Evening star., 1933-05-31
RULES FOUL DRIVE
BY GEHR|G A HOMER
Umpire Stands on Decision
StubbornIy, So Cronin
Crew Suffers.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

4 L good he cannot err under
any circumstances con-
nected with his game. So good
he does not have to listen to rea-
sonable argument nor seek the
assistance of fellow-umpire to
settle a disputed point. Clarence
3. Owens is marvellous. umpire.
Especially is Owens vision keen.
OF some $4,000 gathered in Grif-
fifth Stadium yesterday, he was the
only one to admit that Lou Geh-
rigs drive over the right field
fence in the eighth inning was
'fair" and consequently home
run.
He saw it leave the ball yard "fair"
hnd that was all there was to it. The
thousands of others who claimed it was
"foul" as it crossed the barrier couldn't
have seen it. Or their eyes are all
wrong.
Owens didn't have to ask one Of the
two other umpires about it, either. The
Nationals stormed around him, earnest
1y assured him he was mistaken, plead
with him to question Umpire Roy Van
Graf1an regarding the true flight OF the
drive.
Van Graflan at the time the ball was
hit was back of first base and alongside
the foul line, in a far better spot than
Owens to judge the drive as it cleared
the barrier. But Owens gave no heed
to the Nationals plea. He stubbornly
refused to query Van Graflan. And the
slmpires code prohibited voluntary
statement by Van Graf1an.
Owens didn't have to ask another
umpire anything about the drive. He
knew the drive was fair" He told
the whole world he couldn't be mis-
taken.
At last, base ball has the perfect
umpire.
WELL, that home run-and home
w run it was, whether fair" or
foul" for Owens said it was
was just what the Yankees needed to
make their score over the Nationals IN
the almost rained-out fray, to 2.
Actually. the decisive score of the
game was put over by the Yanks in the
ninth for the Nationals came back In
the eighth to chalk up marker, off,
setting Gehrig's homer and tying the
tussle for the second time. But to the
the stands-and to the Washington ball
club, too-that "fair" decision by
Owens ruined the works.
Umpires have their bad days. Most
of them admit this. One of them ad-
mitted he was mistaken twice last year
in his decisions in American League
games. Now he is umpiring in the
International League. Some, though,
are always right" They'll tell you so.
OF course, umpiring at best is a diff
cult and thankless task. Those who
call 'em behind the bat and on the
bases are welcome to their jobs, so far
as we are concerned. And we don't
20 in for riding" the game officials.
The fans take care OF that matter
pretty well.
But if that eighth inning drive of
Gehrig's over the rightlheld fence
wasn't foul we never saw a foul"
drive From the press box, 1t was so
much "foul" it wasn't even question
able. But we make mistakes. That's
sadmitted. SO We must have been
Umpire Owens said the drive was
Tfair"
MANY of the hundreds of fans
IVl whose vision is so poor they saw
the ball soar over the right-f1eld
fence on the wrong side-for Gehrig
and the Yankees-of the foul pole
5were inquiring of one another at the
sball park after the game and of news
paper sports departments last night
Mhether Owens refusal Of Manager Joe
Cronin's request for the chief umpires
questioning of Van GRAHAM could be
E.. Iln