The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-06-27
Seeing Big League
.ASEBA
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By BILLY EVANS
i Sportswriter, Big League Umpire
III and General Manager of the
Cleveland Indians

Fandom's appreciation of the umpire
is rather negative quality. The
player finds his reward for a SPAR
king stop or timely wallop in the
grandstand's shouted praise. An UNI
pire's only reward, however, is silence
and not much of that. Did you ever
hear an umpire cheered for good de-
cision? No. but you have heard how
they groan and cat call when they
think one has been kicked around"
When / went through a tough game
and the fans left the ball park with
out knowing who did the umpiring,
then ! knew | had had good day.
1t is fairly easy for the big league
player to gauge his progress and his
ability. What with the batting and
fielding averages, the comment of his
teammates and manager, the judgment
of the stands and the "writeups" in
the press, he would be somewhat of
a dumbell if he didn't know whether
he was making good or not. But with
umpires it is different. Umpires haven't
any tangible records to fall back upon.
= My first year in the league-19O6-
was one vicissitude after another.
Surely, I had none too much encour-
agement from the players to warrant
me in the assumption that / was max
ing the grade. OF course, l stuck. but
1t was not until my fourth year in
the American league that / was given
proof positive that had made good,
and established myself as big league
umpire. That was when President
Johnson, shortly before the close of
the season. called me in one day and
told me he had picked me as one of
his choices to umpire the world Sc
ries, which that year was played be-
tween Detroit Tigers and the Pitts
burgh Pirates.
Recognition at last! / knew had
made good. This was the one thing
l needed to assure myself on that
score beyond all doubt. And,
thought, it was fairly good progress
had been making, inasmuch as 1t
wasn't every umpire that got the OPP
pOItuu W "oIh III "oiiu SSiAOS
after only four big league seasons. In
those days 1t was not customary to
rotate the umpires in the world series.
The outstanding members of the Amer
lean league staff. men like Sheridan,
Connolly and O'Loughlin, were invari-
ably the choice. Naturally was
delighted at my selection. I was only
twenty-five years of age at the time,
the youngest umpire to ever work a
world series, and that still stands.
/ was treading on air. / went into
that series of 1909 resolved to do or
die-to prove Mr.. Johnson's judgment
was not misplaced in entrusting the
world series assignment to me. But
there never was truer saying than
that one about There's many a slip
'twixt the cup and the lip" With all
my determination to go through the
series without a hitch, ran into such
a snag in my very first game. that for
the time being it looked as If my big
league career was about ruined.
In those days there were four um-
pires assigned to a world series. two
from the American league and two
from the National. One from each
league worked one day while the 9TH
er two rested. "Silk' O'Loughlin and
Jim tombstone, both now dead. worked
the first game. The following day it
was turn about. My partner was Bill
KLEIN of the National league, who, by
the way, also was umpiring his first
world series.
Two youngsters, you see, both try
ing to do this big job of theirs in a
big way. Our first turn came on the
second day of the series. The game
was played at Forbes field, Pittsburgh,
and our emotions as we strolled onto
the playing field must have been akin
to the players. For this was to be as
much a test for us as for the players
themselves. However, I'm sure that
quite a few members of both teams,
men such as Ty Cobb. Hans Wagner.
Bill Donovan and Fred Clarke, were
even less affected by the situation
than Klein and l were.
&c by the Bell Syndicate. Inc.)