The Washington times., 1936-02-06

.Upiring
Is Seen
By KIRK MILLER
Times SnOrtR Editor

American League baseball
fans must give President Will
Harridge credit for not sitting
idly back and permitting the
poor umpiring which charac-
teriEed the loop generally last
season, to 60 along without at
tempting to find a cure.
Chances are a decided i'm
provement will be noticed be-
fore the coming season is far
advanced, because a plan has
been devised between Harridge
and Tom Connolly, supervisor of
umpires, whereby the loops ar
biterS will get regular spring
training, just as the ball players
do, and be shifted about from
team to team in the exhibition
game program, much as they are
during the regular season.
Best Plan Yet
Such a plan represents a dis
tinct step forward over any Of the
two previous spring exhibition
umpiring plans which have been in
vogue in recent times. For years
the club owners in the American
League, hired a league umpire of
his own choosing, kept him with
the club and paid his salary and
expenses. This brought the criti-
ciSm that such an umpire might
subconsciously favor that club
owners team when the regular sea-
son started. The objection was
also raised that it bred intimacy
between the umpire and members
Of the team, an undesirable condi-
ton.
Eventually the league put a stop
20 this practice, ordaining that
club owners should employ minor
league umpires only, for spring
work, thereby helping to develop
arbitors who might eventually 60
up to the majors.
That plan prevented the um-
pires already in the American
League from going into the season
with any training whatsoever, with
the exception of those who were
fortunate enough to get few col
lege games to handle. These were
negligible, as the colleges schedule
only handful Of games ahead Of
tne major league openings.
Condition Remedied
Starting next month, all spring
umpiring assignments will be
made from league headquarters
in Chicago and every arbiter will
be shifted at intervals, just as in
the summer, with the hope that
they will come up to the season
opening with minds functioning
alertly, eyes Sharpened and bodies
In physical trim.
Their salaries and expenses will
be borne by the league, but in all
probability they will not be iso-
lated from the players in the towns
and on the rail jumps which is
their lot during the regular season.
With such system in vogue
during the month or six weeks pre-
vious to the lifting of the 1886 cur
tain, a better brand of umpiring
is sure to result than during any
recent season. You can count the
high-claSs umpireS in the Ameri-
can League on the fingers Of
either hand and it is encouraging
to know that the league is doing
something to improve a condition
which was coming to be common
gossip among fans, players and
magnates.
A Great Gesture
An incident of Walter Johnson's
departure from Cleveland last
summer under conditions impos-
Sible to obviate, has come to light.
and it casts a fine reflection on
the mate decency which has ever
been one Of Old Rarney'S traits.
The date for JohnSon's with
drawal from the management of
the team had been fixed, and it
so happened that it was to be on
the eve of an important series
one with the league leading De-
troit Tigers. Even though his bag
was packed to return to Washing
Continued on Page 2S. Col. II