The Umpire Was Blind! by Jonathan Weeks~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Sports history/biography
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BLURB:
In the words of former American League umpire Nestor Chylak, umpires are expected to “be perfect on the first day of the season and then get better every day.” Forced to deal with sullen managers and explosive players, they often take the blame for the failures of both. But let’s face it—umpires are only human.
For well over a century, the fortunes of Major League teams—and the fabric of baseball history itself—have been dramatically affected by the flawed decisions of officials. While the use of video replay in recent decades has reduced the number of bitter disputes, many situations remain exempt from review and are subject to swirling controversy. In the heat of the moment mistakes are often made, sometimes with monumental consequences.
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UMPIRING
IN THE DIM AND DISTANT PAST
Baseball
in the nineteenth century had little in common with the game of today. For
starters, stadiums were much smaller and constructed of wood, making them
vulnerable to fire. During the latter half of the 1800s, at least four big
league ballparks were consumed by flames. In the earliest days of baseball, stadiums
were lacking the most basic amenities, such as dugouts and clubhouses. Players
and umpires alike were left unguarded against insults and projectiles hurled by
disgruntled fans.
Strategies
were far different in the days of old. Baseball guru Bill James once described
nineteenth century tactics as “violent” and “criminal.” Umpires often worked
alone and were charged with the daunting task of covering the entire field by
themselves. As can only be expected, players got away with murder. Before rules
were developed to prohibit specific forms of negligent behavior, infielders
were known to trip base runners or grab their belts to restrain them from
advancing. If an umpire’s attention was drawn to a play in the outfield,
runners were known to cut directly across the diamond toward home instead of
rounding third base.
Umpiring
could be extremely hazardous during the first century of major league play. In
addition to frequent streams of verbal abuse, the men in blue were routinely
assaulted by players and fans alike. At the end of his career, umpire Joe Rue
asserted: “I’ve been hit by mud-balls and whiskey bottles and had everything
from fruits and vegetables thrown at me. I’ve probably experienced more
violence than any other umpire who ever lived.” Baseball historian John Thorn
remarked of the early days: “In the late-1800s, a player who had a pugilistic
background might be better equipped to handle a rowdy player than a banker or a
doctor or a dentist.” It should come as no surprise then that Billy Mclean, the
game’s first professional umpire, was a skilled boxer.
Player
protests often led to assorted unpleasantries. According to Thorn, the familiar
cry of ‘Kill the Umpire!’ was a very tangible threat. “Home team fans typically
claimed that the umpire was in the fix. Kicking dirt on an umpire’s suit took
on a kind of symbolism. The idea is, by kicking dirt, you attack the
institution, you attack the partiality of the umpire.”
In a
compelling anecdote from baseball’s Deadball Era, umpires Bob Emslie and Frank
Dwyer had their hands full in a game between the Boston Beaneaters and Brooklyn
Superbas at Washington Park in New York. When the game ended in favor of the
visitors on a controversial call at home plate, nearly half of the spectators
(numbering around 6,000) rushed onto the field. Surrounded by hostile fans, Dwyer
was jostled roughly while Emslie was punched repeatedly. Both were peppered with
dirt and stones before Boston players—some armed with bats—came to their aid.
Police eventually escorted the arbiters to their train platform, where more
fans had assembled to greet the officials with assorted insults and epithets.
Dwyer lasted just two more seasons before retiring. Emslie—ever the warrior—continued
as an umpire into the 1920s.
Over
time, fans learned how to behave and umpiring became a more civilized
profession. Recognizing the need to properly instruct suitable candidates, NL
arbiter George Barr opened the first training school in 1935. Barr’s American
League counterpart, Bill McGowan, opened a second academy for umpires a few
years later. The schools dramatically improved the quality of the game. Not
only were graduates more cognizant of the rules, but they were taught to be
impartial and professional as well. Umpires with fiery temperaments were
gradually rooted out of baseball.
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Excerpt:
JOE DiMAGGIO’S 56-GAME HITTING STREAK
…“The Streak” was in serious jeopardy on multiple occasions. In fact, DiMaggio extended it during his final plate appearance nearly a dozen times. But never was he more in danger of losing it than on June 10 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. After a pair of groundouts and an infield pop-up, the Yankee icon came to bat in the seventh inning against right-hander Johnny Rigney, who was one of Chicago’s top hurlers in those days. DiMaggio smashed a sizzling grounder to third, where the sure-handed Dario Lodigiani was stationed. “Lodi” could only block it with his body, but he recovered in time to nail the Yankee centerfielder at first by a quarter of a step. Fortunately for DiMaggio, first base umpire Steve Basil saw things differently, making a “safe” call on the play.
Basil, who had turned to umpiring after his playing career stalled out at the Class-D level, was in his sixth year of major league service. Though generally even-tempered, he was not afraid to assert his authority when his calls were held in question. Never was this more apparent than in June of 1938, when he tossed three members of the St. Louis Browns out of a game for arguing balls and strikes.
According to AL arbiter Joe Rue, Basil was a bit of a tattletale who was constantly trying to curry favor with MLB officials. In particular, he had established intimate relationships with umpire supervisor Tommy Connolly and AL president William Harridge. “Basil was always playing up to Connolly,” Rue asserted bitterly. “And he’d run to Connolly and Harridge with everything.”
There was no need to seek the counsel of league officials on the date in question. In fact, the White Sox hardly protested at all as DiMaggio’s streak was extended to twenty-five games. Basil’s call proved to be of monumental importance when Joe D. grounded into a double play in his final at-bat of the day. Had Basil made the correct decision, “The Streak” would have been divided into two roughly equal halves—impressive, for sure, but not exactly the stuff that legends are made of.
The events of July 17, 1941, have attained an almost mythical quality. DiMaggio had pushed his streak to fifty-six games and was on his way to Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium in a cab when the driver, recognizing the iconic outfielder and his teammate Lefty Gomez, said ominously: “I got a feeling if you don’t get a hit in your first at-bat today, they’re going to stop you.” (Several versions of the quote exist) Flabbergasted, Gomez snapped: “Who the hell are you? What’re you trying to do—jinx him?”
…Gomez might have been on to something.
The jinx appeared in the form of Indians third baseman Ken Keltner, who made a pair of spectacular stops to rob DiMaggio. “The Streak” ended that day and “Joltin’ Joe” hit safely in his next 16 games. Many years after the fact, he claimed to have had an encounter with the mysterious Cleveland cab driver. “Now this is thirty years later,” DiMaggio asserted. “He apologized and was serious. I felt awful. He might have been spending his whole life thinking he had jinxed me, but I told him he hadn’t. My number was up.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany. In 2004, he migrated to Malone, NY. He continues to gripe about the frigid winter temperatures to the present day. He has published several books on the topic of baseball. He would have loved to play professionally, but lacked the talent. He still can't hit a curve ball or lay off the high heat. In the winter months, he moonlights as a hockey fan.
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