Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02

S41 S[14N AAAIOIN W1ClOCO q
far greater influence on
base ball than is gener-
ally known, according to
Clark Griffith. In a tanning
bee yesterday at the ball park
Offices during which the big
boss of the Washington club
and Manager Walter Johnson
alternately held the floor, some
interesting tales were recounted
anent the career of the dia-
mond veteran who passed away
Friday at Hickman, KY, and
who is to be buried at his boy
hood home in GAINESVILLE, Wis,
where he started in the game
as a bat boy SO years ago.
1t seems that in addition to
aiding in the development of
any number of young players
and umpires with his blunt, but
kindly meant words of advice,
Cantillon not only proved of
inestimable value to the Ameri-
can League when it first was
launched by scouting for play
erS, but was directly response
BILE for the change in the rules
whereby base runners are per-
mitted to advance only at their
peril when pitched ball
strikes the person or clothing
of an umpire while he is back
of the plate.
AS recalled by Griff it was
during a hot series between
the Boston and Pittsburgh
clubs, that Cantillon, then an
umpire, rendered a decision
that stirred a big fuss.
One of the teams had a man
on third base when a pitched
ball was dropped by the catcher
and lightly struck Cantillon'S
shoe. The latter refused to
permit the runner automatic
ally to score, despite the reg
ulation then sanctioning it, on
the common sense ground that
the ball would not have rolled
more than a few inches If it
had not hit his foot.
The result was a protested
game which ultimately led to
the revision of the code as it
stands now.
CantillOn Was Canny.
A S an umpire, and he was a
"A mighty good one, too, &C
cording to Griff, Cantillon
never would put a player out of
the game, but he lost few wordy
battles with any of the ath-
leteS at that.
IT remember one game I was
pitching, with Cantillon the
umpire, when a player who
had been growing continuous
ly at Joe'S decisions finally
reached first from where he
bombarded Cantillon with vile
epithets.
II had a deceptive motion
the umpireS never would let
me get away with" Griff con-
tinued, but somehow or other
I got the notion it would not be
ruled illegal at that particular
time, so 1 whipped the ball
over and Cantillon promptly
thumbed "out" to his tor
mentor.
Later on in the game, how
ever, when I employed that
half-balk toss in an effort to
nip another player off first, Joe
simply grinned and admon-
ished: That stuff won't go
now
Johnson Chips In.
D EFERRING to the Summer
N he made his big league
debut, Johnson recalled that
Cliff BlankenShip, en- route as
agent of the Washington club.
stopped off at Wichita, where
he arranged to purchase Clyde
Milan, and complained to Zeb
that he had to take a long, tire
some train trip to Idaho to
land some big buSher named
Johnson, who probably isn't
worth the railroad fare"
According to Walter, he gave
only his word to report to
Washington in exchange for
500 from the club, which he
insisted on as insurance against
having to walk back, and he as
serted it is true that Blanken-
ship never saw him pitch a
game until he joined the
Nationals.
Cliff looked me over while I