Boys Of Summer ...

The brumous August morning that dawned bearing a foreboding threat of rain had reluctantly given way to radiant sunbeams threading their way through billowy clouds floating proudly across a cerulean sky ... gentle breezes conducted the dulcet redolence of yellow honeysuckle intermingled with the delightful aroma of hot buttered popcorn, hot dogs, boiled peanuts, cotton candy and candied apples all throughout the old ballpark ... the temperature had risen to a pleasant 71 degrees ... a perfect day for baseball ... and for the boys of summer ...

There was nary a vacant seat in the place ... many folks were standing wherever they could gain a suitable view of the playing field ... excited fans had stocked up on food and cold drinks before settling in for the game ... a beautiful rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" had just concluded, players had all been announced, and the visiting nine had assumed their respective positions on the field as the pitcher took his final warm-up tosses ... the opposing hitter strolled into the batters' box as the ump gave the signal while shouting "play ball!" ...

Butterflies were dancing a frenzied version of the "Jitterbug Waltz" in the pit of the young ace's roiling stomach inducing waves of galling nausea, however this was not uncharted territory for the lanky right-hander as he posed on the mound, peering in with a sneer toward the catcher crouching behind home plate ... those butterflies had little to do with fear, but much to do with a desire to compete, and to win ... the husky catcher dropped the sign, and Gibson unleashed a beautiful bender far from the strike zone which danced back in painting the corner of the plate, freezing the stupefied batter in his tracks as the implacable umpire sternly bellowed "Stee-rike!" ... time to showcase the patented fast ball ... the scowling flamethrower let loose with a grunt, and you could hear the blistering sphere buzzing like an angry bumblebee as it approached the dish, veering in on the hands of the unnerved hitter, coercing him to swing through the pitch, then slapping the catcher's overstuffed mitt with an emphatic pop for yet another exigent "Steee-rike!" ... the now confident hurler received the fuming ball back from the catcher with a smart snap of his Rawlings glove before taking a leisurely stroll like a haughty peafowl around the dusty mound ... he was finally coming to the welcome realization that those fluttering butterflies were mercifully settling down ... and so was he ...

For the strapping batsman, his soul had also been seared amidst the raging flames of that same competitive fire, he had faced notorious pitchers of this caliber countless times in the past, many with great success, and was determined to thwart the efforts of this worthy opponent poised defiantly on the mound from getting the better of him ... not on this perfect day for baseball ... Williams believed that the crafty righty would in all likelihood deliver another filthy curve ... he dug in ... waggled his bat ... and waited ... but instead it was a hard scorcher, too high and called for a ball ... alright, maybe next pitch ... again he took the sizzling heat for a ball ... Williams was now wondering if Gibson had finally lost command of his "good stuff", and may be incapable of getting his fast ball over for a strike ... he was convinced that a breaking ball would assuredly be forthcoming ... he took a long, deep breath, firmly planting his nails in the sandy soil as he anxiously waited like a coiled viper stalking it's prey ... Gibson toed the rubber while coldly staring Williams squarely in the eyes, and with a scowl on his determined face, he propelled the baseball toward the plate with a menacing growl ... the seasoned slugger had gauged it just right, and the ball looked as large as a watermelon floating seemingly in slow motion toward him ... Williams unleashed his trusted Louisville Slugger as smoothly as a lumberjack laying the keen edge of a broadaxe to the root of a decaying jack pine as he made lethal contact with Gibson's meandering curve ball ... the clobbered orb arched skyward as it tauntingly disappeared over the left field wall before the eyes of the jeering throng ...

As Williams triumphantly rounded the diamond, he was showered with a deluge of stinging condemnation from the dispirited, hometown faithful ... Gibson stood motionless on the lonely mound, his head lowered toward the ground in humiliation ... the home team eventually went on to win the game that day 5 to 4 ... but there is a thin line between the thrill, and the agony ... at first glance you might think this story is touching on some fantasy match-up involving the great Hall of Fame pitcher Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson, born in 1935, or the incomparable Hall of Fame slugger Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (1918-2002), also known as "The Thumper" ... far from it ... this brief narrative pertains to a game played by a ten-year-old pitcher by the name of Grant Gibson of the Pocahontas Warriors and an eleven-year-old slugger named Jackie Williams of the Clarksville Mudhawks, one in a series of games held in the Little League regional championship tournament in Nashville, Tennessee ... truly a perfect day for baseball ... and for the boys of summer ...

"Baseball gives every American boy a chance to excel, not just to be as good as someone else, but to be better than someone else. This is the nature of man and the name of the game" --Ted Williams

--sja

The More Things Change ...

The seasoned old umpire just turned and walked away from the protesting ballplayer as he softly murmured to himself, "I'm almost certain Herman tagged him." Then it came to him, and he almost wept. For the first time in his long and stellar career, he only 'thought' a man was tagged! The 'Old Arbitrator', William J. Klem, dean of major league baseball umpires retired that afternoon ... Klem would often insist that he had never called one wrong, though in later years he would solemnly place his hand over his heart and add, "from here." ...

Klem worked a record 18 World Series Games, for a total of 104, including five straight from 1911 to 1915. His first World Series Game was 1908 (Cubs-Tigers) and his last 1940 (Reds-Tigers). Klem also umpired the first All-Star Game in 1933. During his 36 year career, he was behind the dish for five no-hitters, the last being Paul Dean's over Brooklyn (9/21/34). He also officiated a race around the diamond between Hans Lobert and a horse in 1914 at Oxnard, California ... Klem declared the horse to be the winner by a nose! ...

Among the many memorable games that Klem umpired was Opening Day at the Polo Grounds in 1907. A winter storm had left piles of dirty snow around the field. In the eighth inning, with New York leading the Phillies 3-0, unruly spectators began hurling snowballs at the visiting Phillies, umpires and each other. Klem promptly forfeited the game to Philadelphia because responsibility to keep order was up to the home team. Among other great Hall of Fame umpires such as Al Barlick, Nestor Chylak, Jocko Conlon, Tommy Connolly, Billy Evans, Cal Hubbard, and Bill McGowan -- Bill Klem was regarded as the greatest umpire in the game's history ... Klem umpired exclusively behind the plate his first 16 years because of his acknowledged superiority in calling balls and strikes ... Early in his career, Giants manager John McGraw threatened to have him fired. Klem politely replied: "Mr. Manager, if it's possible for you to take my job away from me, I don't want it." Klem's integrity helped secure the reputation of umpires as impartial and honest, bringing dignity to the game, along with pride and competence ...

Over the years, professional baseball has become less of 'America's Pastime', and more about corporate bottom line ... the emphasis has become less on the sport of baseball, and more toward alternative forms of entertainment and flashy gimmicks all designed for the purpose of generating enormous profits ... America's grand ol' game has become Corporate America's grand ol' gain! ... nevertheless, one of the constants in baseball has been it's umpires ... little has changed since the days of Hall of Fame umpire William J. Klem ... and although change in MLB usually comes about at the pace of an aged tortoise, unfortunately, due to a recent rash of 'blown calls', that could soon change at the blinding speed of a panic-struck jackrabbit ... Major League Baseball has announced that it is now earnestly pushing to put instant replay in use by August '08 ... in time to 'fine-tune' the system by the playoffs ...

Players, managers and umpires have mixed opinions as to whether or not instant replay is needed in our beloved game of baseball, but Major League Baseball and the umpire's union will have to reach an agreement before replay can be tried, and both sides are now talking. However, when all is said and done, Commissioner Bud Selig will ultimately decide when MLB wants to put replay in place. Selig has been a staunch opponent of instant replay in the past, but a spate of missed boundary calls last month -- fair or foul, over the fence or not -- left Selig leaning toward it's limited use. Veteran umpire John Hirschbeck, president of the World Umpires Association, said their organization would be willing to listen to whatever proposals MLB have ...

An unnamed person briefed on Major League Baseball's preliminary plan told The Associated Press that baseball wants to create an NHL-style "war room" in New York where video feeds would be reviewed by a supervisor. The umpire crew chief would not see replays -- instead, the supervisor would describe what he saw, but leave it up to the umpire to make the final call. It was unclear whether managers, umpires or the video supervisor would request a replay ...

Notwithstanding his apparent shortcomings, Bud Selig has always been one of the game's traditionalists, preferring the human element in baseball, which meant tolerating an occasional wrong call by an umpire. He has also been concerned about bogging down a sport which has been criticized for it's slow pace ... I tend to agree with Commissioner Selig's sentiments ... The NFL, NBA, NHL, some NCAA sports and major tennis tournaments all employ replay in various forms ... Major League Baseball does not need instant replay! ... many times I have watched video replays of close plays over and over again, in slow motion, without being able to make a definitive determination, while the majority of the time the umpire had made the correct call in real time ... their proficiency is indeed extremely impressive ... I believe instant replay would merely serve to add more confusion and length of time to the game ... if MLB decides to use instant replay, I hope it's in a very limited fashion, such as to determine whether or not a ball was a home run, that's all ... the umpires are also adamant that they do not want replay used to review close plays on the bases or ball-and-strike calls ... I reckon I'm just old school, but I prefer the human element when it comes to just about everything ... especially the game of baseball ... and along with the human element comes human error ... which is also part of the game ... it's always been that way ...

It started with QuesTech ... now it's instant replay ... I say no to both! ... and I would imagine that if Hall of Fame umpire William J. Klem were alive and umpiring today, he would wholeheartedly concur ... and as he wipes beads of sweat from his furrowed brow and warm tears from his gleaming eyes ... amid the chorus of the cheering crowd ... the 'Old Arbitrator' would most likely proclaim without hesitation to instant replay -- "You're outta here!" ...


"It is not up to the umpire, under the rules,
to point out a player's failure to touch a base.
The team on defense must spot that lapse.
That's why I allowed the tally (game 5 of the
1911 World Series)." - Bill Klem (1874-1951)

--sja