The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-03-07
Just Waits
 Ye||0ut
 Play BaII'
Bill MeGowan, Even After 26 Years as Umpire,
 Getting Uneasy
By ALEXANDER R. GEORGE AP Feature Service Writer

AP Feature Service Writer
 WASHINGTON,-Hot Stove league flash: MT. William A. McGowan is suffering from a perennial attack of mid-winter misery
 At first glance the stocky MT. Mo Gowan, alias Umps Bill McGowan of the American league, seems to be his hearty self but there's a restless gleam in his eyes and. he's running a fever.
 The baseball madness is on him and he fears his case will grow steadily worse until he can get out there dodging foul tips. beer bot ties, cushions, cabbages and the tor rid invectives of the diamond daf- fies.
 This may astonish those who think there is urgent need of Be Kind to Umpires week-or year-but after 26 years of officiating with only three days off in that long stretch, the 44-year-old McGowan says with unmistakably honest ardor that he still loves it.
 McGowan believes the fans are more considerate of the umps than they were in his earlier days. They're smarter, he says, and soon get wise to players who try to cover up their own mistakes by blaming the un- pire.
 Players Reasonable
 "A vast majority of the players are reasonable too,' he said. "Gener- ally, the better the player the less trouble we have with him. Such stars as Jimmy Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Bob Teller and Joe DiMaggio never get mean with us.
 McGowan says the toughest de- cision' he had to call was in Balti- more, with Baltimore and Buffalo it out for the International League pennant back in the early twenties.
 In the first of the ninth, the score was to in favor of Baltimore, Buffalo was at bat, the bases load ed and one out. The batter hit a line drive between shortstop and third that looked like a sure hit. Joe Boley, Baltimore's star shortstop, made diving leap for the ball. Boley got his gloved hand on it but McGowan,i standing close to him, saw the ball drop from his glove about an inch from the ground. Boley instantly covered the ball with his gloved hand, turned and whipped it to third. Thinking it was double play retiring the side and winning the game for Baltimore, the crowds made ready to leave the stands and the players started from the field.
 A Buffalo coach noticed, however, that McGowan was signaling the batter was safe. He hustled the run ners back on the bases. Baltimore,s Jack Dunn, walked up to McGowan and said: Are you crazy? That was a double play and the side $ out"
 Said McGowan:
 "The man running to third was forced out but the batter is safe Boley dropped the ball on that irive.' I
 A roaring crowd was tumbling out of the stands onto the diamond. Manager Dunn asked Boley if he had held onto the ball.
 Boley Comes Through
 "Boley did a very white thing hen He admitted he dropped the oall. And his admission probably saved my life" says McGowan. Buf- 'alo finally won the game.
 McGowan started umpiring sand ot games at 16 in his home town, Del.
 One day he got chance to sub 'titute for his older brother as um- ,ire for "big game" at Newcastle. Del. His pay was $2.50 and 20 cents i ,arfare.
 That same year he got his big l chance. He was only 18 but he um- oired for Connie Mack's champion Athletics with the million dollar in- 'ield"-McInnis, Collins, Barry and an exhibition tour of Del- aware and Maryland.
 The next year, armed with letters of recommendation from Connie Mack and others, the 19-year-old, l28 pound McGowan showed up af- ter his first all-night train ride in the office of the president of the Virginia league. He gave his age as "A but the president took one look at him and said:
 Why, you're only school kid. This is no baby league. Christy is one of our products"