The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-14
Poets AND THE COMING CHAM
PIoNshR.
RECENT SCHEDULE MEETING.
CHANGES IN THE RULES-RADICAL
CURTAILMENT OF KICKING
PRIVILEGES.
What the National League VIII Do
With Rusie-FOIIy of His
Suit.
Special Correspondence to the Globe.

Special Correspondence to the Globe
NEW YORK, March 11.-That COUP
let about spring, young mems fancies
and love will have to be amended to
bring it up to the times Love has a.
rival. In these days spring each wear
turns most young mems fancies to the
approaching base ball championships
Nor are the old and middle-aged men
exempt from the vernal rage 1t at
tacks all. from the boy in the knick-
erbockers to the grandfather who yot-
ed for Andrew Jackson
The recent schedule meeting of the
National league magnates of Baltimore
was the harbinger of another cham
pionship base ball season. They then
and there overhauled the playing rules.
adopted a schedule of games and i'm
agined they had solved the umpire
and disorder problems. Now the play
ers are reporting to their managers,
and few teams have already gone
into training. Some weeks will be
spent in working off the winter accu-
mutation of fat and tissue, toughening
the muscles and fortifying the respira-
tory organs In the meantime the
friends of each club will marvel at the
reports from the training grounds and
express their inability to figure out
how their pets can lose.
The Southern experiment in training
will not have so many friends this
year. Five Of the twelve clubs-namely.
the New Yorks, Clevelands, Washing
tons. Louisvilles and ST. Louis Browns
will remain North and try the efficacy
nT ne oiT nd
suit will be watched with general in
terest, and if the home experiment
turns out we'll with any one or more of
these five teams there will probably be
a general stay at home policy adopted
next year. The Southern training
jaunts are expensive, and few clubs
have come back without cost of from
81, 900 to $4,000 =: 4,
There were not many changes made
in the rules this year, but some of the
few are in the nature of revolution.
The magnates believe they have crush
ed out noisy Irrelevant coaching and
effectually squelched the kickers, there
by making the life of an umpire less
like the penance of lost soul in pur-
gatory. We shall see after the new
rules are worked awhile. Perhaps the
problem is solved. I said perhaps.
Only one man is allowed to coach
when a single runner is on base. When
two runners get into position, another
coacher may go into service Other
wise and at, other. times every member
of the team at bat must sit on the
bench awaiting his turn at the plate
or at base running. Past experience
has shown it to be almost as difficult
to keep players on the bench while
waiting their respective turns as it is
to drill a drove of hogs. To carry that
part of the rule into effect the league
will have to arm each umpire with a
double barreled shotgun and give him
plenary powers.
Another rule prohibits any member
of nine but the captain from disput-
ing decision of the umpire. And the
captain must raise his Ebenezer only
from his position while in the field and
If his side be at the bat he dares not
come nearer than sixty feet Of the UNI
pire to deliver his exhortation or anath-
emas. At least that is what the rule
says, and it provides an extra chalk
line to prescribe the captains approach
to the umpire-a sort of ne plus ultra
in white. Very beautiful Is that chalk
line trocha in theory In practice 1
fear it will have to be Changed to Wey-
ler's system of barbed wire and ditch.
Just imagine, If anybody can, Tebeau,
Arson, Joyce or Ewing looking for
that chalk line when they start in to
convince the umpire that he is either
in error or is no better than he should
be! That's all we can 'do-imagne it,
The object of this lfneal barrier is to
keep the two men, thesumpire and the
dissenting captain, at such a distance
apart while they are exchanging their
distinguished considerations, that the
anxious rooters in the stands may hear
the arguments, demurrers and final
verdict from both sides. 1t may be edi-
flying, but at times a closer communion
'twixt the two might be desirable.
To enforce these rules the umpire Is
given unlimited power to yank an Of
fender out of the game and run him
off the ground The magnates accom-
panied their new rules with a hunk Of
good advice to the umpires. 1t is epic
grammatic and supplies what few
things old Polonius forgot when he
charged Laertes on the latter's depart
ure for Paris. If the umpires follow
these new rules and their foot notes OF
advice, men like Arson. Joyce. Duffy,
McGraw and Tebeau will not play more
than one inning to game on an aver
age.
Every magnate signed these rules and
this heroic bunch Of advice to the UNI
pires, and ten of the twelve will be
crying for the official blood Of the UNI
pires who read 1t literally before the
May pole blossoms, 1t is a beautiful
theory as long as all the other fellows
oxen are gored But one jab of the
umpire's horn into thethid of home
taurus will raise a below which Will be
heard around the circuit.
l. And what Is the poor umpire to do?
I'd rather be in McKintey's shoes today
than be one of the National league
umpires.
Next to the adoption of those millen-
MUM rules the most important event
Of the Baltimore meeting was the all
but unanimous reSoltfion to defend
the Rusie injunction case against the
New York club The noted pitcher
after year of idleness and rebellion,
has gone into the United States court
at Trenton and askedU for an injunc-
ton to restrain the aforesaid club from
reserving him from year to year.
Should his petition for an. injunction
be granted and he be permitted to
sign contract with another club. the
reserve rule, acknowledged to be the
foundation and very life Of professional
baseball, would be- destroyed. The
league has simply forestailec possible
verdict in its favor. While all efforts
will be made to defeat him before the