Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-05
PRESIDENT FARRELL OF THE NEW
YORK AMERICANS WILL WAGE WAR
ON NOISY, OBNOXIOUS ROOFING

OF a grandstand. and not be allowed to
crab the fun of some hundreds or thou-
sands Of people who have dug up their
good coin to see a game of ball? 1 think
so. and not only think so. but 1 make 1t
business to instruct my people to yank
these pests out OF the grounds when they
invade my park.
There are some forms of roofing, too.
usually considered legitimate. that inva-
riably make me as sore as a butcher when
l see them practiced. and 1t doesn't make
any difference, either, in the quality or
my soreness. whether my own club or a
visiting club is made the victim or these
roofing proceedings.
For example. 1 never could see where
and how it was the thing for gang OF
fans to attempt to rattle a pitcher. Ihat
stuff always did look mean and contempt
first game OF ball that / ever looked at
1t absolutely Is not a square deal. And
it isin't even ordinarily fair: it isn't as
fair as the on-fairness that small boys
practice toward each other in their games,
when you come to think 1t over. You see.
1t Is perfectly manifest that the object
Of the rooters who start in TO see If they
can rattle the pitcher is to make it dit
flcult or impossible for him to deliver
the sort Of pitching goods which he is
capable OF delivering. Now. that is pain
ly initiating against the science OF the
I
work. and therefore his team Is put at
disadvantage. Therefore. if the other
team wins It Is chargeable to the conduct
of the rotters who have done the bust
ness Of busting the pitchers nerve. Well.
would a fair crowd Of fans really want
to claim that they'd helped to win the
game by such methods? I never could see
where that stun was sportsn1anlike. 1t s
lust as much interference on the part or
the spectators as II they jumped into the
playing lot and began to fuss and roll
around between the bases. because the
effect of their rattling roofing is just as
noticeable upon certain OF the players;
especially the more nervous ones, ana
particularly the pitchers.
Bells and Megaphone.
Another thing: believe that any root
err who carries whistle or rattle or cow
bell or cornet or any other Internal con-
traption into q ball park with the purpose
Of using the thing in helping the home
team by rafting the visiting team ought
to be slammed out OF the GROUNDS ana
kept out. That's what 1 believe. Ihat $
more unsportsmanlike roofing, and L
can't for the life Of me understand why
this fact isn't perfectly patent to every
body. Whatever fun there ever may nave
been attached to these matchmaking In
struments at ball games long ago wore
an unfair deal. and you can take It from
me that there won't be any Of them work
ing at my grounds in New York this
year or in any future year as long as l
am interested in base ball. Out west last
season a lot of the more advanced plug
uglies among the rooters fell into the
habit Of firing off pistols at critical juno
lures of the games to rattle the visiting
players. didn't see any moves made,
either, to put stop to this shooting
N>..A - fol In
firing off any kind of pop at the High
landers' grounds. l don't care If 1t is a
hve-cent toy pistol
Say all these things to plenty of fans
who never stop to think Of these matters,
and they reply, offhand. that you're try
look like q meeting of the Epworth
League. They come back at you with
funnyisms about the foolfshness of ex-
pecting base ball fans to sit at a game
with their hands in their laps and their
tongues wrapped around their chewing
gum all the afternoon without saying a
word for themselves and all that sort of
nonsense. Nobody. Of course. including
Mr.. Johnson and myself, expects anything
"The people interested in the welfare OF
base ball who are advocating reforms
among the rooters are so Interested. first
because they want to spare the great
bulk Of their patrons annoyance. and, sec
ond. because they think the time has ar
rived when the players should be defended
from this sort Of thing. Any base ball
manager knows perfectly we'll how much
1t takes out Of his players when they are
obliged to be constantly on the defensive
against the attacks Of the offensive root
ers. Ball players are human. and the
wallops that are dished out to them by
the blatherskite rooters are bound to get
them on the raw. They are equally bound
to answer back or to try to answer back.
Similarly. they're bound to get all rolled
I'D over some of the shots that are taken
at them by the tough rooters. and this
quickly tells against their game; and all
Of this sort of thing is absolutely unnec-
essary.
Some owners of ball clubs with whom
have famed over this proposition have
conceded with my views. which were
much better expressed by President john
son. But they have added that they fear
ed to adopt the policy Of hotfooting the
offensive rooters from their grounds. be-
cause. maybe, they said. that policy
OF their patrons. Well. think they could
make their minds easy on that point. 1t
has been proven at the Highlanders'
grounds. as 1 said in the beginning. that
the great mass of the patrons distinctly do
approve of the scheme Of hauling the bla-
tant rooters out just the minute the loud
mouthed and foul-tongued ones begin to
make pests Of themselves. / have never
seen one of those fellows conducted to the
gate by a cop that the whole bunch didn't
stand up and express themselves by cheer
ing. If the pickle-heads who attend ball
games won't get next to themselves and
give other folks q chance they ought to
be made to. 1 stand pat on that PROPOSE
ton and always will"