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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 ■••• mm Need Holiday Cash? We Have Plenty! BRASELTON FINANCE COMPANY Personal Loans • Title Pawns • Affordable Payments | Come In or apply by internet. : 81B Lagree Duck Road • Braselton, GA I _ 706-658-5300 www.braseltonfmance.com I • • ^^^aaaa ^^^naaa ^^^naaa ^^^aaaa 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 BUY BARROW! Buy This Ad Space For Only 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. Call Susan Treadwell at 770 807 HEWS (S397) for details, limited time offer! BARROW JOURNAL A Better Newspaper at a Lower Price 77 East May Street • Winder. GA 30680 • 770 867 NEWS • BarrowJournal.cor Nations #1 Gold Party A host last week received $8,000. Call GREG REEVES 706-369-0000 We do all the work since 1962. Greg Reeves Fine Jewelry 613 Hawthorne Ave., Athens LOWER YOUR HEALTHCARE COST BUT NOT YOUR EXPECTATIONS! Life has its risks. BCBSGA has a plan. Male (age 28) $45.48* Female (age 26) $60.55* Family (as indicated)....$169.35* *Sample rate based on SmartSense $10,000 deductible plan for male 28. Rates are illustrative and subject to change. Your rate will be based on your age, gender, area, tier level and the deductible level you choose. BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia Independent Authorized Agent HAROLD EVANS 404-401-0621 www.haroldevans.com "Welcome to the Barrow Journal!" Susan Mobley "I'm Susan Mobley, office manager of the Barrow Journal. When you stop by our office, you'll probably see me at the front desk. My job is to help you with subscrip tions, classified ads, news items and pretty much anything else you need. "Barrow County is my home. I live, work and shop here. My children went to the local schools and I have a vested interest in the future of this community. I believe a vibrant local newspaper is important to a community's goals. "At the Barrow Journal, our mission is to provide Barrow County with the best local newspaper at the lowest possible cost." Barrow Journal w ^.com Read all over. Covering Winder, Bethlehem, Statham, Auburn and all of Barrow County 77 East May Street • Winder, GA 30680 CALL 770 867HEWS! (6397) WWW. BarrowJournal .com