An Umpire Talks!

Dolly Stark who is coaching the varsity basketball teamthis year is a regular umpire in the National League(baseball) where he has already served his first year withmuch success. He is the youngest big-league umpire ineither of the major baseball organizations and Dartmouthmen get particular satisfaction in remembering that muchof his first experience came from umpiring college games onMemorial Field. Most of us have wondered in watchingbaseball games just what kind of animal the umpire mightbe. He seems too positive to be human, too reticent to writea book of his experiences. But in this very human document one sees that, after all, the umpire isn't much differentfrom the great mass of us,—that he has his struggles andhis triumphs and troubles. Coach Stark is quite enthusiasticabout Dartmouth but we've asked him to keep his impressions about Hanover out of this story and tell us whatexperiences he has had in other places. Incidentally itmight be mentioned that Carl Warton 'O6 who is doing amighty fine series of articles in the "Boston Herald" hasan excellent article about Stark in a December number.

EARLY EXPERIENCE

I WAS born in New York, Nov. 4th, 1897, and spent my early boyhood days in and around the shadows of Brooklyn Bridge. When I was about eleven years old my mother moved to the Bronx which was quite a country place then, and she entered me in Public School No. 6, where I played basketball and baseball, and in my last year I was fortunate enough to be elected captain and our team won the borough championship and earned the right to compete for the greater city championship. Am sorry to say we were defeated in the final game.

After graduating from the above school, I immediately went to work downtown to keep things going at home, and in my spare time on Saturdays and Sundays during the ball season I played with a light semi-pro outfit. For this the manager of the team would give me a few extra dollars which helped to swell my pay envelope to about $9.00 per. While playing with the above team, I attracted the attention of the manager of the then called Bronx Athletics, one of the outstanding semi-pro teams in greater New York, and we played all the crack pro teams including the Famous Cuban Stars, Lincoln Giants, and the Philadelphia Giants. The last three were the best of the colored teams in America. In the Fall of the year when the big league season was over we would play some of the all-star teams, of the American and National Leagues, and were fortunate to play against Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christie Mathewson and our own Big Jeff Tesreau, who was then starring for the New York Giants. While we were playing against some of the Yankee ball players, the scout of that club was looking on, and as I had had an exceptionally good season and also a very good day against this club, the scout inquired who I was and my manager called me over to meet him. His name was Eddie Holly. We talked quite a bit and before long he had me sign a contract with the New York Americans for a trial in 1917 at Macon Georgia, the training camp.

It is needless for me to say here what a happy kid I was all that winter, always thinking how fortunate I was to be picked up by a Big League club and also that I was going south to train. It sure was a great winter for me, and I was the envy of every young lad in the neighborhood. However I reported to Manager Wild Bill Donovan at Macon and he looked me over and introduced me to all the boys, and what a big crowd they were. Fellows like Slim Caldwell, Slim Love, Leslie Nunamaker, Wally Pipp, Joe Gideon, Dazzy Vance—all over six feet tall and weighing over two hundred lbs. apiece, they had quite a laugh at me, as I was only nineteen, weighing about 115 pounds and about 5 ft. 8 in. high.

Anyway we started training and it wasn't long before I knew my work was cut out for me trying to keep up with those major leaguers. I hustled all the time to make a good impression and received many valuable pointers from Peckinpaugh and Fritz Maisel and Joe Gideon about the finer points of infield play. After about four weeks of this, Bill Donovan told me he was going to leave me with the Macon Club for more seasoning, and that the New York club had strings attached to me for recall. I played that year with Macon and along about August the League blew up, due to our country entering into the World War. As a matter of fact all baseball leagues cancelled their schedules in 1917.

SCOUTED BY WASHINGTON

In 1918,1 went to Bethlehem to play with that team and we had several Big League ball players on our team. In 1919 I was offered a contract to play with the Newark club of the New International league. I was getting along nicely until one day in June the manager received a wire from Bill Carrigan who owned the Lewis- ton club asking for an infielder. They sent me there for the rest of the season. While there things broke very nicely for me and the Washington club of the American league had heard some reports of me and sent their scout to look me over.

After a week of watching me, he arranged with the Newark club to purchase my release so I could sign with the Washington club for the season of 1920. I reported to Tampa Bay, Florida, where Washington trains and after a few days at the camp during the preliminary work of conditioning, Clark Griffith, who was Manager of the team then called for an infield practice. In my anxiety to show my boss how good I was, I made a hurried throw from deep third base and something snapped in my arm. I was out for three weeks and my chances seemed shot, as my arm did not respond to treatment. I returned north with the club and they farmed me to the Jersey City club of the International league where I finished the season. That winter I took stock of myself and decided that I was too light and not getting any heavier and having established a so- called baseball reputation of being too small and too light, I decided to go into some other business.

So when the 1921 season rolled along, I was all set to go to work downtown in the financial district. But that thought did not stay long with me. I happened by chance to run into Clyde Engle who was then coaching the University of Vermont baseball team and he asked me if I could umpire, and if I could that he had a good job for me. I said, "Sure I can umpire," and as a matter of fact I told him that I would show him the best umpiring he had ever seen. Of course I was kidding, but I felt sure I could do the work satisfactorily. I had had a few chances while with the Washington club to umpire the Regular and Yannigan games, but that was all the experience I had. However, Clyde told me to report at Burlington the latter part of April ready for the games. I did and felt that one of the first duties of an umpire was to be dressed properly to command some respect. Well, they were surprised to see me come out on the field m a nice new blue double-breasted suit and with my ball shoes well shined, and ready for business. I shall never forget the funny feeling when I announced the batteries. Having seen and heard the famous Joe Humphreys, I put all of his style into play and they seemed to be well satisfied with the new ump's start.

COLLEGE UMPIRING

The game went along smoothly without a kick on either side and all seemed satisfied with the new ump. That evening I received two telephone calls, one from Middlebury and the other from Norwich University, asking me if I would care to work their home games for the balance of the season. I agreed and the first thing I knew I was working every day in the week. On Sundays I went to Montreal to play myself which I was well paid for. I also played that summer in Montreal on one of the city league teams. I returned to Burlington that Fall for a visit, and one day while working out at the Gym, I was tossing the ball around on the basketball floor. Some of the folks watching on introduced me to the Director of Athletics, at Burlington High School. We talked over basketball and he offered me the position of coach of the Burlington High School team. As it turned out that season, we had the most successful year any team had in the State of Vermont and we finished runners-up in the New England Tournament, at Tufts' College. The towns people of Burlington surely appreciated our efforts and on our return from the tournament where the team did so well they gave us a great celebration.

One day in 1921 or 1922 while Dartmouth was at Burlington Jeff Tesreau asked me if I could work a few games at Hanover. I said that I would be glad to. Down I came. I shall always remember the proposition Mr. Pender put up to me regarding the sum I was to receive. It wasn't just right, but I said, "Let me work these three games here and you can pay me what you think I am worth." Well, I stepped on the gas and gave them all I had, all alone, as I wanted to make good here. When I had finished, Mr. Pender gave me a pleasant surprise and then asked me if I could work the rest of the games on the schedule. The next spring I received all their home games. I left Vermont in 1924 and went to officiate at Yale. The next year I had all the games of Metropolitan teams, Fordham, Columbia and N. Y. U.

By chance one May day I met Max Norton at New Haven and we got into a friendly chat at the Taft and, talking things over, he made the suggestion, asking me if I would consider coming to Dartmouth to coach freshman basketball and to be employed in the Physical Education department. I accepted at once and awaited final word from him. I coached the freshmen teams four years and also umpired in the spring and played during the summer months.

TAKEN WITH NATIONAL LEAGUE

Having attracted a little bit of attention in baseball circles umpiring, Billy Evans, the former American League umpire recommended me to Ban Johnson, the president of the American League, for a trial in 1926. This did not materialize, and I was downhearted. However in 1927 I received a wire from Hugh Rorty, famous minor league umpire who is umpire in chief of the Eastern league, to help him out for three weeks. I answered that I would report. After the three weeks he asked me to stay and finish the season and along about the first week in September the National League sent Mr. Bob Emslie, the scout, to look me over. For the first time in my life things broke just right for me and during that week while he watched me perform I must have shown him enough, as he went away satisfied and told me that I would hear from Mr. Heydler, the president of the National. Two days later I received a longdistance call to report to New York to sign a contract.

Here in a short space of nine weeks of league umpiring1 had accomplished the impossible of being signed by aMajor league. The average umpire spends at least 7 io10 years apprenticeship in the minors before he gets achance for the big leagues. I received hundreds of lettersand wires from friends all over the country congratulatingme on my new position, but there was one thought in mymind, "Now that I have the job, I must bend every efforttowards making good in that critical Big League." I havedevoted hours, sometimes lying awake all night figuring outplays and situations. I have lived the game, eaten anddreamed it, and in fact have neglected pretty nearly everyother thing worth while in life to try and master my newjob. I have given almost as much time to the intricacies ofbaseball as Thomas Edison has given the electrical world.

Starting South last March after the basketball season, I reported to the Phillies at Winter Haven, where they pitch their spring camp. I went along smoothly listening to some of my older associates and they were telling me of some of the valuable things of the league and the customs, also about the players, manager, and crabs.

I received my first official assignment to report to Cincinnati on April 11, and my partners in crime were Ernie Quigley, the noted football and basketball official, and Charlie Pfirman. I might add that the usual nervousness cropped out, and I was perspiring quite freely before the activities started, but as soon as I got used to the crowd and the field, I was entirely at home and was not awed in the least at the Chicago Cubs or the Reds, also the thirty-five thousand wild-eyed bugs. Something unusual happened for the umpires got something other than bottles. The Cincinnati Association for umpires presented us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and soon after the mayor tossed out the first ball, I felt that I was ready for the long, hard grind. The first three months everything was going along splendidly, until one day in June I called a Pittsburg player safe at third and out came a wild-eyed player red-hot, who proceeded to bawl me out and call me all the vile names he could lay his tongue on, and believe me he knew them all. As is our lot, I took all he had to say and when he was finished I told him the feeling was mutual. That is when the fireworks started; he threatened me with getting my job. Then I let loose and told him all that he had already told me, and to get the Hell out of here quickly and to hurry and tell my boss what I told him, exactly that. This is one job where no one is going to intimidate me. I love it and sweat blood for all the good there is in me, and the Lord knows I have given everything I possess to the game. A fellow with any pride does not have to take the nagging from some of the alibi Ikes in the game. On the whole, the ball players are a fine lot and once you get established as being fair and honest in all decisions they are for you, hook, line and sinker. John McGraw, Jack Hendricks and Uncle Robbie have gone out of their way to put in a good word for me to Mr. Heydler. Ernie Quigley told me this after we had worked together for three or four months.

I was in several crucial series, notably the New YorkSt. Louis series, the New York-Pittsburgh, and the New York-Chicago series late in September when the race was so hot and nearing its close. These games are on the whole the easiest to work; by that I mean that the ball players are not so apt to ride you in an important series, but one must bear down every minute in just such a game for if he makes one mistake it is magnified by the copy men a thousand fold. My experience this past season has been very pleasant; I could not wish for a better season. I have found that players like Hornsby, Frish, Bottomley, Alexander, George Kelly and Wally, Paul Waner, Pie Traynor, Freddie Lindstrom, Travis Jackson and all of the other leading players are a splendid bunch of fellows and very easy to get along with. I want to add that the body of men that I worked with this past season are all splendid gentlemen and they did everything ill the world to help a young fellow in his hard lot.

COACH ALBERT M. "DOLLY" STARK

ALL SET FOR A DECISION