Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13
PECULIAR IDEAS
ARE SUGGESTED
Southern Fan Would Have
Spiking Player Laid Off as
Long as His Victim.

Base ball magnates are being deluged
with suggestions from we'll meaning fans
who wish to see the game of base ball
improved. Every day some suggestion Of
more or less merit comes from a follow
er of the game, which he thinks will bet
ter the pastime.
One Of the latest is from a man in the
south. He confesses to never having
played base ball professionally, but dab
bled in the sport extensively on an anna
teur basis. His scheme Is to protect
club owners from loss Of services of
players who are injured. and to accom-
plish this he would inf1ict penalties on
players and magnates who injure or
allow their employees to injure men on the
opposition.
If I.atoie were to be spiked by Boston
player the Boston player would be laid
off until Lajoie recovered and the Boston
club would have to pay the Cleveland
managers salary during the time of his
incapacity. The fan who evolved this
idea would make the punishment the
same In case Of Intentional or accidental
injury. holding nobody could determine
the cause that prompts an accident
Accurate Throwers.
The author of this proposed revision
1890
that there are a lot OF ball players in
yet who never have an opportunity in the
major leagues. In the winter. lie says.
it Is no uncommon thing to see minor
league pitchers in the south arm them
selves with respectable sized stones and
go out hunting for rabbits. Frequently.
he says. these promising minor league
players will throw stones at running
1T vi - ffyAcn him ny
behind the ears. knock him dead. Pitchers
with control of this sort would make
monkeys of northern batsmen, he be-
lieves. Possibly they would. Hereafter
Washington scouts may apply the rabbit
test to determine pitcher control.
This is but a sample OF the plans con-
jured up by enthusiasts for improving the
great national pastime. Other schemes
even more impractical come floating into
the offices of the magnates In winter, by
messenger. verbally and by letter A lot
Of folks discredit the magnates. alleging
they are cold biooded. sslf-centered and
all wise, but every suggestion relative to
improving base ball, no matter how i'm
practical or absurd. Is carefully noted. II
there is anything of merit In it the
merioriouS part is stored away for future
reference.
Rules Likely to Be Unchanged.
It Is not likely there will be any great
revision Of base ball rules this winter. A
lot Of folks are going to make a howl
over the "spit'' ball and some magnates
no doubt are going to favor its retention.
There Is a general belief in base ball cir
cles that the "spit' ball will go sooner
or later and the sooner the better. Fans,
players and magnates hold to the belief
that the pitchers have too much adj
vantage and any safe plan that can be
worked out to deprive the pitcher of his
NIL R,,v
sideration. The most reasonable propo-
sition yet advocated is limiting the num-
Der of balls emitting q batsman to first
base to three This would increase base
running and would make the pitcher work
harder. In place Of wasting one or two
balls every time runner is on first he
would have to cut the plate more regu-
larry because If the batsman were a good
waiter he would soon work a base on
balls and the pitcher would have two men
on instead OF one.
As has often been spoken and published
and shouted from the housetops the
chief change required in the playing code
is little good. common everyday English
or United States or slang or anything that
will make the rules palmer and easier OF
comprehension. The layman not excep-
tionally well versed in the theories Of base
ball would have a hard time grasping the
fine points of the game as explained in the
rules. Over half the words in the code
the meaning thereof would be more than
doubled. Some OF the older newspaper
men who have had to score under this
code could do the job and do 1t well.
Every day during the playing season
sporting editors are deiuged with requests
for explanation OF points not entirely
clear The rules say something on the
subject in mind and probably the inquirer
has read the rule. but the snowdrift Of
extra language completely hides the inner
meaning Of the rule. One experienced
both in language and base ball could
straighten out these tangles easily.