Baseball umpires, unlike tragic heroes and lesser mortals, are presumed to be incapable of errors in judgment. Last week the presumption was put to a severe test.
In the ninth inning at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, the St. Louis Cardinals were leading the Dodgers, 2-to-0. The Cards' Ron Northey smacked a long drive to center field. As Northey sprinted for third base, Field Umpire John Edward ("Beans") Reardon waved his arm in a circle over his head to indicate an automatic home run and (according to Northey) emphasized his point by shouting: "What are you...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
