Clipping:A proposal for two umpires
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| Date | Wednesday, October 1, 1884 |
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| Text | [from a letter from “W. C. McC.” to Von der Ahe on how to improve umpiring] The answer is, “To simply the umpire’s work.” Yes: but how? ... 2. It is absolutely essential for an umpire, in rendering a close decision, that he should be in a position to see whether a man is out or not, and not to guess at it, as they generally do. (I refer to close decisions at first and second bases.) The rule says that the ball shall arrive at first base before the runner. Now, in nine times out of ten when the ball and runner arrive at the same time, the runner is erroneously declared out; many times he is given out when he has arrived clearly in advance of the ball, all for the simple reason that the umpire could not see. The same is true concerning the “stealing to second base.” A player is put out there time and time again because the second baseman makes a motion as though he were touching the runner, when in reality he does not come within a foot of him. Then as regards to third base, we occasionally have men coming “home” almost direct from second base, without going anywhere near third base, and the umpire does not see it. How can he see it when his attention is directed to another play going on at the same time? The same is true of men coming home from third base after a “fly” has been caught. How often do they leave the base before the ball is caught? But the umpire can not see it; nor can he see whether the runner touches every “bag” while he is making a circuit of the bases. What then is the remedy for this? Why simply do as they do in cricket–“have two umpires,” one stationed at the “home plate” to decided on all questions of balls, strikes, fair and foul flys, etc., and the other’s duty shall be to decide on all matters concerning the three bases; and to this end, this umpire should station himself near first base, so that he could plainly see whether the player arrives before the ball or not. Then he should run with the base runner down to second base and see whether he arrived there safely or not; he should then return to his first position, for then all would be plain sailing. St. |
| Source | St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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