The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-15
TO SIGNAL PLAYS
American League to Adopt Sys-
tenn of Telling Spectators.
A Washington officer Makes a
Timely Suggestion.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
st. Louis Browns Device Maybe
Instituted at Parks.
The Average Umpire's Decisions
Are Not Ineligible.
ELECTRICsG OREBOARD

! Chicago, Jan. 15-Patrons of Ameri-
can League games next season will
| welcome an innovation which is planned
| to enable spectators in any part of the
| field, no matter how far from the home
plate, to follow, every detail of the play
and every decision of an umpire as soon
| as made. go"
| This will be done either by the adop-
ton of a code of visible signals for the
umpires or by extensive electrical score
boards along the lines of the one in
operation at the St. Louis American
League park.
A retired army officer, one of the
most enthusiastic and best known base
| ball fans at the national capital. has
written to request President Johnson
to direct the American league umpires
next season to adopt some simple code
for signaling decisions on balls" and
Strikes so as to make them instantly
Ineligible to spectators in all parts
of the stands.
The veteran officer suggested the
most simple method known and one
which occasionally has been used al
ready, that of having the umpire raise
his right hand above the shoulder to
indicate a strike and his left hand
similarly to indicate ball" The argu-
ment was made that in modern base
ball so much depends on knowing the
exact situation that it is necessary to
know accurately what the umpire de-
cides a pitched ball to be in order to
follow the play closely and keep in
touch with the constantly shifting tide
of battle.
The average umpire's decisions on
pitched balls are not Ineligible even to
grand stand spectators, it is claimed;
consequently the distant bleachers must
he
mans chances. In making decisions
on bases umpires almost invariably use
a set of signals easily understood, and
it is the opinion of hundreds of fans
whom the officer has interviewed on
the matter that it is almost as import
ant to know the decision on a pitched
ball and that such decision can be
made known by signal as easily as the
base decisions.
johnson, when the request was pre-
scented to him, Immediately assented to-
adopting the suggestion, unless it is
found plausible for the American
League clubs to go even further than
that in the matter of keeping specta-
tors informed of everything that hsB7
pens. - ~
81 have had in mind for some time"
he said plans. to give the spectators
correct and immediate information on
all the details of our games, and this
suggestion is not only good one, but
easy to put into OpefaIiOL. H1oWeVer}
have been thinking of sugges ting to all
the clubs the adoption Of the score
board system in use at the St. Louis
grounds of the, American League. :
",They have an immense blackboard
there in sight of all the stands worked
by electric connections for the most
part. AS soon as each ball or strike is
called the decision IS recorded on the
board by pressing a button. The num-
Der of balls and strikes called is shown
at all times, also runs, If any, in that
inning. This is in addition to the usual
space for showing the scores by innings
of the home game and those in other
cities.
IT do not know that it will be posi-
BILE to install such service at all of our |
fields on account of the difficulty of |
finding sufficient space for board of
that size where it will be easily visible |
from all parts of the field But, in any |
case, the suggestion of my Washington |
friend is so simple and easily executed |
that will take the ma tier up with the |
umpires at the proper time"