Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-06
UMPIRE HOLIDAY ERRED.
President Pulham Solves a Base Ball
Problem for Collegians.

There will be no formal protest by Prince
ton arising out Of the decision by Umpire
Holiday in the matter Of a Princeton player
batting out Of turn In the game with Yale
last Saturday. The point In question fur
nished knotty problem for President Pull
liam of the National League to decide.
There was no precedent for ruling and
the rule governing the point is anything but
clear. Mr.. Pulliam wanted to establish a
precedent and he gave the matter great
deal Of thought before arriving at a con-
clusion. The decision of President Pulliam
is fully explained in the presidents state
ment below. In all probability this will be
the end of the matter so far as Yale and
Princeton are concerned, as an extra game
between the two could not be played. owing
to the schedules being filed and possible
faculty Intervention. Both sides were
willing to have Pulliam rule on the point,
and the dispute-if such 1t may be called
was entirely friendly. Mr.. Pulliams state
ment follows:
In this game Captain WINSTON raised the
point of the proper batsman having failed
to take his position at the bat and called
for ruling by the umpire, under rule 40,
section l. of the playing rules of the Ma
tional League. which rule reads as follows:
The batsman is out IL he falls to take
his position at the bat in his order Of bat
ting, unless the error be discovered and
the proper batsman takes his position be-
fore time 'at bat Is recorded and In
such case the balls and strikes called must
be counted in the time lat bat" of the
proper batsman, and only the proper bats
man shall be declared out, and no run
shall be scored or bases run because Of any
act of the improper batsman: Provided.
this rule shall not take effect unless the
out is declared before the ball is delivered
to the succeeding batsman- Should bats
man declared out by this rule be sufficient
to retire the side the proper batsman the
!
come to bat had the player been out by
ordinary play"
LAS the result of decision of Umpire
Holiday on Captain WinslOw's appeal, a
friendly protest was lodged with this Office
by Captain Pearson of the Priceton team
for the construction Of said rule, 1t being
understood and so stated by Captain Pear
son that the Princeton club did not desire
to benefit by any technfcality, nor to have
the result Of said game changed by any
ruling that might be made by this office
THE umpires report of the play and rul-
ing in question Is as follows:
Mr. Harry c. Pulllam, President National
League:
Dear Sir: The play came UP as follows
"It should have been Wells turn at the
bat; instead Davis came up and went out,
as the rules say, on an ordinary play: but
the mistake was not known until Davis
wanted to open up the next inning at bat.
when my attention was called to him that
he having been the last man out In the
out, for batting out of turn In the preced-
ing. Yours very respectfully,
~. w. HOLIDAY.
my construction of this rule, after care
full consideration. Is as follows, and 1t shall
be my construction and decision in the fu-
ture. in case this play comes up in the
National League:
when Umpire Holidays attention was
called to the fact that Davis had improp-
eriy batted in the fifth inning he should
have called Wells. the proper batsman. out
for not taking his turn at the bat, and he
should have announced this fact to the
official scorer and had the Wells out re-
corded as the third out of the fifth inning
and announced that Davis action in the
fifth inning was null and void In the sixth
inning the proper batsmen in order should
have been Davis, Ameli, Stevens.
1.-THE umpire erred in calling Davis out in
the sixth inning for batting out Of turn in
the fifth. According to Rule 46. the proper
batsman only suffers the penalty of being
called out for failure to take his position
at the bat in his order of batting and in
this case Wells was the proper batsman,
and therefore the only one to be declared
out
''The intent of the rule Is to prevent a
club being the beneficiary Of an act of the
improper batsman: therefore it was decreed
that when a protest was properly made
all the actions of the improper batsman
should be declared null and void, and the
proper batsman should be called out"