Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-02-26
BASE BALL RULES.
Some Important Changes Recommend
to the League.


New York. February 25.-The Rules
Committee Of the National Base Ball
League, cosisting Of Edward Hanlon, OF
Baltimore; James A. Hart, OF Chicago,
and c. H. Byrne of Brooklyn, met in
this city to-day, in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. Mr.. Byrne took the place of
w. w. Kerr, of Pittsburg, who was IN
avoidably absent.
The committee made numerous
changes, which will be voted on by the
League at it's meeting on Wednesday.
Among the changes recommended
are:
Rule No. s, to make the pitchers
plate "a by instead of y by4.
Rule II. section 2, is changed to read:
''The alternate ball delivered the pitch
err may be discolored by him, but by no
other player. In so doing, the pitcher
shall resort to no other means than
rubbing the ball with his hands or
gloves"
Rule 49, section 2, is changed to
read: NO players except the catcher
and first baseman shall be permitted
to wear padded or lined gloves or
mitts."
Rule 40 is thus defined: "a bunt hit
is a deliberate attempt on the part of
the batsman to bunt ball slowly
within the inaeld so it cannot be field
ed by an infielder in time to retire the
batsman.'
Rule SO is changed to read: "The
coachers shall be restrained to coach
ing the base runner"
An amendment to rule SO, section 35,
reads: 1T shall be the duty of an
umpire to enforce the rule regardless
of a personal opinion as on their mer-
its. This shall apply especially to
rule SO and section 3 of rule 81 In
the event of the umpires failure to en-
force these rules he shall be fined $40
for each offense upon the sworn state
ment of the captain of the opposing
team and two reputable witnesses, atil-
dayit however, must be forwarded to
the secretary of the league within
twenty-four hours from the time OF
the otfense."
Rule 56.-The committee recommend
that the constitution be amended to
penalize this rule as follows: ANY
player other than the captain leaving
his position in the field or leaving the
bench to question decision of the UNI
pire. shall be fined $40 by the umpire
| for the first offense and for the sec
ond offense he shall be removed from
the game and required to leave the
field forthwith"
Rule 60, section 5, is amended to
read: THE umpire shall remove a
player for a violation of section l OF
this rule. and the player so removed
shall be ineligible to play in a cham
pionship game for the next three sue
| cessive games"
The bat can now be of any size or
length, but it must be round and made
of solid hard wood.
Another most important change is
one what constitutes foul ball. Here
after any ball that goes to foul ground
between the lines of bases, is to be con-
sidered foul whether it is batted direct
" to the ground or in the air. This
does away with the old ten foot rule.
The foul tip was sat upon as fol-
lows: "a ball tipped by the batsman
and caught by the catcher within the
ten foot line is a strike" This di-
rect concession to the pitchers, the only
one made by the committee.
The regular schedule meeting OF the
League takes place at the Fifth Ave
nue. Hotel tomorrow. when the rules
committees report will be presented.