Newspapers / Polk County News and … / Aug. 17, 1911, edition 1 / Page 2
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4 ' S ' J t v J "1 JiiKtMlAH tact INTOPRisoh .4 wwuoijf Arranged for Ttiis JJMP ;1 Vl .-Hi t 1 1 . ; 'it U .a ?'. i it- i 3 V l: 19 ' e. .' .... ' 3 19 AMERICAN LEAOUB VMPIRE COPVXMHX 2" PCAPCii PUB. co. ET your glasses on.M "You better consult an op tician." 'v "Don't wo ever get a close decision?" "Who ever told you ythat you could umpire?" "Back to the ribbon count er for youvery -shortly, Percy." "Say, honest, how much are you getting for throwing the game?" - "Don't you ' know enough to retire when you have gone totally blind?" "You certainly must have something on your boss to hold your job." "The only thing about you that looks like an empire is your mask and protector. You better start to run for the back fenc as soon as the game is over, for we are going to get you. These, and a few million more "compliment ary" expressions of a like nature are hurled . at the umpire during the course of a closel; contested game. It is really strange and wonderful into what a frenzy the average baseball fan can work him self during the progress of an exciting . game.. It is almost incredible to think what he will do or say when he imagines the umpire has made a wrong decision that has apparently put his club out of the running. Prominent attorneys, distinguished doctors, well-known actors, staid business men, in fact raen of all classes, will invariably Jump to their feet at what they consider a. "punk decision," and shake their fists violently, utter all kinds of incoherent remarks, and insist that nothing will satisfy their thirst for revenge but the life blood pf the poor, defenseless umpire. The next day, when some one meets one of the frenzied rooters, and in a Joking way ex plains to him how he acted and tells him some of the things he said about the umpire. Mr. . Loyal Rooter "takes a vow then and there that he will never again open his mouth at a ball game, no matter how thrilling the situation. Perhaps the very next afternoon, if the prop er occasion arises, he will unknowingly com mit the very act of the previous day. Civic pride is to be admired in all things. A baseball fan who doesn't want to see the home team triumph is surely a peculiar sort of man. Perhaps it might be well for him to have his sanity investigated. Desire to win at any cost however of ten. makes intelligent persons abso lutely unfair in their views and opinions. The extent to which the fan will allow his civic pride to dominate his opinion was well illustrated to me one day last year: While on my way to the hotel after a particularly brilliant game, which the home team had lost by a score of 1 to 0, after a desperate strug gle..! was much amused at the conversation of a number of dyed-in-the-wool fans who happen ed to be in the same car. It was the unanimous opinion of every one that the home team needed good-sized boards Instead of regulation bats, if they were ever to win a game. They cited a half dozen instances where a hit, or even a fiy to the outfield, would have won the con test. All of them were sore oyer the loss of the game, principally because of the weak hitting of their favorites. They .proclaimed the visitors stronger In every respect. That one run was the big event of the day. The fans seemed to forget that for 11 innings the hitting of the visitors was Just as feeble as that of the home team. That the hit that sent the only run of the game across the plate was due to a lucky bound which sent it over the second baseman's head. To me it was one of the best games of the year. . The following day the home team won by a very one-sided score of 12 to 1. ' As fate would have It, I bumped into several fans of the previous day on the car down town. The contest was a decidedly poor one, I thought, the one and only redeeming feature being the hard hitting of the home club. The fans were satisfied, however, for it was C tinanlmously agreed that the home boys, had 1, recovered their batting eyes, and that from now on they would make the best of them tgp the .limit to win. Isnall Sever forget a little incident that hap pened to Silk",OLaughlin during a game at Washington, one day, which Illustrates what some finVwiil. do when the home team is get tirg'rimmed. ; , v ... I happened to be working back of the plate that afternpon, while "Silk" was performing on the bases. 1 All the close plays seemed to come up on the bases. "Silk'- had at least a dozen plays that could have been given one way or the other, because of the extreme closeness. Practically vali 'of m the plays ' went against the home -team, and while "Silk", had "little or no " trouble: from th-players, a fan, wjid was Bit trngflh tbjT third -base section of the grandstand chose to disagree with the, arbitrator on prac tically all of his 'rulings.'" He kept' up a ,Tolley df remalrka throughout the game, and before.-its close ha$ enlisted quite a few. vol ,nteefS; ' - ; Because of the actions, of this, one; lone .fan, "Silk" was subjected to. a rather stren uous: afternoon.: -although hls work was well nigh perfect. Sllk" discovered that his en-' cmy was -sitit'ipg in ; ttie , front row of the . grandstand, also that he wore glasses. He made up his mind long before' the close of v the game that he would express himself to - the., gentleman in question, The home tesmjTOanaeo:t win, ut by a . brilliant ninth ingraliy. f ill his Jubila tion over the- winning of .the game, the fan ' v. isss . - j&j s&e y if :t&f?r Nk!::; "JlVoV VV. X-L At tr$ f ( ll ' a. . r- & r r - ' . w ' "Tt i mm cad forgotten entirely that ! a - person bearing the title of umpire ever existed. The Irish in "Silk's" blood was up, however, and he managed to work his way through the crowd to where the frenzied rooter was celebrating over the victory. The fan was a well-dressed chap, and appeared to v, possess more than the "average intelligence. You have a lot of li cense to be roasting an umpire, when "you have to wear a pair of thick glasses to be able to even see. I can't see how you ever managed to break into the grandstand. Your place is on the outside, look ing through a knot hole." The fan said nary a word in reply, and "Silk" having gotten all the venom out of his system, was content to drop the matter. It was evident from the look of embarrassment that came over the rooter's face that he was thoroughly disgusted with himself. He Just began to realize what he had been doing throughout ' the afternoon. Shortly after we had reached our dressing room there was a knock at, the door. We bade our visitor enter. He Introduced him self as Dr. "So and So," a very promi nent eye specialist. We both began to won der If he had come to examine our optics. "I Just overheard your conversation with that excited fan, Mr. O'Loughlln," said the specialist." "I really can't blame you for saying what you did to him, but I would ad vise you to ignore him In the future. I've been treating that chap for a year for eye trouble. His sight is decidedly defective. He really can't see 90 feet with any-kind of accuracy. He wouldn't have known whether it waa you or Jack Sheridan um piring the bases If some one hadn't told him." "Silk' almost .keeled over when he heard the news. It simply goes to show what baseball will do to a man, especially if the home team happens to be losing. This chap with the defective eyesight was getting an ex cellent umpire into trouble because most1 of the decisions were going against the home team, and he was so partisan in spirit that he could see only one, side of the argument. When you come to think it over, and weigh carefully - the cold facts, It is really remarkable the work that devolves upon an umpire during a ball game. In the course of a regular nine inning contest he is called upon to render between 375 and 400 decisions. Rather , remarkable figures. Con sidering, his arduous duties, it is not to be y wondered at if he errs. Indeed it is remark able that the Judges of play do not slip up more frequently. Here is a little data that is mighty Interesting. Possibly a perusal of . it may cause the umpire to receive more fa vorable consideration. In a nine inning game on an average of 35 men on each team will face the pitcher, making 70 men; in all :who step to the plate in an attempt to 'outguess the twlrler. Thus the umpire is called upon to pass judgment on three Score and ten batter?. It has been estimated that the umpire makes four decisions on each man. ' In these mod ern days , of baseball "groove" pitchers are mighty scarce. The pitcher is constantly try ing to make the batter hit at bad balls on the outside and inside, while the batter is trying to make the twlrler get them over. Conse quently the game resolves itself into a con tinual battle of wits between the pitcher and :: , batter. s , - C r : !: ' Should the batter strike out on three balls., yit . W6ul'a; require three decisions. , If the' bat ter wofks the pitcher for a pass to first on four balls,, it requires that many decisions. V Often the cbunt before-. the. batter is finally retired or ; 1 reaches first is strike and thnee balls, ; tw6ball4ahdKtwp strikes, two strikes and three balls, three" nails and three strikeslour : balls and two strikes or any of the many other ; combinations that may arise. Thus it would ....... .4- ; ,c made.. considerable fuss over several rulings on thb bases by Dinneen. From where I was sitting in the r.ar part of the big grand stand it really did look as if he had slipped up on four plays. Observing that not a kick was made, I was convinced that some thing had happened in each instance which the fans in the stand myself among them had not noticed. I made note of the plays with the Intention of asking Dinneen about them, just to satisfy my own curios ity, and after the game I went to his dressing room. - "Why did you call Collins safe at first, Bill, on that throw from Turner?" I asked. "Why, there wasn't anything to that play," said he. "The throw you will remem ber was a trifle wild. It pulled Stovall some distance off the bag, and when he lunged back ftis foot was about three inches shy of touchi ng first." "Why did you call Baker safe at second?" was my second Inquiry. "From the stand it looked as if the ball beat him to the bag by a yard." "The ball beat him all right," said Bill, "but the force of the collision in touching Baker caused that young shortstop Knaupp se em that four decisions on each batter in connec tion with balls and strikes would be a fair esti mate. With 70 men coming to the plate in a nine inning game, and each batter aver aging four decis ions, the umpire Is called upon to render in the neighborhood of 280 ball a n d strike decisions. That there are 20 decisions to render on balls in the immediate neighborhood of the foul line during the ordinary game, is a con servative estimate. The decisions are often a matter of inches, and many times chang9 the entire complexion Of the game. Of course, in a full nine Inning ' game, 54 men must be retired before it is completed. If the home team happens to have made more runs In eight innings than the visitors in ninef they will refuse the last half of the ninth, mak ing it necessary to retire only 51 men in or der to complete the game. Adeclsion is neces sary on. every one made1 although frequently it is evident to every one that the man is re tired as on a fly ball or when a man takes a healthy swing for the t,hlrd strike.. Such de cisions are more a mere matter of form than anything else. pn the other hand, theer are perhaps 20 plays that come up in , a game where the umpire rules the player is safe on a very close decision. A resume would show 280 decisions on balls and strikes, 20 decisions on fair and foul hits, 54 rulings on outs and somewhere near 20 plays in which the runner gets the, benefit of the doubt, and is called safe, making 374 rulings an " umpire is called upon to make during a nine inning contest. . ' . It is easy to sit in the grandstand or bleachers, surrounded .by a lot of friends who see things just as you do, and umpire the game, when you are ' not busy munching peanuts. It Is entirely different on the ball field, however, where you are a stranger in a strange land, with a hostile crowd ever ready to criticise and 18 active ball players and as many substitutes, together with two foxy managers, trying their level best to outwit ; you. : ;,f-; I happened to 'have an off day in ' Cleve land last year, and I decided to journey: out to the ball park and call on my brother um pires, "Bull" Perrine and Bill Dinneen had been as signed t o the game. After making them a friendly visit I told them I Intended tak ing a seat in the grandstand to look them over. They laughingly assented and informed me that they would give their best performance of the season; - ' C."'---0 - ' . Bill Dinneen, the ."former star pitcher, worked the bases, and it seemed as if every decision wa? close. , - Philadelphia was the opposing ; team that afternoon, '-. and despite the closeness of many" of the plays . there was scarcely a kick from any of the players. Cleveland waa losing, however, and the fans to drop the ball. Had he held the throw. Baker would have been an easy out." "Why did you call Birmingham out at second when Coombs threw to catch him nap napping? Looked as if Joe got back to the bag before the ball reached Barry's hands." "He got back, but not to the bag," replied Bill. "Barry had him blocked off, and 'Birmy slid against Barry's shoe, not the bag. He hasn't touched the base yet." "Just one more, Bill. Why was Jackson out. at third?,. It looked as if be easily beat Catcher Lapp's throw in an attempt to keep him from stealing."" "No question about his beating the throw," answered Bill. "He .was safe a mile, if he hadn't overslid the bag three or four inches and allowed himself to be touched out before he was able to regain it." A On the four plays In which Dinneen was absolutely correct he was forced to submit to all kinds of censure, because the fans did not know what had really happened. There are any number of points that the fans should take into consideration when they, see the umpire declare a man out who seems to them to be safe beyond a reasonable doubt. Four of them I have already re ferred to; failure to touch the bag, due to be ing drawn off by a high, low or wild throw; dropping of the ball after having touched the base runner, due to the force of the collision; sliding of the base runner into the foot of the infielder, instead of the bag and the overslid ing 6f the bag after having, reached it in safety The fallaway slide is another point that - causes all : kinds of trouble for the , umpires This slide is used by most of the leading base runners, and consists of going straight ' for the bag until within a short distance of it, then falling away, so to speak, by throwing , the body either towards the infield or outfield as best suits the occasion, and hooking one foot under the bag. This slide makes it very hard for an infielder to put the ball on the runner, as it gives him only the sole of the shoe, or as the players express It. only thb spikes to touch. - . ' JH fa?' hoever. may he consider ed pretty fair creatures, and each year they are : getting more fair-minded. I have noticed a vast improvement in 'each of the five years I f hf VmIred ln ihe maJor leagues. I attrib ute the improvement to the fact that the urn- JnTftre!!?ln backP in their decisions, and the atUtude of the Bporting writerB. . LESSON TEXT.-Jere-n' msuu.JI.TL VliiKSE, 15 GOLDEN TEXT.-"Bb, , when men shall revile 'you"'-,.,! are ye. you, and say all manner 'of f f61'5,, you falsely, for my sake""-v h"it ,fiTIME of this lesson was B p 18 years after our last k-," (. '15s. last siege of Jerusalem bv,i ng he zar, from the 9th to the lit-h v,011"" klah's reiga. - 1 Kar f 2ede. . PLACE.-Jerusalem, surroi-(i(,d , besieging armies of the Ch-i" y tile suffering from famine and tv si'V"ans- m 38:2). - PtM.!ence uer. Jeremiah had prophesied nf. (since 626) and was a tre-v, year3 man. - fuiy Zedekiah was the last kir -reie-nfric 11 vcara '" a i Nebuchadnezzar, isth ana iv, VM his reign. "l of Jehoiakim reigned six vonrs ft he had burned the roll of .1 prophecies, which, like tho" v phoenix rose anew and fresh frc the ashes. He was slain in'597 The first blow of the threaten doom of Judah had fallen during th! fourth year of his reign, the fir,t t0 i ing of the bell of judgment should have summoned the very dead in sin to awake. But they gaVe no hoed. Jehoiachin, his son, ascended the throne, a bad, weak boy, utterly unfit to cope With the situation. His rei-n lasted; only three months. Upon Je- hoiachin descended the full force n mo uiiue vejgear.ee incurred previous generations. He wa. by s scarrpiv on the throne when the Chaldoan forces, which had been ravaging ju. dea, were Joined by Nebuchadneziar himself,, and closed around Jerusa lem, and Jehoiachin surrendered at discretion. The arm of Babylon raised to strike his father fell on him. and fulfilled the prophecy against Jehoia kim." "He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David." Jehoiachin was kept a prisoner in Babylon for 37 years and was then released. This was the second blow of divine judgment, the beginning of the second captivity, when 10,000 people were car ried captive to Babylon. Among thern were the king's wives and officers, and 7,000 that were strong and apt for wgr, and 1,000 craftsmen; and a large part of the 5,400 vessels of gold and silver from the Temple and pal aces. The policy of Nebuchadnezzar was to remove out of the way all those who might be able to organize a re volt when he and his army had de parted. Such men it would have been dangerous to leave behind. It would seem as if all this would have been sufficient to prevail on the people to repent and be saved. Zedekiah, the brother of Jehclaiir, was placed upon the throne by .Veto chadnezzar, "a shadow king oyet 1 desperate band of men. During the first nine years of his reign the na tion, Instead of embracing the oppor tunity of repentance, plunged more deeply into folly. The dregs of the people, left behind in Jerusalem, laid this flattering unction to their souls: "We have been spared by Jehovan, therefore we are righteous in &is sight" During a brief respite while Nebu chadnezzar left Jerusalem free while he fought the Egyptians Jerem went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin. His home was at Anathoth in Benjamin, three or four miles north of the city. It was apparently to secure his share of the tithes and produce of the Levitfeal glebe of the village, due to him as one of Its priests. Knowing that the Chal deans would return, it was imperative; that he should obtain the means of; subsistence to take back into the city, so soon to be beleagured afresh. Ott ers think it was to secure himself in the possession of an inheritance. There was a natural rush to get cut of the city after so long a conflae ment. Jeremiah went with the others. When Jeremiah was In the gate a Benjamin,, the north gate of the city, that by which any one would go the country of Benjamin which ad joined Jerusalem, a guard said: "Tnou fallest away to the Chaldeans; you1 are trying to desert to the eaea Then' said Jeremiah: "Fa!se! A lie I fall not a way to the Chaldeans. He was arrested by the guard, ana brought to the princes, the officials 0 the government, who were wroth wi Jeremiah. He had compared them 1 rotten figs. He was the strongest most resolute epponent of' their policy. But for hirn they would b had It all their own way. - Jeremiah was placed in. a dun under the prison building. Jeru:J" " was honey-combed with bterr cisterns, vaulted or arched ovo ;:":' and cabins, vau!ts, the "tierra;; arched spaces of a cistern, cc water. .-v At last Zedekiah, the king, c. took him out to inquire: "Is word-from the Lord?" Jeremy 1 plied: "There is." The r'i , "Thou shalt be delivered. Into tne of the king of Babylon." Missionary illustrations are dent in modem times. V ltne. four fold growth of the churcn u p. ..14 t ihP agacar as tne resun. u Ai.i secutions in 1849 and the tu - mtiL 1 1 rT-tcHnns V. C-- lOiiOWlUB, wueu v-"' . . tt r r over "the Rock or 1 prec;' pice of 150 feet, were burned to ,r or oi " ... f.irtUI church in China after xce stoned, killed by toiling VP;;C' f th 3stles .of of 100 And the heroism of the ; ..' ... ii.. onns aries, so like that 01 iub " , ,onarr old, has elevatea we work throughout the world. Vfr . i. s- -
Polk County News and The Tryon Bee (Tryon, N.C.)
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Aug. 17, 1911, edition 1
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