were routinely subjected to great abuse with little backing from the league office, Johnson staunchly defended his field officials and insisted that players and local authorities maintain respect for them. When he was not umpiring, Sheridan worked as an undertaker. A 1905 newspaper article even described Sheridan as having announced his retirement to pursue undertaking in 1905. Before the 1906 season, Sheridan renewed his contract with the American League. In 1906, Sheridan ejected outfielder Tip O'Neill after an argument and may have been indirectly responsible for the end of O'Neill's career. The outfielder was replaced by Pat Dougherty, who won the position for the season. O'Neill did not play in the major leagues after that year. He became the standard after which other umpires patterned themselves; after arriving in the AL at age 22 in 1906, Billy Evans regularly worked in a team with Sheridan for several years in order to study under the senior umpire, with Sheridan usually working behind the plate and Evans on the bases. Both Evans and fellow Hall of Famer Bill Klem regarded Sheridan as the game's greatest umpire. Many years later, Evans said, "Each day while working the bases I would follow every move of Sheridan, as he shifted his body and stance back of the plate to follow the flight of the ball." Sheridan umpired in four of the first seven World Series: 1905, 1907, 1908 and 1910; he also umpired in the earlier Temple Cup NL championship series in 1896. In the winter of 1913–1914, he and Klem were the two umpires accompanying the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants on their world tour. Along with Bob Emslie and Tim Hurst, he is one of only three umpires who umpired both before 1893, when the pitching distance was only 50 feet, and also after the NL and AL formally recognized one another as major leagues in 1903. He is the only umpire active prior to 1893 who went on to officiate in a World Series. In September 1911, Sheridan asked Johnson for permission to permanently retire from umpiring. Johnson presented Sheridan with a medal of appreciation and said that while Sheridan would retire from the field, he expected the umpire to return to the league in an off-the-field capacity the next season. In March 1912, Sheridan said, "But I guess when the bell rings I'll be back in harness. Ban Johnson