Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1914 — RETIREMENT OF TOM LYNCH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RETIREMENT OF TOM LYNCH

As President of National League He Handled Umpires Without Fear or Favor of Any Club. The throw-down given Tom Lynchi who for four years has bossed the N&-> tional league umpires without fear or favor to any club, was only about what should have been expected. Lynch did not seek the position, having been, called to the chair as a result of a deadlock over Ward and Brown, which tied up the 1510 meeting for several days. Lynch has been faithful and honest to his trust His election has never been for more than one year at a time and his power has been limited, so limited, in fact, that regulating tbe work of the umpires has been his chief responsibility, says the New Orleans Picayune. He made one very important decision during the season, but was both called down and overruled. Lynch overruled the umpire who stopped the game on the Phillies grounds and declared the Giants winnero because spectators occupying tbe center flqld seats waved things, with the evident intent of bothering the New York batsmen. The score was Bto 6, in favor of the Phillies, at the time, and one man had been retired in tbe ninth before Brennah stopped the game. Because the Philadelphia club management did not'drive tbe crowd out of the seats on a line with the batsmen the New York team was awarded the victory—9 to 0. Lynch promptly reversed this ruling and gave the game to the Phillies, 8-6; but the league directors decided that the game should be played to a finish on the New York grounds as a preliminary to a double-header between the two teams late in tbe season. This established a precedent for transferring an incomplete*! game started in

one city to the grounds of a rival club in another city. Lynch’s plan was the best way out of the difficulty, for, while the game ended with no further scoring and went as a victory for the combinations might have arisen that would have given the league a great deal of trouble. The American league directors would not have thought of attempting to overrule Johnson under like circumstances, and if the National men expect to profit by Tenor’s election they must learn early to abide by his decisions.

Tom Lynch.