The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-11
THE BASBBALLOUTLO0K
Caylor Describes the Recent
Changes In the Rules.
THE BUNT HIT ANDTRAPPEDBALL

Hereafter m Foul Blunt Hit VIII Count as
Strike-A Fly Ball to tho Inneld Is Out,
Whether Caught or Not, If tho Fielder
Reaches 1t.
The month Of March is the period when
professional and amateur baseball PLAYERS
prepare for the work of the season lust
ahead. In little more than month cham
pionship games will be daily events. Mean
while the clubs arc gathering together their
teams, fitting up their grounds and boast
ing of their prospects. Arson bet two suits
of clothes last week on his belief in his
Colts. and so the preliminary season in base
ball may be said to BIO open.
About the first of the major teams to up
pear OH the diamond will be the ST. Louis
Browns. Mr.. Won der Abe, like the LOYAL
freshman he is, has arranged game in ST.
Louis for ST. Patrick's day in the after
noon. Mr.. Won der Abe has always been
considered shrewd magnate, and this last
bid for the Irish patronage does him credit
Several of the League teams will report
at Hot Springs within the next fortnight,
the champion Bostons will make trim
down into Virginia, and n few teams will
train Mt home. The Southern league has
scheduled it's championship season to begin
April H. The National league opens it's race
April 10, and the Eastern and the Western
leagues begin operations about May l.
Every indication points to wonderfully
prosperous season throughout the United
States. The National league, Eastern
league, New England league, Southern
league, Western league, Western assoc-
alton, Pennsylvania State league and sew
eral minor state leagues are already fully
organized and equipped and are preparing
In oh anil, .l,i,
most distinctive proofs of the spreading
popularity of the national game is the fact
that while the Mississippi valley last year
had no minor baseball organization that
vast territory this year will have two power
iul club combinations-thc Western league
and the Western association
The announcement that the National
league clubs paid Off nearly 500, OOO of in
debtcdness last year, and that almost ev-
cry one of them made money besides in the
face of business depression, showed how
the interest i'll the game was growing 1t
Is not rash prediction to say that the in
coming season of 1894 will be as prosperous
and notable as was that of 1889, when the
sport reached its high tide OF popularity.
The attendance upon the schedule meet
ing OF the National league In New York on
Feb. 2G and "a was most significant. News
papers from Boston, Washington, Louis
vile, Chicago and other cities sent staff re-
porters to the meeting, though nearly all
had resident correspondents OH hand.
AT this meeting several changes were
madc in the playing rules which will inter
est every baseball player or reader in the
Union, because the National league play
ing rules arc the standard of play in every
section OF the land. The bunt hit was pc
naliZed. Hereafter whenever batsmen at
INIT hA 1.n1I Il .
he will be charged with strike. The OBJ
1ect Of the penalty strikes in two direc-
lions. 1t handicaps few skilled men who
misused the play to foul Off every fairly
pitched ball until they got their base OH
balls. Latham, Hamilton and Duffy were
three OF these blunt killers" 1t will also
discourage those batsmen who wasted much
time last year and exhausted the patienc,
OF spectators by trying to btfht when they
couldn't.
Then the trap ball was killed by new
rule, which declares that the batsman shall
be out on fly ball to the inficld if an in
fielder can reach the fly in time, whether he
catches 1t or not. This new rule was aimed
particularly at McPhee of the Cincinnatis
and Fred Pfcffer of the Louisvilles, who. TO
use the language of the boys on the sun seats,
had do play down fine us silk and made
suckers outen de guys on de bases. Seesv
When an infield fly went to either of those
two players, men on bases were 'twiyt his
satanic majesty and the fathomless ocean.
III thcy stood still, the fly would be dropued.
ana they would be forced; if they ran. the
ny would be caught and so the magnates
found it necessary TO legislatc against those
two great players.
Another new rule provides that when a
batsman is hit by a ball at which lie strikes
ne snail not get base, as heretofore, but it
VIII be called IL strike. Those were the
Three important changes made in the rules.
The League magnates did Il most popular
thing when they created the Office of chief
OF the umpires and appointed Harry Wright
to fill it. In thus honoring the veteran man
ager baseball was also honorcd. For %
consecutive years Mr.. Wright has been nc
tlvely associated with professional ball He
played his first game with the Knicker-
Dockers OF New York in 1856 He was can
tain OF the famous Cincinnati Red Stock
lngs of lSG9-10. Then he went to Boston and
managed their champion team for nearly
half IL score of years. From Boston he went
TO Providence for Il couple of seasons and
therc TOOK hold of and built up the Phila-
deiphla team. In his long career in base
pail he has never done dishonorable act
and Is universally beloved by the public and
the players. His new duties will be TO
watch the work of the umpires and see that
no incompetent man remains on the staff.
The biggest IDEAL" of the season was the
purchase of the release of Farrell and AIea-
Kin by the New Yorks from the Washing
tons The price was $500 cash and two
good players Ito boot"-namely, Catcher
McMahon and Pitcher Petty The addition
OF these two men and Van Haltern to the
New York team, it is generally believed.
makes the Giants" formidable bidder
for pennant honors in 1894.
Pitchnf Infn