Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-22

4 rqRrpnSr sls IN gsh psa.ni playing rules is
not the chief
requisite for an umpire, but such
question can be squelched by the
statement that that is less important
than the four assets mentioned in the
first paragraph. No one can play
baseball as long as Walsh did with
out acquiring a thorough working
knowledge OF the playing rules.
There may be hundreds of rooters
who have made study OF the code
and could tangle Walsh up, Off
hand. on technicalities or imaginary
plays. But not one OF those rule
sharks could go out on major
league diamond and get by as easily
as Ed Walsh will at the start.
Tough to Win Over Fans.
No matter ii nonplayer has been
the best umpire in the minor leagues
for years, and can repeat the baseball
rules backward with his eyes shut,
he is bound TO have tough time
making good with major league fans
and players. Billy Evans. who is to-
day the most popular Arbitrator with
both spectators and performers, had
his head cut open by pop bottle,
thrown by an iratc ST. Louis bug
carly in his career. but Evans stuck
on the job and made everybody like
him. If he had been a star player
his task would have been infinitely
easier.
Bill Dincen, himself great pitch
ey, broke into the arbitrating ranks
without any such troubles. Dineen
once told me the players made him
an umpire by accepting his decis-
sions, whether right or wrong, with
out a kick the first few weeks he
wore the blue uniform.
Fans Take Cue From Players.
A great majority OF the rooters
take their cue from the players in the
matter of umpires' decisions, and one
OF the reasons why the American
league games are more free from
wrangles is the policy adopted by
President Johnson OF adding retired
star players to the staff wheneve.
possible. -,
Although more than decade will
have passed when Umpire Waish
makes his debut, baseball fans from
St. Louis to Boston will not have
forgotten that record he established
in 1908, which never has been even
approached by subsequent slab
That wa. the wear in which the
American league pennant race was
so close that four teams were WITHIN
reaching distance of the flag in the
closing week of the schedule, and the
White Sox were beaten out by De-
troit in the final game OF the season.
Walsh in 1908 pitched in o. OF the
156 games played by the Chicago
team There were two drawn games.
IN one of which he figured. That was
i2 more than one-third of all the
games the White Sox played. and
only fourteen less than half OF the
total battles of his team. In the aver.
ages Of that year Walsh was crediteo
with 81 victories, Is defeats, and one
tie. In the other games he neither
won" nor "lost," the games beng
charged to other slabmen.
Big Ed pitched 464 innings in thar
record season, and in those rounds
he issued only 81 passes and strucS
out los antagonists, his best recore
for 1908 being Is men in eight IN
rinps against Cleveland. the DAY
Addie loss beat him to 0 by not al
l,w;nc man to reach first base.
Defeat Not Chargeable.
Of the IS defeats charged against
Walsh that season. six were due 70
rhe fact the White Sox were shut
out and could not make even one ful.
for him. That leaves only nine OF
ihc defeats in which he had chan e
to win. and seven OF those nille
games charged against him weFe
Battles in which he relieved pitcher
in desperate situations, and couio
not save the games. :,
Walsh remained with the Sox unit
The season of 1916, when ne toos
mar, in only two games. Presiden,
Com;skey offered to stake Big t,
~ a half ownership with Frans
IsbelI in the Wichita club, but Wais'
s.;Il thought his good right arm has m
lot OF cunning in it, so asked foi
his release and signed with the pos
ION Nationals for 1917. He Pitche.
in onlv four games with the braves
I'D since then has been managing
and playipg with teams IN his na'N'
80, ~ Conuecticut.