The Opelousas courier., 1901-08-31
BASE BALL CHANGES.
New Regulations of Play That Would
Puzzle OldtimerH.

New Regulations of Play That Would
Puzzle Oldtimerp.
It would be a puZz1ing experience fol-
n of the dyed-in-the-Wool baseball
cranks" of the halcyon days of the
eighties to 60 up to the polo grounds
this season and watch a modern game
of baseball. The game has changed
materially since those popular days,
and the former enthusiast would find
1t no easy task to understand all OF
the plays now in vogue. In fact, II
is rather puzzling even to those who
casually follow the game from year
to year to understand all Of the more
recent changes.
The rules that now govern foul
balls, for instance, are intricate. A
few years ago the national league in,
troduced a law that made a foul tip"
a strike against the batter if it were
caught by the catcher while standing
within the lines of his position" that
is, "off the bat" as old baseball play.
ers know it. This year the rule
makers have gone still further, and a
foul hit which is not caught is also
counted as a strike against the batter,
unless it is caught before it touches
the ground. This proviso, making the
foul ball q strike at one time and not
at another, c~omplicates the game SO
that it is more difficult for the unin.
itiated spectator to follow the play.
Under old rules a base runner could
never advance, after a fair fly ball
had been caught, until the pitcher had
returned to his box" with the ball in
his hands. Now the runner is allowed
to leave his base the instant the ball
has been caught. The result Of this
is that a man on third base often
reaches home after q long fly has
been caught in the outield, and some
times a runner manages to steal third
from second on such a play. Unless
the fly was caught in the extreme
right field, however, the throw to
third base is much shorter than to the
home plate, and it is difficult for him
to steal the base without being put
out.
Another new rule that was put
through not many years ago requires
the umpire to declare a batter out If a
hy ball that h. has knocked into the
field is muffed Intentionally by the
fielder. The reason for this was that
felders often failed to catch short ny
balls when the bases were filled. BY
letting the ball drop to the ground the
runners were all forced off their bases,
and the ielders could pick it up and
make a double or perhaps q triple
play.
The old rule that permitted a bat
ter to take first base without inter-
ference if he we're struck by a pitched
hall was modified this year, but. ow-
ing to many complaints, has practt-
ca1ly been restored.
The tendency of the changes in
baseball rules in the last few years
has been to make the game so faster
and to shorten the playing time. Old
timers can remember when the pitch
err was allowed eight balls before the
"base on balls penalty was charged
for his wildness Of delivery, but now
the pitcher is allowed only three
bad deliveries, the fourth ball" allow"
ing the batter to go to first base with"
out interference. With the increase
in pitching skill and the consequent
reduction OF batting the game has be-
come much shorter. and now the av-
erage playing time is less than two
hours. Old "rooters" well remember
when three hours was not considered
long for a championship match.-NeW
York Tribune.