Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 5B
From deck plates to home plates
I have made it a tradition
at the opening game of
the season to scream at
the home plate umpire just
after the first pitch. I don't
know why I do it, it just
seems the right thing to do.
My remarks (no swearing,
just pointed baseball slang)
at this targeted time usually
question either his eyesight
or his validity as an umpire.
My wife and friends sitting
next to me look away and try
to act as if they don’t know
me. Undoubtedly, I prob
ably zeroed in on National
League umpire Henry
Charles “Shag” Crawford
at some point in my life.
The men in blue (more
precisely, men in black while
Shag was an umpire) are a
mysterious breed. Some are
players who never made it
to the major leagues, others
played a bit of ball in college
or perhaps just high school.
They appear almost invis
ible on the field, ghost-like
figures that enforce the rules
of the game, serving as jury
and judge on each call.
Their decision is final
(except in a few extreme
cases) and arguing with their
ruling may be fatal to the
player or manager making
his case. I remind you all that
our own Bobby Cox holds
that envious record of being
ejected from the game for
arguing with the men in blue.
I have seen some of the
best and worse - by far, more
good than bad - umpires
throughout the many years
that I have followed (since
age seven) the game.
Names like A1 Barlick,
John (Jocko) Conlan,
Augie Donatelli, Bruce
Froemming, Doug Harvey,
Ron Luciano, Dutch Rennert,
Ed and Paul Runge and Harry
Wendelstedt. Look closely
at the names and one can
see the heavy ethnic influ
ence that has dominated the
ranks of the men in blue
and black: Irish, German,
Italian, Dutch, an ethnic cross
section of America. Study
the names associated with
the 135 years of baseball
and one can nearly write
the history of our nation.
The men in blue are much
like any major league player:
they came up from the ranks
to finally make it to the
“bigs.” However, Crawford
may have carried a bit more
Americana with him than
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RUN-OFF ELECTION DAY
TUESDAY
DECEMBER 2
ADVANCE VOTING
NOVEMBER 24 - 26
8 A.M. - 5 P.M.
233 E. Broad St., Winder
For Absentee Ballots By Mail
Call 770-307-3110
A request form will be sent to you or
download ballot request form at
http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/elections/
voter_information/absentee_ballot_app.pdf
Paid tor by the Barrow County Republican Party
Ken Young - Chairman
Cal Neff - Treasurer
www. barrowgop. org
For a quote and personal service call:
we see in play
ers and umpires
coming up today.
His resume
before becom
ing an umpire
included working
as a milkman, a
cabdriver, and
an iceman, all in
West Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
Crawford began
his umpiring
4
L*i
john w.
rieken
language when arguing a
call. During the 1969 World
Series, Crawford ejected
Orioles manager Earl Weaver
in game 4, only the third
time in baseball history a
manager had been thrown
out during a World Series.
What zest Crawford
brought to the diamond, he
also brought to his fellow
band of umpires. He helped
create the umpire's union,
an act which was ultimately
responsible for his downfall
from the majors in 1975.
Henry Charles Crawford
became known as “Shag”
at some point in his early
umpiring career, although
no one remembers exactly
when and exactly why.
A few of his contempo
raries believe it may have
been due to his shaggy
clothes he would wear to the
park. Regardless, mention the
name Shag in the majors, and
baseball fans older than 50
will know immediately the
handle belongs to the
square-jawed man in
black, Shag Crawford.
So, where do deck
plates - the steel laid
down to form the
deck of a ship - fig
ure into this tribute?
Shag served on a
destroyer in World
War Two and fought,
among other places,
at the invasion of
Luzon (Philippines).
career after he was noticed by
a high school baseball coach.
The coach told an offi
cial of the old Canadian-
American league (early
1950s) who hired Crawford.
From there, Crawford went
to the Eastern League, then
to the American Association,
and finally to the majors in
1956. Crawford immediately
gained recognition in the
majors for his unique style.
He wouldn't hesitate to lay
down on his side or stom
ach to get a better view of
the unfolding play. He may
have been the umpire who
originated resting his right
hand on the shoulder of the
catcher while in a crouch
ing position behind the
catcher when calling balls
and strikes at home plate.
Perhaps what Crawford
was best known for was
his unhesitating courage
to eject a manager, coach,
or player for exceeding the
acceptable limit of time and
His ship, the 2200 ton,
Sumner-class destroyer
Walke, was the target of
a kamikaze on January 6,
1945. The plane hit the
bridge of the Walke, mor
tally injuring its captain.
The crew, including
Crawford, fought gal
lantly on to save the Walke
which went on to fight in
the Korean and Vietnam
conflicts. Ironically, the
Walke was finally scrapped
the same year Crawford
left the umpiring ranks.
There is little fanfare in
Shag's passing. This is sim
ply the story of another man
who performed his work
quite well throughout his life.
Shag Crawford. 1916 —
2007. Umpire and hero.
NINTH GRADE BULLDOGGS
Devin Gooch helps the Winder-Barrow High School freshman football team defeat
Madison County 22-21. The freshman team finished the season 5-1-1. Many of the
freshman players also had to compete at times for the JV team since many of the
sophomores competed for the varsity squad this fall. Photo by Jessica Brown
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John Rieken is cm avid
baseball fan and contrib
uting columnist for the
Barrow Journal. E-mail com
ments about this column to
j rieken @ windstream. net.
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