Baseball Names

For Little Rock Public Radio, this is Dan Boice, with Naming Arkansas.
Several baseball hall-of-famers have come from Arkansas, including Dizzy Dean, Lou Brock, Bill Dickey, and Brooks Robinson. But Arkansas may have the only town in America that is actually named for our national pastime. The name of the Hempstead County town of Umpire calls out for a story, and story there is. According to legend, around 1900 there was a baseball game played by town-teams from Galena and Bethel. But, according to the tale, neither side knew the rules of the game. Fortunately, a knowledgeable and genial umpire was on hand and able to both teach the rules and officiate the game. For his kind help, the leaders of the community decided to name the town Umpire. As the story has been retold over the years, new details have been added, including the name of the umpire – Billy Faulkner – and the result of the game. Nowhere in America is there another town named Umpire, and the truth behind this unique name lies buried, possibly beneath home plate.
For the University of Arkansas at Monticello this is Dan Boice.