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Tough Call

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1948 painting by Norman Rockwell
Tough Call
(Game Called Because of Rain)
ArtistNorman Rockwell
Year1948
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions109 cm × 104 cm (43 in × 41 in)
LocationNational Baseball Hall of Fame

Tough Call – also known as Game Called Because of Rain, Bottom of the Sixth, or The Three Umpires – is a 1948 painting by American artist Norman Rockwell, painted for the April 23, 1949, cover of The Saturday Evening Post magazine. The original painting is in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is considered the best known of Rockwell's baseball-themed works, and appears in at least ten Rockwell commentary books.

The painting is set at a ballpark, where a group of three baseball umpires is looking skyward, as rain is starting to fall. Behind them is a scoreboard showing the game to be in the bottom of the 6th inning, with the Pittsburgh Pirates leading the Brooklyn Dodgers by a score of 1–0. Also shown is a Brooklyn coach or manager in conversation with his Pittsburgh counterpart.

Creation

During the 1948 season, Rockwell visited Ebbets Field, home ballpark of the Dodgers, with a photographer. The photographer took pictures of the umpires, some players, and the ballpark, which Rockwell used for reference in painting a Post cover image that he completed in California that winter. While in California, Rockwell also visited Ralph Kiner, to view his Pirates uniform for additional reference.

Two reference photographs feature a lineup that the Dodgers used only on September 13, against the Chicago Cubs:

No. Pos. Player
35 LF Marv Rackley
42 2B Jackie Robinson
1 SS Pee Wee Reese
7 3B Pete Reiser
6 CF Carl Furillo
10 C Bruce Edwards
14 1B Gil Hodges
22 RF Gene Hermanski
26 P Rex Barney

Reiser, normally an outfielder, played only four games at third base during the season, and only on September 13 was Barney also the pitcher. Other reference photographs show the three umpires who worked a doubleheader between the Dodgers and Pirates on September 14. The scoreboard also lists an upcoming Wednesday doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, which was played on September 15.

The above are all consistent with the reference photographs being taken on September 14, before the first game of the Pirates doubleheader, with the scoreboard still displaying the Dodgers' lineup from their prior game against the Cubs.

An early version of the painting was found in 2017, and was sold for $1.68 million.

Composition

The painting features five people, standing from left to right, who each posed for reference photographs;

Three Pittsburgh fielders are visible in the distance. While lacking reference photographs, they are identified, standing from left to right, as;

On the scoreboard, part of the Brooklyn batting order can be seen, and number 20 is listed as being at bat, while the line score shows just a single run in the game, scored by Pittsburgh in the top of the 2nd inning.

Not all details of the painting match actual game events of September 14, such as;

  • Pittsburgh did not have a 1–0 lead in either game of the doubleheader
  • Johnny Hopp played first base in both games
  • no Brooklyn player wearing number 20 played that day

Reception

The cover image was well received by the public. It has been the subject of confusion, however, and it caused some controversy between Rockwell and the Post.

The source of confusion is the depiction of Sukeforth and Meyer, and the score, which has Pittsburgh leading. If the game is ended by the umpires due to rain, Pittsburgh will win, given that they have the lead with five innings already completed. If so, why does Sukeforth (Brooklyn coach) look happy, while Meyer (Pittsburgh manager) appears unhappy? The Post provided an explanation for their readers;

In the picture, Clyde Sukeforth, a Brooklyn coach, could well be saying, 'You may be all wet, but it ain't raining a drop!' The huddled Pittsburgher—Bill Meyer, Pirate manager—is doubtless retorting, 'For the love of Abner Doubleday, how can we play ball in this cloudburst?'
1982 postage stamp

Other explanations are also possible; since the manually operated scoreboard at Ebbets Field was only updated after each team had batted, it's possible that Brooklyn is actually leading (due to scoring two or more runs in the bottom of the 6th inning), yet the score hasn't been updated yet. Ultimately, the painting is open to interpretation as "a fictional creation intended to do nothing other than elicit emotions of the moment, leaving the viewer to extrapolate various scenarios."

The source of controversy was changes the Post made to the image, without Rockwell's consent. The Post used an artist to adjust illustrations prior to publication; for example, to remove brand names. That artist adjusted Rockwell's original image to lighten the sky, and also darken the Pirates' uniforms. This upset Rockwell, who complained that the Post "had the piece of sky added when I still feel it was better as I conceived and painted it" in a letter to their art editor. After a total of four Rockwell paintings were adjusted by the Post in 1948 and 1949, Rockwell's objections resulted in the Post changing its policy.

In popular culture

The painting has been widely reproduced on numerous souvenir items, and was featured on a postage stamp issued by the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1982. In 2008, the image was shown on the television series The Bronx Is Burning, allegedly without permission, which resulted in a lawsuit against ESPN.

References

  1. ^ Kazenberg, Corry (August 13, 2009). "Game Called Because of Rain". Rockwell Center. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. Post, Paul (October 12, 2016). "Edgerton shares Norman Rockwell baseball memories". Sports Collectors Digest. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  3. "All in the POST STRIDE". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 8, 1949. Retrieved May 10, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Gerlach, Larry R. (June 13, 2014). "Norman Rockwell and Baseball: Images of the National Pastime". NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture. 23 (1). University of Nebraska Press: 41–63. doi:10.1353/nin.2014.0036. ISSN 1534-1844. S2CID 152523725. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  5. ^ "Game Called Because of Rain or Three Umpires by Norman Rockwell". Best Norman Rockwell Art. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  6. Isaacs, Stan (June 29, 1985). "Kiner-isms liven dull moments". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. Retrieved May 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35890)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  8. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35889)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  9. "Brooklyn Dodgers 6, Chicago Cubs 4". Retrosheet. September 13, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  10. "The 1948 BRO N Regular Season Batting Log for Pete Reiser". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  11. "The 1948 BRO N Regular Season Batting Log for Rex Barney". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  12. "Brooklyn Dodgers 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (1)". Retrosheet. September 14, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  13. "The 1948 Brooklyn Dodgers Regular Season Game Log". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  14. Helgeland, Les (April 21, 1949). "Kernels from the Field of Sports". The Daily Republic. Mitchell, South Dakota. Retrieved May 10, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  15. Seideman, David. "Newly Discovered Version Of Norman Rockwell's 'Tough Call' Up To $360K In Auction". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  16. "Heritage sells Rockwell study for 'Tough Call' for $1.68M". Live Auctioneers | Auction Central News. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  17. Abrams, Al (April 18, 1949). "Sidelights on Sports". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  18. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35893)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  19. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35883)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  20. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35882)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  21. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35894)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  22. "Reference photo for Game Called Because of Rain (35888)". Norman Rockwell Museum. 1948. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  23. Hochman, Stan (May 10, 1991). "Kids, don't try this at home". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved May 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  24. "Curtis Publishing Co 1949: Saturday Evening Post correspondence". Norman Rockwell Museum. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  25. Sama, Dominic (March 23, 1986). "Tributes to baseball from the world over". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 11, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  26. "Company sues ESPN over use of Norman Rockwell illustration". The Des Moines Register. May 4, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  27. Zaretsky, Donn (May 5, 2008). "Caught stealing?". The Art Law Blog. Retrieved May 11, 2017.

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