The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-07
ABoLIsH ERRoR coLUMN.
Ex-senator Billy Joyce Discourses
On Record Players.

LIZ s1A+ea tDA Dill % CFNS A-A9sD VA IS
On Record Players.
''Scrappy BtlT Joyce. one Of America s
greaest authorities ON baseball, has made
some remarks on the error column
question Joyce grew up with the game,
just as Pop Arson, Fred Pfelfer ana
Mike Kelly did. Therefore Bills argu-
mCnr for the elimination OF the error coli
umn is entitled to reflection. Joyce has
not threatened to call the attention OF
the ruie-framers TO his argument, but
merely offers it as q suggestion for the
betterment of the game.
He points out in more ways than one,
why it would be a GOOD idea 10 cut out
the error column. Better Dali would be
played, ne contends, for the reason that
d PLAYER would never let an opportunity
slip 60 80 after the sphere.
Frequently, under the present condI-
tons players make no effort to field
ball, lest they should be unsuccessful an
the attempt and an. error would be
served against them. Salaries depend up
on their averages, and errors count
against player with equal force as
put-Outs and assists 90 in his favor.
A players average for the season 10
a large degree regulates the salary lhaL
he shall receive during the coming year
and it IS easy to show why player
wants to avoid representation In the err
rOr column.
Another reason advanced is that Off
cial scorers sometimes play tavorltes, ana
il is not an uncommon thing Tor scof-
eTs TO disagree as TO whether the play
is a hit or an error. Joyce does not argue
that element of the proposition a. a
point in favor of his contention how
ever lie simply says that better pail
would be played,
joyce says; Ball players are as SEN
sitlVe as actors or people in any other
profession. L do not mean from the
viewpoint that because they are afraid
OF being Missed, as is the ease with the
sensitive for that. but their Dread and
butter depend largely upon it, Many a
ball is hit that a fielder might go after
and get If he were not afraid of get
ting an error should he fail to deliver
the goods.
should he go after the BAH and then
make a tumble or wild throw after ne
touched it. an error would be scored
against him. Perhaps hiss better judg-
ment tells him that in order to avoid the
possibility of an error 1t rs best not TO
try TO get the bail Ana rom all ap-
pearanCes the situation might be such
that &c looked next TO impossible for
the fielder TO get the ball. IF, however,
errors did not count. there is not base
not make every effort 70 get every
bah that came his way or anywhere
near it,
III does not always follow that the
player who has the best average de-
mands the biggest salary. Perhaps the
best players of the DAY viii be found
third, fourth and fifth i'm the average
column. But that has whole lot 70
do with the salary question just the
same.
'Iu mirror leagues the averages are
padded, with the result that when a
player is taken frOm minor league in
10 the major league the latter is often
bunc0ed because Of the padding referred
TO.
If errors did not count against a
PLAYER there would be no such thing
as padding a players average. Better
players would be secured and the game
would be more Of a pleasure TO look
at, as the boys would be working heart
and soul all the time The rIle makers
are always adding new rules, and
/ think if they could see the error pr0po-
! sitiOn as / do they would take my Tip
and adopt it,"