Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-22
MORE HITTING
IS NEEDED
Morse Declares That Base Ball
Scores Are Too Low
FielderS' Gloves.
BY J. c. MORSE.

| ton and Philadelphia Both of these clubs
| have put up a slim argument against Col
Inns crew in past seasons. At this early
| stage of the game the Bostons have been
| handicapped by accidents to members OF
the team. 'Inohle" Ferris aggravated his
| injury in friendly wrestling bout. and by
so doing worked harm to his team. Grim
shaw was not at his best. owing to an acct
| dent to his leg
| Even taking the accidents into considera-
| tion it looks as If the Bostons would have
to do better and faster work to cut any
| figure in the race They are now too slow
on the bases 1t takes base running to win
pennants nowadays. Something more Is
required than mere excellence In the pitch
Ing and batting departments.
Both the New York National and the Atm
| letic teams showed up strongly in the base
| running departments last season Chicago
in the American. and Pttsburg and Chicago
National both showed up well In the base
running direction.
| Not enough attention is paid to condition
these days. There Is too little real exer-
else taken by the players and there Is de-
| cided overlooking. Modern professional
base bah is far from what it should be-
Too Many Low Scores.
| Already the games have been marked by
| 100 many low scores. Again IL has been
| shown that there Is too little hitting and
that the pitcher preponderates altogether
| too much. 1t is generally agreed that
something should have been done to help
| the batting. The suggestion that three
| balls give the batsman his base instead OF
! four finds favor with many and would
| doubtless help a great deal, but Il is
| thought this would cause too many bases
| on balls and bring about a state OF things
| that would detract much from the Interest
| In the games.
One measure could be adopted that would
| help things a bit-that is TO call a bali
| instead of strike when the ball hits the
| bat and the batsman, when he plainly tries
| TO avoid being hit. How nonsensical It is
| for n batsman to be penalized when the
pitcher is wild, yet this is done apd often
| the bali goes into fair ground on the fly
| % on the ground when the batsman is
trying to avoid the ball 1t is generally
| admitted that this is all wrong.
Gloves Too Big.
| Something else could be done to help the
batting. and that Is by reducing the size
| of the gloves used. Naturally a catcher
is obliged to a big mitt. but there is no
reason at all why first baseman should
| be allowed to use the same kind OF pillow
| as the catcher that the infieders and
outflelders be permitted to use the large
sized obstacles that are In vogue A pro-
vision should be made limiting the size OF
| the rntt across the fingers instead OF across
/ the palm, as is now the case. 1t Is not
| at all surprising, with new gloves of the
| size now used. that the infielders can stop
about everything that comes Into their
path. They can block balls on the fly or
| on the ground, and either recover the ball
on the fly or catch il up after blocking IL
| in time to retire a man on base. The
| gloves OF the outnelders should be far
| smaller than those of the in6elders, and
| this would mean premium on fielding
| skill. About any one can be an outnelder
| as matters stand today. With smaller
gloves IL would not be so easy and the
game would be vastly improved. Diminish
| the size of the gloves for the outfieiders
and they would have to do something else
than throw a smail-siZed pillow at the bail.
gathering it blocking IL 80 as to make
the catch easy.
Something has to be done. People viii
soon tire of the stream of'games character
lied by the smallest of scores, and there is
no doubt at all there will be more 1 to o
| and > to l games than ever before. That IS
getting things down altogether too fine. A
| wcll-known veteran went so far as to say
the other day that II he had his way he
would do away entirely with gloves for the
| outfelders, but the players themselves
would doubtless raise howl IL such thing
were attempted.
Although II is all very well indeed to let
well enough alone SO long the game Is
prosperous, the experts in the game ought
to be consulted as TO the best thing to do
each season.
The openings this season were not half
bad although n whole 1t proved alto
gether too cool and damp 10 expect the best
results There IS no doubt at all that the
last week of April is plenty early 10 open
the base ball season.
Outlook in New York.
Without doubt the New York Americans
will do the best business this year they
have done since the club was established
on Washington Heights. There is more in
terest IN the club, and 1t is better than IT
has been for a long time. The New York
public is surely framing liking for Frank
Farrell's club, although the Brush team viii
hold first place so long as it plays in cham
p.onship form.
President John r Brush certainly did
very nice thing when he wired his con-
CALCULATIONS to President Gordon OF the
New York Americans on the opening day
of tho American League season. That
makes one think there VIII be something
doing in the fall If the two New York
teams do not land pennants. Would a series
between the two teams of the great me-
tropolis draw? Well rather. Surely as many
people gathered to see the games be-
tween the New York Giants and the Ath-
letiee. Manager Griffith of the New Yorks
has been aching for long time to get a
chance at his rivals, and IL looks as II his
wish would be gratified this year
Southern Trips.
The former great infeider, John F. Nor
rill. is of the opinion that as good results IN
training would be had IL the clubs re-
NAMED TRANQUILITY at home practicing MORN
ing and afternoon until the opening of the
championship season, and he would not
even exemp. pitchers from the workings of
this rule He thinks that It is needless ex-
pense to send a team way down south for
the reason that the players train under con-
ditions so manifestly different from those
which they will have to face when they get
north again. when they have TO come again
into a cold climate. that they might as wei
stay north.
AS a matter of fact. there is little revenue
In the exhibition games. Boston had the
worst showing this year that 1t has had
since 1t weat south, and it was not all due
to the weather. Major league teams In the
south are no longer the novelty they once
were.
When Gold Boils.
From the London Globe.