I always tried to learn about the hitters. Anytime someone got a hit off me, I made a mental note of the pitch. He'd never see that one again.
Christy MathewsonRead
Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously compares umpires to an unpleasant but unavoidable aspect of baseball, much like the smell of an engine.
Christy Mathewson's quote reflects the mixed feelings that baseball fans have towards umpires, who are essential for the game's regulation but often seen as a nuisance. By likening umpires to a 'necessary evil,' Mathewson captures the humor and irony of how some aspects of the sport, while crucial, can be perceived negatively by fans.
Themes
UmpireBaseballHumorNecessary EvilFans
In practice
Example use cases
During a baseball game, one could quote this line to lighten the mood when discussing a controversial call.
More from Christy Mathewson
All quotes βSimilar quotes
I require only three things of a man. He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid.
Dorothy ParkerRead
How art thou out of breath when thou hast breath To say to me that thou art out of breath?
William ShakespeareRead
I do not often laugh, sir, as you may perceive by the air of my countenance; but nevertheless, I retain the privilege of laughing when I please.
Alexandre DumasRead
Feeling different, feeling alienated, feeling persecuted, feeling that the only way to deal with the world is to laugh - because if you don't laugh you're going to cry and never stop crying - that's probably what's responsible for the Jews having developed such a great sense of humor. The people who had the greatest reason to weep, learned more than anyone else how to laugh.
Mel BrooksRead
If I blow my nose, it gets written all over the world.
Audrey HepburnRead
Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say it makes him more pleasing to others.
Samuel JohnsonRead