Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-12

No reliability can be placed upon the
published attendances in most of the cities,
therefore the figures that are given out
for purposes of comparison are utterly
worthless. In some of the cities accurate
figures are furnished. in others 1t is all a
matter of guesswork. At times there will
be margin of 5000 between the extreme
in guesses as to the attendance present at
game. AT one city at least the attend
ance is boosted at times much as 80 per
cent. 1t is better by far, therefore, to pay
no attention at all to any published figures.
There is no more reason for them than
there is to publish the attendance in a
theater. If any figures are given they
should be the correct turnout or nothing.
One cannot go much by the records of
games won and lost by the pitcners. A good
pitcher in a losing club will not do nearly
as coed work as a pitcher in a winning
club and an inferior pitcher in a winning
club will naturally have more victories to
player in a losing club. Although the
pitcher is generally credited with a victory
it often is the case that 1t is the batting
and fielding behind him and not his good
pitching particularly that lands the game.
Again a game is now and then lost by
poor fielding while the pitching has been
first class. Pitchers have been known to
lose games and-aot a hit made Off them
and to land games when hit hard. These
tables of games won ald lost by pitchers
should always be taken with a grain of salt
and for what they are worth.
Batsmen will often bat in very hard luck
hit the ball hard. but, unfortunately. d.
rectly at some one. Luck enters largely
into batting averages. The figures amount
to little just at this stage of the game.
when there has been so little base ball
weather. The final batting percenta ges
should never be based on anything less
than 30 per cent of the largest number Of
games played by any one batsman. 1t is
not fair to the man who has participated in
all of the games of season to be rated
with a man who has participated in but
fifteen
Just how much manager on the bench
should be allowed to talk to his ball play
ers is a matter Of considerable controversy
among umpires or others. There Is a wide
difference between coaching and talking
Managers have no right at all to coach
from the bench, but perfect right to talk
to the players. 1t is question if 1t were
no. better that no one be allowed to sit on
the bench who is not in uniform Then the
manager could coach to his hearts content
If he desired to do SO. Managers Hugh
Jennings Of the Detroit team and Cantillon
of the Nationals don uniforms for no other
reason than they desire to coach the
players.
The playing rules are still far from
what they should be. Scarcely day passes
Dy but some question comes up that is not
at all clear in the rules. One reason for
this condition of affairs is that the rules
committee gets busy at the wrong season
of the year 1t ought to get to work
during the playing season and be ready to
report it's observations at the annual
meeting. Then these could be discussed and
action taken at the schedule meeting.
Jake Morse says in a letter to The Star
from Boston:
What seemed probable when the Wash
ingtons played their first series here came
to pass speedily afterward. 1t seemed at
that time that Washington would have to
shake up the team If it desired to make a
better showing. Altizer completely over
Swallowed the younger player Perrine at
short. Here Schlafly played a splendid