Imperial Valley press., 1934-10-03
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Ry HENRY MeLEMORE


United Press Staff Correspondent
DETROIT. Oct. 3.-Dizzy Dean
slept the night through in sweet re
pose.
Schoolboy Rowe, his brow unfur-
Irowed, slumbered peacefully with
never a thought of the morrow.
But John E. (Beans) Reardon
tossed fitfully upon his tortuous
bed; arose to pace the floor. his
face a study of misgiving, appre-
henSion and doubt. To him, the
night before the first game of the
world series was, to end this fancy
business, tough stuff.
John E. CBeans) Reardon is Ma
| tional League umpire. He will be
the man in blue at third base to-
day. The thousands at Navin field
will see a man with the poise of a
supreme court judge, the arrogance
of a prince of the blood. He will
! Jerk his thumb with the austere fl
nality of a Nero.
But to me, who sat with him dur
ing last nights agonizing hours, he
will be just another fellow in there
sweating to do first class job.
When the wflim to interview
world series umpire struck me,
, figured it would be good for a fun
ny story.
! Frankly, I expected to walk in
Beans room and find him standing
in front of a mirror calling himself
those names that require an accom-
panying smile-all this to test thor
oughly his ability to take it.
wouldn't have been surprised to
find him, eyes glowering, feet spread
out, telling a blanketyblank bed
post that if said blankety- blank
bedpost didn't like his blankety
blank decision he could very well
get his blankety- blank self out OF
the blankety- blank ball game.
But Beans wasn't doing anything
of the sort. He was just sitting
there in a dressing gown, affecting
and a-stewing. And he told me why.
II always get this way before
big game or series. Most people
think an umpire just stands out
there waiting for a player to kick
so he can send him to the showers.
He'll, what we really want to do Is
call EN- so nobody can argue. L
don't say I never called wrong
one-maybe plenty of 'em wrong.
But I'd hate to call one wrong IN
the series when so much is riding
on every pitch and every slide.
Now. / know when I get out
there and the game starts I'll be
all right. Just let one of them try
and tell me I'm not. But the night
before the big game always gives
me the jitters. 1 get to thinking
how the fraction Of second may
mean the difference between Win
ming and losing"
asked Reardon if umpires, when
they knew they had made a mis-
take, tried to atone for the error III
a later close play by giving the ag-
grieved party the decision.
Nav. that would be fatal. Ball
players themselves don't like that.
When a plays over, you've got 70
forget it, right or wrong. If you
don't you'd have the players guess
ing what was coming next"
This matter of "levelling" out OF
the way, Reardon tipped me on how
to spot dubious decision.
When" Reardon said, you see
an umpire answer players squawk
before the player can get the
squawk out of his mouth, you know
the umpire knows he's right and is
willing to go ten rounds about it.
But if you see an umpire backing
away, and acting generally as
/ though he hadn't been invited to
the party, it's pretty good sign
that he is admitting to himself that
! he might have missed that one"