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*20 / "A MASTER AT HIS TRADE" / THE BALLPLAYERS ALWAYS SAID THAT BILL MCGOWAN WAS THE /BEST UMPIRE IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE. NO HIGHER PRAISE EVER /COULD BE GIVEN AN UMPIRE, AND PERHAPS THAT CAN SERVE AS /MCGOWAN"S EPITAPH. HE"D HAVE LIKED IT THAT WAY BECAUSE HE /WAS AS DEVOTED TO HIS PROFESSION AS BILL KLEM HAD BEEN. /THE AMERICAN LEAGUE HAD RETIRED THE AILING MCGOWAN /EARLIER IN THE WEEK ON A HANDSOME PENSION. BUT HE DIED /YESTERDAY BEFORE HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY IT. / THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF HIS LIFE WAS IN 1948 WHEN THE /AMERICAN LEAGUE VIRTUALLY ADMITTED THAT HE WAS ITS BEST /ARBITER. ONCE UPON A TIME WORLD SERIES ASSIGNMENTS WERE /THE SUPREME ACCOLADE, BUT THEY ARE ON A ROTATING BASIS /NOW AND THEREFORE MEANINGLESS. HOWEVER, THE JUNIOR /CIRCUIT HAD THE FIRST AND ONLY PLAY-OFF IN ITS HISTORY /IN 1948 WHEN THE INDIANS AND RED SOX TIED FOR THE CHAMP- /IONSHIP. IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT ONLY THE BEST OF THE MEN /IN BLUE HANDLE THAT GAME. SIGNIFICANT INDEED WAS THE FACT /THAT BILL MCGOWAN WAS NAMED UMPIRE-IN-CHIEF. / BILL WAS ALWAYS AN EAGER BEAVER, A HUSTLER. AND HIS /ENTHUSIASM NEVER WANED DURING HIS THIRTY SEASONS IN THE /BIG LEAGUES. BUT THAT"S WHY HE WAS SO GOOD, THOUGH HIS /OVERENTHUSIASM TWICE DREW HIM SUSPENSIONS, A RARITY IN /ITSELF. EVEN THEN, THE BALLPLAYERS NEVER SAID GRUMPILY /"SERVED HIM RIGHT." INSTEAD THEY SAID SOFTLY "TOO BAD /ABOUT WILLIE, ISN^T IT?" / WHEN MCGOWAN ENTERED THE AMERICAN LEAGUE IN 1924, HE /EVEN BROUGHT HIS JOB INTO HIS HOTEL ROOM WITH HIM, SO /UNCEASING WERE HIS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIMSELF. SOON HE /HAD HIS ROOMIE, ROY VAN GRAFLAN, DOING THE SAME THING. / "Y^RE OUT!" BILL WOULD BELLOW, JERKING HIS THUMB PER- /EMPTORILY IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR. THEN HE"D TRY IT AGAIN /WITH A DIFFERENT INFLECTION AND A DIFFERENT GESTURE, EX- /PERIMENTING WITH HIS TECHNIQUES. AND PRETTY SOON VAN /GRAFLAN WAS DOING THE SAME THING. / "Y^RE OUT!" VAN WOULD SCREAM, AS THE TWO OF THEM PRAC- /TICED FOR HOURS ON END. FINALLY A BOOMING VOICE CAME /ECHOING UP FROM THE HOTEL COURTYARD. / "SHUT UP!" HOWLED A COMPLAINING NONSLEEPER. "HEY, DON^T /YOU GUYS EVER CALL ANYONE SAFE?" / IT ALSO WAS IN A HOTEL THAT MCGOWAN HAD ONE OF THE MOST /SOUL-SHATTERING EXPERIENCES OF HIS CAREER. IT HAPPENED /WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG AND GREEN UMPIRE. HE"D NOTICED HOW /WELL DRESSED HIS FELLOW ARBITERS WERE AND ASKED FOR AN /EXPLANATION. AFTER ALL, UMPIRICAL SALARIES WERE /STRINGENTLY MODEST IN THOSE DAYS. / "IT^S EASY," ONE OF THEM SAID. "WE LEAD LONELY LIVES, /APART FROM THE BALLPLAYERS. BUT WE"RE CONSTANTLY COMING /INTO CONTACT WITH TRAVELING SALESMEN. SO JUST BUTTER UP /TO A FEW OF THEM, ENTERTAIN THEM A BIT, AND YOU"LL BE /ABLE TO GET SHIRTS, SUITS, SHOES, AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED /AT WHOLESALE PRICES. SOMETIMES THEY"LL EVEN GIVE YOU /SAMPLES FOR FREE." / MCGOWAN CASED THE LOBBY AND PICKED ON A LIKELY PROS- /PECT. HE STRUCK UP A CONVERSATION WITH HIM, LEARNED THAT /HE WAS A SALESMAN, AND BUTTERED HIM UP. THE STRANGER /COULDN"T PICK UP A TAB. MCGOWAN WINED AND DINED HIM, /CAREFULLY AVOIDING EVEN A HINT OF THE NEFARIOUS PURPOSE /BEHIND HIS HOSPITALITY. / "IT^S BEEN A WONDERFUL EVENING, BILL," SAID THE STRANGER /AS THEY PARTED. / "BY THE WAY," SAID BILL, "YOU NEVER MENTIONED WHAT FIRM /YOU^RE TRAVELING FOR. WHICH ONE IS IT?" / "THE BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY," SAID THE STRANGER. / MCGOWAN"S TWO SUSPENSIONS DESERVE MENTION. THE FIRST /WAS THE OUTCOME OF AN INCIDENT AT HOME PLATE IN A GAME /BETWEEN THE SENATORS AND INDIANS AT WASHINGTON. JOE /PAPPARELLA RULED THAT EDDIE STEWART WAS OUT AT HOME WITH /THE WINNING RUN, AND THE WASHINGTON PLAYERS CAME STORMING /OUT OF THE DUGOUT IN VIOLENT PROTEST. / TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, THE CALL WAS NONE OF MCGOWAN"S /BUSINESS. BUT PAPPARELLA WAS A NEW MAN ON THE JOB, AND /BILL RUSHED TO HIS RESCUE. BUT IN TAKING THE HEAT OFF HIS /FELLOW WORKER, HE SET HIMSELF ABLAZE. WORDS WERE SPOKEN /THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SPOKEN. SO MCGOWAN WAS SUS- /PENDED TO COOL OFF. BUT THAT WAS WHY HE GOT EVEN MORE /THAN THE NORMAL SATISFACTION OUT OF BEING NAMED UMPIRE-IN /-CHIEF A FEW MONTHS LATER IN THE PLAY-OFF GAME. IT WAS A /VINDICATION OF SORTS. / THE OTHER SUSPENSION RESULTED PRIMARILY FROM A RUN-IN /WITH PLAYERS AND THEN ERUPTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, /TOWARD THE PRESS BOX. IT WAS A TIGER-BROWN GAME IN /ST. LOUIS, AND MCGOWAN THOUGHT THE TIGERS WERE BEING UN- /NECESAARILY ROUGH IN THEIR RIDING OF SATCHELL PAIGE. HE /FURIOUSLY ORDERED THEM TO STOP AND CLEARED OFF PART OF /THE DETROIT BENCH. THE BASEBALL WRITERS ASKED FOR DETAILS /OF THE STILL-SEETHING MCGOWAN. / "TELL ^EM I^LL WRITE A LETTER," SNAPPED HIS NIBS. / "WE DIDN^T KNOW YOU COULD WRITE," WAS THE UNNECESSARILY /RUDE MESSAGE HE RECEIVED IN RETURN. / "IF YOU GUYS COULD WRITE, YOU^D BE IN NEW YORK," WAS /MCGOWAN^S FINAL INSULT. THE PRESS-BOX TENANTS TOOK /UMBRAGE AND FILED FORMAL PROTEST WITH PRESIDENT WILL /HARRDIDGE OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE. MCGOWAN WAS SUSPENDED. / FOR ALL OF THAT, THOUGH, HE WAS A MIGHTY FINE UMPIRE. /THE FELLOWS WHO"LL MISS HIM MOST WILL BE THE BALLPLAYERS /WHO ALWAYS AFFECTIONATELY CALLED HIM "WILLIE."