European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes sunday. March 29,1987 Tom Wicker Nunn Baker could be dark horse surprises As neatly As defense Secretary Caspar Wein Berger thinks a later beam can Nail an incoming mis Lite sen Sam Nunn d-ga., shot Down the Reagan administration s Broad interpretation of the abm treaty and May have affected profoundly the 1988 presidential election. Nunn s weight on Security issues is such thai this was a major event in arms control. The possibility that 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 governor1 consider Able abilities will make him a Strong perhaps even a favored contender in the new Hampshire primary net year. In 1964, old timers will 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 1968, 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 an upset Dukakis grabs a neighbor state Victory in new Hampshire. That brings on super tuesday March 8. When 14 states 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 Stales including Texas and Florida with their big Delegate totals. If Nunn has made himself Georgia s favorite 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 Strong Appeal Loblack voters. Hart either As the Iowa Winner or scrambling to gel Back in the race would win super tuesday delegates too an upset Victor in Iowa if there was one could Lake 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 Al least Hart Dukakis Nunn and Jackson with sufficient Delegate 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 Jans r3rc a brokered or contested it mention that might re quire More than one  a nominee. Such conventions once comm have been considered All bul impossible since the resent primary plus Federal financing system  the 1968 election and there has t been a Jan ballot contested convention since 19s2 Ronald began was a serious contender at Kansas City in l97bul narrowly lost to Gerald Ford on the first ballot the possibility seems greater his year than usual because for the Post time since 1968 no incumbent is running no orc Serns to dominate the race in either party and super tuesday complicates matters exactly How or one really knows. That s Why Nunn s  May have been politically important us could soften Liberal suspicion of a Southern candid be give him the base for a late Campaign of on super tuesday and heighten the possibility that several contending candidates could reach the convention in Atlanta. Republicans might see something similar if by late this year Howard Baker has proved a remarkably successful while House chief of staff instrumental say in achieving an arms control treaty and a budget Deal with Congress. He says he s not a candidate anymore but they never really give up and even As a late starter Baker could be a substantial Winner in those Southern Stales on super tuesday particularly if sen. Bob Dole of Kansas wins in neighbouring Iowa but Vic president George Bush of Connecticut and Maine then confuses the race with a Victory in new Hampshire those three plus Jack Kemp and or Pat Robertson on inc right might also produce a contested convention. Maybe that s a pipe dream bul Don t count Sam Nunn or Howard Baker out just yet. Lessons to be earned from Man with the mud in the glamorous world of the big Lead you usually can find in the bowels of the balls minutes before game Lime a Middle aged Man opting in Long underwear with his hands covered my mud from the Delaware River. Welcome to the blk Collar world of the men whose collars really Are the the umpires baseball s judicial Branch. The Man with the mud will be ump Riaff Home plate thai Day. Baseballs Are rubbed with i gab Only the Delaware stuff will do to rom Odthe horse hide s stick Ness. The Long underwear  the Dis Comfort of itchy dust and the  of sweat stained trousers. Umpires underhand As de Gaulle did that dignity sustains author in 1914, Christy Malhew fun the Pitcher said Many fans look upon an urn ire As a son of necessary evil to the luxury of Basco Auflick the odor that follows an  such Faor should imagine what life would be Tike without if likes of Richie Garcia and Durwood Merrill two of the american league s finest. Umpires get Only Apo weeks off in a season. For them there Are no Krnc games. They Start at s30,000 a year. If they in firc their endless Road trips for 20 years they earn , a fraction of the Cost of a mediocre . The infielder s mediocrity is obvious ump ifs aspire to an unnoticed excellence. It is said that umpires arc expected to be perfect on opening Day and improve All Siison. 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 corps. 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 off 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 hitlers arc hot what pitchers arc wild what fielders Are making errors. The night before working Home plate he begins thinking about tomorrow s starting pitchers their moves to first their tendency to balk their mix of pitches. Merrill 47, a Bear of a Man from Oklahoma via Hooks Texas was a burned out High 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 Roaches. Umpires endure inc 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 boing in the Best position to make inc difficult Calls such As swipe lacs and trapped balls. There is another ingredient Confidence. When babe Ruth was called out on strikes by Umpire babe Pinelli Ruth made a populist argument inferring weight from raw numbers there s 40,000 people Here who know that last one was a Ball Tomala head Pinelli replied with the Assurance of John mar shall maybe so but mine is the Only opinion that  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 Are islands of exemption from the litigious Ness of american life. As has been said if someone gel three strikes on you the Best lawyer can t get you off Long ago the ethic of umpiring was put Pri Stinely by Umpire Bill Guthric Der Ain t no close plays me Tad Dey is either Dis or  de Jure perhaps but de 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. Ii 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 today s conservatives should consider. Section 90l u of the baseball Rule Book says the Umpire shall be responsible far the conduct of the  some of us com ring parched from Lite desert of the off season think there is no nobler responsibility