The Washington herald., 1917-06-14
'UMPIRES UPHOLD The.
INTEGRITY OF GAME
Veteran Official Claims Arbiters
Keep Baseball from Suspicion.

New YORK. June l3.-"PuShed into
the background, unnotIced, but per-
forming his duty day after day, the.
umpire leads q sorry life. But he
has the satisfaction Of knowing it
is he and no other who has upheld the
integrity OF baseball. kept it free from
suspicion all the days Of its exist
ence," declared enc Of the Oldest ar
biters in the game recently.
Don't show he an umpire" he said,
who never was threatened with vio-
dence at the hands Of a bunch of
rabid baseball bugs. He isn't a real
Eumpire. The close ones have to go
egainst somebody. and a man who
fmakss all his close ones count for
the home club is a bad man for the
game.
Baseball players will cheat be-
cause that's what they're taught to
do. They'll cut a base II they can.
They'll do anything they think they
can get away with. The home fan
calls him a smart man. cute and
clever, and the umpire has to catch
these slips. He's got to make that
man walk the line right. It's the
man out there. in blue, reviled by
are said Of the game that Is keep
ing this game clean.
7 walked into the gate Of a base
ball park today as woman with
child entered. She saw US and
laughed at US. and she actually told
the little boy TO laugh at US. She
was teaching that child to call US
robbers when he grows up. It's dis
gustinG.
But so long as baseball is the
hard, tight affair that it 10 now, so
long as the public wants to see the
hard-fought games. it's going to be
that way. A ball player will fight
till he drops to win a point in a base
ball game. Only the umpire is ex-
pected to have a clear head. He has
to have the nerve to enforce the
rules Of the game every time some
suSAing happens. No matter what it is
q has only one course to take-the
Urisht one. 1t certainly it he who is
ksepinS the game free from sriti-
with the pennant races very eX-
Netting; with the fans of the coun-
try watching the rivalry among
players for batting honors, and with
various side angles of the game to
cropped up another argument which
interests not alone the rooters of
one city. This is: Who Is the
best soUthpaw?
BaDe RuLn lOOkeQ IOF time
this season as though he would set
tle the argument in his favor. Ruth
started of with a long string of
victories. What made his work
more impressive was the fact that
Ruth is a wonderful hitter, he being
noted for long-distance drives. Only
a few days ago IL was Ruth who
prevented Morton, Of Cleveland,
from getting nO-hiL game.
Admirers OF slim" Love, Of the
nd
Schupp, Of the New York Giants,
are disputing Ruth's claim to being
considered the best left-hand twirl-
er in the business. Schupp's career
as a wonder started last summer,
when he pitched the first game of
the Giants recOrd-breaking run of
twenty-six straight victories. Last
|. season he broke a record OF not per-
Rne earned run per game of him.
This year Schupp has been keep
Ing up that record. In his last fif-
teen games, starting with the first
game of the Giants record-winning
streak, less than one earned run
per game has been made of Schupp,
ind he has not been charged with
B defeat.
schupp's wonderful streak was
mot checked until the Reds hammer
ed him last Thursday, and then he
came close to being charged with
a defeat. Schupp was taken out
at the end of the sixth inning. with
the score: Cincinnati. Z; New York,
2. Smith went in. and New York
tied the score in the eighth and
took the lead in the ninth. The
Reds won in the ninth, and thus
Smith was charged with the de-
feat
'I never saw an umpire display
more nerve in critical situation
than the late Tim Hurst did one
day in Cleveland, years ago." said
Il was with the orioles. and at
the time we had to dress in a
shack under the grandstRnd. adjoin-
ing another: in which the Cleve-
land team dressed. In the Cleve-
had been set apart for Hurst to
dress in, which led to q rather tick
lish situation.
I'm an important game we had
went TO bat in the ninth. and filled
the bases with two out. Tebeau
stepped in front of the batteTs
-kox TO smash a slow drop which
Eter for three bases. The runners
scored. and IL looked as X the game
JwAs over, but Wilbert Robinson
who was catching for US, called
Hurst's attention to the fact that
Tsbeau had stepped out of his box
and Tim called him out at which
there was a near-Tiot
The Cleveland players were in
q rage and threatened Hurst with
all kinds OF bodily harm. but Tim
calmly walked down TO their dress
ing room. donned his clothes and
as calmly walked out without so
much as glancing at the home team.
1t took real courage to do that
but Tim never hinched.