European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes sunday. March 28,1987 columns Tom Wicker Nunn Baker could be dark horse surprises As neatly1 As defense secretory Caspar win but Ger thinks a laser beam can wait an incoming mis site sen Sam Nunn d-ga., hot Down the Reagan administration Broad interpretation of the adm treaty and May have affected profoundly he 1988 presidential election. Nunn i weight on Security issues is such that this was a major event in arms control. The possibility thai his three Senate speeches were equally important politically though he is not now a candidate for the democratic presidential nomination was strength ened when gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts confessed that he is or will be. Proximity not to mention the governor s consider Able abilities will make him a Strong perhaps even favored contender in the new Hampshire primary next year in 1964, old timers Wilt remember Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts without even campaigning scored a write in Victory Over Nelson Rocke Feller and Barry Gold Alcor in new Hampshire s re publican primary. So for 1988, consider this scenario Gary Hart the nominal front runner wins the Iowa caucuses or alternatively one of the dark horses perhaps Bruce Babbitt or Richard Gephardt pulls a upset. Dukakis grabs a neighbor state Victory in new Hampshire. That brings Orv super tuesday march8, when 14 Stales choose their delegates at least one of which Massachusetts will be More or less closed to everyone but its favorite son Dukakis. The other 13 Are Border or Southern states including Texas and Florida Vilh their big Delegate totals. If Nunn has made himself Georgia s Tavonte son there and in numerous other super tuesday Stales he could Roll up a substantial number of delegates in one Day. So probably could Jesse Jackson Given his Stron Appeal Loblack voters Han either As the Iowa Winner or scrambling to get Back in the race would win super tuesday delegates too an upset Victor in Iowa if there was one could take some More. Another Southern candidate possibly Dale bumpers of Arkansas might further split the pot. Conceivably therefore the democrats could emerge from super tuesday to find at Leas Hart Dukakis Nunn and Jackson with sufficient Dej Egale totals to continue but without any one of them in a position to close out the race. As the primaries unfolded their differing geographical backgrounds and ideological views might mean that no one could lock up a majority of the delegates. That would produce what political writers dream of George f. Will a brokered or contested convention that might re quire More than one ballot to choose a nominee. Such conventions once common have been considered Al bul impossible since inc present primary plus Federal financing system emerged after the 1963 election and Here has been a Multi Allol contested convention since 1952 Ronald Reagan was a serious contender a Kansas City in 1976 but narrowly Tost to Gerald Ford on the first ballot the possibility seems greater this year than usual because for the first time since 1968 no incumbent is running no one seems to dominate the race in either parly and super tuesday complicates matters exactly How no one really knows. Thai s Why Nunn s devastating speeches Way have been politically important they could soften Liberal suspicion of a Southern candidate give him the base for a late Campaign focused on super tuesday and heighten the possibility thai several contending candidates could reach the convention in Atlanta. Republicans might see something similar if by Lai this year Howard Baker has proved a remarkably successful White House chief of staff instrumental  achieving an arms control treaty and a budget Deal with Congress. He says he s not a candidate anymore bul they never really give up and even As a late starter. Baker could be a substantial Winner in those Souther Stales on super tuesday particularly if sen. Bob Dole of Kansas wins in neighbouring Iowa but vice president George Bush of Connecticut and Maine then confuses the race with a Victory in new Hampshire. Those three plus Jack Kemp and or pal Robertson on the right might also produce a contested convention. Maybe than a pipe dream but Don l count Sam Nunn or Howard Baker out just yet.  lessons of be earned from Man with the mud in the glamorous world of inc big leagues you usually can find in the bowels of the Ballpark 90 minutes before game time a Middle aged Man silting in Long underwear with his hands covered with mud from the Delaware River. Welcome to the Blue Collar world of the men whose collars really Are Blue the umpires baseball s judicial Branch. The Man with the mud will be umpiring Home plate that Day. Baseballs Are rubbed with mud Only the Delaware stuff will do id remove the nor etude s slickness. The Long underwear spares umpires the Dis Comfort of itchy dust and the i elegance of sweat stained trousers. Umpires understand As do Gaulie did. That dignity sustains authority. In 1914, Christy Mathewson the Pitcher said Many fans look upon an Umpire As a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball like the odor that follows an  such fans should imagine what life would be like without the likes of Richie Garcia and Durwood Merrill two of the american league s finest. Umpires gel Only two weeks off in a season. For them there Are no Home games. They Start at j 30,000 a year. If they endure their endless Road trips for 20 Yean they earn 180,000, a fraction of the Cost of mediocre Utility infielder. The infielder s mediocrity is obvious umpires aspire to an unnoticed excellence. La is said that umpires Are expected to be perfect on opening Day and improve All season. So they too need Spring training for an essential Clement of their Craft Liming. Garcia 44, came to umpiring from key West and the Marine clips. The corps was Good training for a vocation that an Umpire once summarized in seven words Call pm fast and walk away  Garcia is a compact Man with a Spring in his step and baseball on his brain on Oil Days he watches televised baseball games. Like the Best baseball people if he is awake he is working. He studies Box scores to be aware of what hitters Are hot what pitchers Are wild what fielders arc making errors. The night before working Home plate he begins thinking about tomorrow s starting pitchers their moves to first i hair tendency to balk their mix of pitches. Merrill 47, a Bear of a Man from Oklahoma via Hooks Texas was a burned out Hijji school football coach at 28, so he became an Umpire. Studies show that umpires endure stress Levels not much lower than those of air traffic controllers big City policemen inner City teachers or Texas High school football coaches. Umpires endure the stress in quest of a perfection so unobtrusive it is invisible to 50,000 people. The key to excellence says Merrill is Angle and position being in the Best position to make inc difficult Calls such As swipe lags and trapped balls. Thituc is another ingredient Confidence. When babe Ruth was called out on strikes by Umpire babe Pirelli. Ruth made a populist argument inferring weight from raw numbers there s 40,000 people Here who know that last one was a Ball Tomato head Pinelli replied with the Assurance of John mar shall maybe so but mine is the Only opinion that counts As Garcia tells Young umpires and every Par ent should Tell every Young person just because they re Yelling at you does t mean you Are  umpires arc islands of exemption from the litigious Ness of american life. As has been said if someone gels Ihrcke strikes on you the Best lawyer can t get you off. Long ago the ethic of umpiring was put Pri Stinely by Umpire Bill Guthrie Der Ain t no close plays me lad Day is either dts  de Jure perhaps but do Facto it can be a Little different. Strict construction of baseball s rules As of the Constitution leaves room for judicial interpretation. Anybody can Sec High and Low says Merrill it is in and out that is  the saying Good umpires Are pitchers umpires Means that Good umpires Are not afraid to Call strikes calling borderline pitches strikes makes pitchers More confident and batters More aggressive. That is Good umpiring makes Good baseball a fact from which a Large lesson flows. The business of umpiring is to regulate striving to turn it from chaos into ordered Competition thereby enabling excellence to prevail Over cruder qualities. Umpiring is in a word government and it is very valuable a fact some of Loday s conservatives should consider. Section 901 a of the baseball Rule Book says the Umpire shall be responsible for the conduct of the  some of us emerging parched from the desert of the off season think there is no nobler responsibility