St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-20
UNIFORM SCORING.
Another Base Ball Man Who
Wants Scorers to Work To-

To the Editor of the Globe:
The remarks of "Heloi" in last Sun
day 5 GLOBE are timely and to the point
as regards scoring in most of the cities
of the Northwestern league last season,
but he unfortunately got hold of set
of rules adopted by half dozen sore
heads at Philadelphia. When the Amer
lean association met at Cincinnati last
fall base ball reporters representing
most of the large Eastern cities also
met there and formed the National AS
Sociation of Bise Ball Reporters of the
United States. This association, as its
name implies, is national in its scope,
any base ball reporter in the country
being eligible to membership upon the
payment of 81 as membership fees.
This association secured recognition at
the time from the American aSSocia-
ton and its representatives are to be
present ut the joint meeting of the
league and American association the
coming month, when they will be Off
cially recognized by the two bodies, and
also be called upon for any suggestions
they may see fit to make in regard to
changes in the present rules for scoring.
At the meeting in Cincinnati the fol
lowing changes were recommended,
and were published at the time in the
Sporting Life, the official organ of the
league and American association:
That any attempt TO steal base must
GO to the credit of the baSe-runner,
whether the ball is thrown wild or
muffed by a fielder, and unless the base
runner is advanced more than one base
no error is to be charged to the fielder.
Ii the baSe-runner advances another
base, the fielder allowing the advance
i- hn .l,a vol al
baSe-runner makes start ali a BAT
terry error is made, the runner eturcs
the credit of stolen base, and the bat
terry error is scored against the player
making it. Should baSe-run:.tr over
run a base and then be pUt out he
should receive the credit for the stolen
base.
The left On base item in the summary
will be represented by the difference be-
tween the total of times at bat and bat
ted balls and hit by pitchers and the to-
tai of the put-Outs and runs.
This simply decides this question,
that with two men out and men on either
bases. if the batsman hits the ball and
the play is made on one of the men on
the bases it is proper to credit the bats
man with being left on base.
Then this went through:
Resolved, That when player reaches
first base through an error of judgment, such
as two felderS allowing ball to drop be-
tween them, the batter shall not be credited
with a base hit or the tielderS charged with
an error; but it shall be scored an unac-
cepted chance, and the batter shall be
charged with a time at bat.
An earned run will be scored every
time the player reaches the home base,
unaided by an error, before chances
have been offered to retire the side of
three men. Bases on balls, being sum-
married. as errors, shall not be cOnSid-
cred as factors in earned runs. The
rule was passed that in all eases where
a baSe-runner is retired by being hit
with batted ball the batSman shall be
credited with base hit
1t was resolved that in the summary
of the scores each pitcher shall be
credited with the number of Strike-outS
he causes in game, and that the sec
retarieS OF the League and Association
be requested to keep record of these
strike-outS separate from the fielding
averages of the pitchers 1t is still
deemed advisable, however, that a strike
out be scored as an assist. Hereafter,
when the base runner runs base, after
a fly has been caught by an outfelder,
he shall be credited with a stolen base
1t was further resolved that where foul
muffing the same shall be charged with
an error in each and every case.
These are all the changes so far
agreed upon. The new baSe-stealing
rule is good. How many times, ''IIelot''
have you seen the catcher purposely
drop the ball when a base-runner was
on his way to second i'll order to save
stolen base being credited against him?
Many and many a time, I'll wager.
''HelOt" must be Minneapolis scorer,
as some of his statements of how PLAYS
were scored last season are wide of the
facts as far as st. Paul is concerned,
especially those concerning stolen bases.
But as this only serves to illustrate the
point he wishes to make. e., that the
Western association scorers should
settle on some certain rules, and all
score by them. l will not particularize,
but hope that the records at the close of
the coming season will be a better cri-
terion OF players merit than those of
last season. FRANK.
st. Paul, Feb. IS.