The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-05-19
OF SPORTS.

dolphs card In Sundays issue He also
tried very earnestly to state the matter
In a clear. conc.se manner. and could
have quoted more authority to justify
the position he assumed, but Thought
what he did say would be. sufficient to
satisfy any one who had the least knowI-
edge of the game. and the law bear ring on
the subject But II appears from his last
communica tion that the attempt was an
absolute failure, and for the gentlemen's
benefit the rule as to q ball being In play
Is hereby quoted that he may be further
enlightened into the mysteries of the
national game:
Rule li-Sectlon 9: For each cham
pionship game two regulation balls shall
be furnished by the home club to the
umpire for use. When the ball In play Is
DATED TO foul ground. and out of sight
OF the umpire. the other ball shall be
Immediately brought into play. AS
OFTEN as one OF the two In use shall be lost
a new one must be substituted. so that
the umpire shall at all times after tho
game begins have two balls In his posses
SION ana read for use. The moment the
umpire delivers an alternate ball tn the
p9icher II comes into play, and shall NOT
oe exchanged until ii in turn passes ont
~ slght 10 FOUL ground. AT no time shall
@ pan De Intentionally discolored by
ruDpfhs II with the soil or otherwise
NOV. the writer of this reply positively
asserts thai Gllroy did not open his
mouth in the way of any declaratIon
concerning forfeit, and, Furthermore
McNainara was the only man OF the two
10 declare the ball In play. az he was
ulnplrinB strikes and balls and had ab-
soiute control OF the battery. II makes
no difference whether Corbptt had ~
paii mat had been batted out of the
sight of the umpire and which Ind bean
returned TO the diamond i'm his hand. the
pan that Mcnamara delivered to Corbett
was the ball in play. Surely this IS pla In
enough. Then, II the law on the subiect
STANDS Tor anything, what right did GIL
roy nave In ordering. Burke back. The
| l1W says the ball delivered by MoNamara
was the ball In play. That settles that.
burke, then, was entitled to third The
question asked by the gentleman is based
upon the thinnest kind of an hypothesis
NO official umpire would have thought
Tor a moment of ordering Burke back
because he would have known The game
and would also know that after a bali
DATED foul and another put in play
ana delivered to the pitcher in position.
that base runner had right 10 as
many bases as he could steal. Ports
mouth never left the field, nor did they
cease playing. Norfolk did, there
fore. Mcnamara declared the game
forfeited to Portsmouth and mott
fled the official scorer, Mr.. Wal
ter Virnelson, to that effect. Mr. Gil
roy did not. But all this Is covered by
law. which tlhe gentleman will find In
Spalding's or nay other baseball guide.
The writer will call the gentleman's
attention to one more fact, then he Is
done with the subject for good, and that
fact Is this:
That the Portsmouth Star. the Ports
mouth, Evening Times. THE Roanoke
World. the Roanoke Times, the Lynch
burg Advance, the Lynchburg News, the
Richmond Dispatch and the Richmond
Times figure that game as lost TO Nor
folk Surely with such an array of au-
thority THE gentleman Will be convinced
that the course pursued by the gentle
man who complies the percentage table
for The Vrginian is absolutely correct
and proper until changed by the Appel
late Court In this case.