will need me when the fight grows hot." He umpired between June and August of that season. The Pittsburgh Press announced that Sheridan would retire before the 1913 season. He joined the umpiring staff in late June that year. He suffered sunstroke while umpiring a game at Chicago in August 1914, and never fully recovered from the affliction. He called his last game on September 24 at Chicago, and despite the pleas of fellow officials insisted on remaining in the city for the crosstown series between the White Sox and Cubs before traveling to his home in California. Once there, his condition continued to deteriorate until he died three weeks later at age 52, at the San Jose home of his sister. Legacy The day after Sheridan died, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that he was "the most famous and oldest diamond official before the public and was popular because of his well-known honesty and ability." Over his 14 seasons as the dean of AL umpires, Sheridan became the prototype of the 20th century umpire. Whereas umpires in the 19th century had worked behind the plate in a standing position, believing that it helped them to better observe the flight of the ball, Sheridan established the practice of crouching while calling balls and strikes, a move which was quickly adopted universally due to its effectiveness. He was also remarkable in that he refused to use any sort of protection other than a mask. He was agile enough to reportedly never be hit by a foul ball. Sheridan was among the several umpires who were named to the Honor Rolls of Baseball by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, at a time when no umpires had yet received full membership in the Hall. In the initial voting for induction of umpires in 1953, he finished third in the voting behind inductees Bill Klem and Tommy Connolly, and was the only other candidate to receive a first-place vote. See also List of Major League Baseball umpires References External links Retrosheet 1862 births 1914 deaths Sportspeople from Decatur, Illinois Sportspeople from San Jose, California Deaths from hyperthermia Major League Baseball umpires