What made the umpire make a big gesture?
Ryu Hye-ran
Department of
English Education
Kyungpook
National University
Have you ever
watched a baseball game in the ball park? If so, you might realize that an
umpire makes an exaggerated gesture compared to other kinds of sports. If not,
why don’t you listen to the touching story behind the gesture like ‘Safe’, ‘Out’,
and ‘Strike’?
There is a close
relationship between the larger gesture and one baseball player.
About 100 years
ago there was a baseball player named ‘William Ellsworth Hoy’, who was the
first deaf major-leaguer. Though he, with hearing impairment, must have had a
variety of troubles and limits, he was a sincerely proficient player as proven
by the fact that he played in a dream major league. Especially he was good at
stealing a base, setting a record as having the highest stolen bases over the
season.
Even though
there seems that he had no problem according to his notable record, it is true,
needless to say, that he had difficulties in communicating with others and also
understanding what the umpire said. One day, one of the umpires who struggled
to keep up with a way to deal with the problem decided to make signs by moving
his hand. Thanks to this small caring consideration, Hoy could perform better.
After that, it
was applied to other team members as well with simple gesture, resulting in a
positive way. Though it took a lot of time since Hoy played, it goes on still,
which shows careful concern for the disabled. It is often described that the
exaggerated gesture is a wonderful combination between one player’s passion to
overcome his limit and one umpire’s caring for him.
Actually some
people assert that direct reason for the big gesture is for the audience. They
say the gesture was made because the audience with cheer cannot recognize
whether it is strike or ball. Anyway, there’s no one who thinks that the sign
was not influenced by Hoy.
What about
reminding of Hoy and his efforts when you watch the umpire’s exaggerated
gesture during the baseball game next time? Also, remember wonderful the
umpires’ thoughtful consideration and its effect.
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