Umpiring from the Inside Baseball World Series Umpire

Umpiring from the Inside Baseball World Series Umpire

UMPIRING from the INSIDE by Billy Evans. 100 pages, copyright 1947.  The only ones I could find online started at $49 (Amazon.com) – out of print. Also included is a card “OFFICIAL BATTING ORDER” from OHIO STATE – no date but the names written in are Ciminello, Leonhard, Wilson, Jones, Ernst, Rutter, Sachs, Gannon, Ebert” listed in the “Batting Order.”  (FYI - The ’53 Roster includes all these men. http://www.fanbase.com/Ohio-State-Buckeyes-Baseball-1953 ) -

Also photos of many of these guys show up on  http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/Ohio_State_University_Makio_Yearbook/1953/Page_266.html

From the PREFACE:

“This Book – it might be better called a thesis on umpiring – is dedicated to the men in blue, the baseball officials who “call them as they see them” in sports’ most difficult game to handle.  It is written in the hope that it will give the beginner a new and different perspective as to the assets the successful umpire must have.  Since none of us is too old to learn – umpires in particular – it is very possible that the veteran official may also profit by getting a new slant on some unusual play or situation.”

Quote from a review I found online: “From "How to Umpire" by Billy Evans (Condensed from "Umpiring from the Inside" c. 1947 by Wm. G. Evans). I was struck by the first paragraph, what he emphasized and in what order...

Umpiring is a mixture of good physique, good eyes, plenty of courage, pride in your work, a knowledge of the rules, getting the right angle, a respect for the ability of others -- managers, players and umpires -- plus plenty of common sense. There is no greater asset than common sense properly applied."

Later, he says:

In all the 25 years that I umpired, I have never tried to prove infallibility. Rather, I have very forcefully stated that I called the play as I saw it, and that made the decision arrived at "official." Even when positive I had not erred, I always regarded it as diplomacy to listen to the player's side of the argument. It is far easier to reason with the player who has let off steam rather than one who is burning up over an adverse decision and finds no one willing to listen. It is then that he goes berserk.

Never try to alibi your error. That makes two mistakes out of one. Umpires dislike ball players who alibi. In like manner, ball players have no particular use for the umpire who always has an alibi.

Don't work your thumb overtime, pointing the way to the clubhouse. Baseball is played on the field, not under the showers....” – Martha Newberry

For the history buff:

“William George Evans (February 10, 1884 – January 23, 1956), nicknamed "The Boy Umpire," was an American umpire in Major League baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in major league history, and later became the youngest to officiate in the World Series at age 25” (Wikipedia)

If you collect baseball memorabilia – this is a “must have.”