The Washington herald., 1907-12-09
Reforms Planned in Both
Baseball Leagues.
NATIONAL OWNERS GATHER
President PuIIiam VIII Call Meeting
to Order at the Waldorf TO-mOr-
row, While ban Johnson's MOguIs
Will Get Together at Chicago on
Wednesday-S0 Definite Action.

the hotel and to-day George DoVey. of
Boston; Garry, Hermann. OF Cincinnati
Henry Medlcus, of Brooklyn. and Stanley
Robinson, OF St Louis. put in an ap-
pearance. With Dovey were Fred Tenney
and Jake Morse. Dovey expects to meet
Joe Kelley while here and 10 come TO
terms whereby Kelley viii become the
manager Of the Bostons.
At Dovey's request, Tenney came along
IN order to be on the ground should a
deal be made with some other club for
the noted first baseman. Asked If he had
any plans, Tenney replied:
plans; what plans can a ball player
have? MT. Dovey wanted me to be on
hand in order that any deal made will be
as advantageous to me as possible
The question of a manager is vexing
one or two other National League clubs,
and there are promises Of several changes
in this regard during the week.
At the meeting itself there is little TO
do but recommend changes in the rules
and attend to routine matters. Rules
cannot be changed at this meeting. They
can be discussed and recommended and
then must be submitted to the joint rules
committee of the two big leagues. and.
If reported on favorably adopted at the
spring meetings.
No Mound for Pitchers.
President Pulliam will recommend that
all pitchers boxes be on a level with the
rest of the diamond, that batter ad-
vancing a runner, by means of fly ball.
be credited with a sacrifice hit. and that
a change be made in the rule under
which the. umpire may call time in the
course Of a game. He viii suggest a
change in this last-named point in sec
tion >. Of Rule Il. to the effect that It
shall be compulsory for an umpire to
call time in case OF accident TO the player
only when the fielding side is involved in
the accident For example. when a base
runner falls and is unable to make his
base, that is his own fault. and the UNI
pire shall not have to call time; but
should two helders run together and one
or both of them be laid out, play shall
at once be suspended.
Concerning the raised box practice, Pull
liam says: 1T has been contended that
the box must be raised in order TO drain
the field. but that is nonsense. a little
mound in the center of the diamond
doesn't drain the field All It does is to
give some pitchers an undue advantage.
and there can't be any uniformity in dia-
monds if this practice is allowed
Limit Number OF Players.
The limiting of clubs to carry but
eighteen players will again be proposed.
Two clubs may carry more than twenty
players during the season. although pre-
vious to the call of time they may have
double this number at their beck. Base
ball has progressed TO such an extent
that each club now needs at least seven
pitchers. three catchers. seven regulars.
and two substitutes Two catchers will
do the bulk of the receiving. but there is
no telling when the backstop department
will be put out of commission, as was
the case in Detroit when three catchers
were laid out inside of two days.
No measure will be adopted by the Ma
tional Lea@Ie limiting the pay roll to
eighteen men, but there is a possibility
that ruling viii be made preventing
any team from reserving more than twen-
ty-five players.
Last year there was an attempt to oust
Pulliam from the presidency, but no op-
position is expected this year. and the
National League president is in a strong
er position TO urge his reforms and cor
rectiOn Of abuses.
Just what deals will be made during
the week is hard TO say. The signing Of
DOnlin will have an important bearing on
the action Of the Giants management.
No intimatiOn has been allowed to escape
as to whether any of the present players
of the New York National League team
will be exchanged 10 other clubs or sold
outright The latter possibility is very
remote, as it is seldom that McGraw can
be induced 10 part with a player for a
cash consideration. Cincinnati is in the
market for a competent manager for
next year. and it is just possible that a
deal which involves more than one club
may be made whereby Cincinnati gets
its manager. some other club obtains the
player which II covets. and New York
secures a man who will meet with the
approval of McGraw
If Clark Griffith has been doing any
missionary work no one SENS to know.
Frank Farrell left for Chicago this morn
Ing, and upon his arrival will go over the
situation with his manager, who will
come on from Craig. Mont
Hopes to Save Time.
President Ban Johnson, of the Ameri-
can League. has made a good suggestion
regarding the soiling of the ball by the
pitcher. Much time is lost in this man
ner. and it is very tiresome to the spec
tators to watch the operation. Another
suggestion Mr.. Johnson might have added
is TO do away with the warming up of the
new pitchers. Five balls are allowed to
be pitched over the plate under the pres
ent rules. which takes I'D a minute or
two. If the pitcher can warm up" why
wouldn't it be just as fair TO allow the
utility batsman who replaces a regular TO
practice hitting on five balls? Every up
to-date manager has a pitcher warmed
up" at all times ready to go in, and it
looks like a waste Of time TO allow the
pitcher 10 throw five more balls when ne
takes his place in the center of the dia-
mond. Cut out everything that is unnec-
essary and shorten the games as much
as possible without hurting the actual
play
The pitcher is growing more powerful
every year. anu ne can stand Tor Few
shortcomings. BY bringing him down on
the level with the batsman. instead of
having him pitch from a mound in the
center of the diamond. taking away his
'warming-up" privilege and not allowing
him to soil new balls, the pitcher will
have little harder proposition in the
future. But the question is: VIII these
changes, after all the talk, be made?
Every wear We hear a lof aho,rt x,-bo-
is going to be done. and when the meet
ing is over there are but few changes.