge
until he had paid me the half dollar
So lie had to go and get it off g
friend Mp in the grandstand."
Just like Johnny Evers and Bill
Klein, wasn't it?