John F. Sheridan (1862 – November 2, 1914) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball. In his 30-year career as an official, he worked 18 seasons between 1890 and 1914 in three major leagues. Several of Sheridan's contemporaries considered him to be the best major league umpire. He pioneered the crouching stance used by modern umpires at home plate. In 1946 Sheridan was named to the Honor Rolls of Baseball of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Early life Sheridan was born in Decatur, Illinois. His mother Bridget was born in Ireland. During his childhood, Jack's family moved to San Jose, California, where he made his home thereafter. He enjoyed a brief career in the minor leagues as a second baseman. In 1883, Sheridan secured an advance of funds by convincing the manager of a Chattanooga minor league team that he would be an asset to the team. The manager was so disappointed in Sheridan's abilities that he took out an arrest warrant on the player. Sheridan was forced to repay the money he earned by working at a cigarette factory. He turned to umpiring soon after traveling with a team of California players for an eastern tour. Career He began his career by umpiring in the Southern League in 1885, then officiated in the California League from 1886 to 1889, after which he gained his first major league experience in the sole season of the Players' League in 1890. Nearly all games in that era used a single umpire, and the most outstanding officials generally moved from league to league, going wherever the league presidents were perceived as being most supportive, both in salary and in affirming the umpires' field authority. After returning to the California League for the 1891 season, Sheridan umpired in the National League in 1892, then again in the Southern League in 1893. In 1894–95, he umpired in the Western League, where he first became associated with that league's president, Ban Johnson. Johnson was fiercely supportive of his umpiring staff, and apart from a brief return to the NL in 1896–97, Sheridan would remain an umpire in Johnson's league for the remainder of his career. In 1901, the Western League added several eastern cities and renamed itself the American League, and through a series of signings of NL players successfully established itself as a rival major league. In contrast to the rowdier NL, where umpires