Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-22
NEW RULES WILL
IMPROVE THE GAME
Running in Dead Pitchers to
Kill Time a Thing of
the Past.
BY Umpire Billy Evans.

Base ball is the greatest Of AL sports,
and there are hundreds Of good reasons
why it should be classed.
Al the opening of each season every
body connected with the game and
enthusiasts the country over are GER
tam that the sport is just about as near
perfect as it is possible to make it.
Just about the time the belief is be-
coming universal something hattcrs the
opinion. but the something invariably Is
an Improvement on tho game
During the summer months tho players
attempt to play the game near per-
fectly as II is possible for the human
being to perform. while in the winter
the base ball solons thrash out the in
tricate problems that have arisen during
the summer in an attempt TO formulate
rules that will correct whatever faults
that may crop out. with hope. always.
of increasing the games popularity.
Base ball, properly speaking, is played
really it receives attention every day III
the year.
Perhaps the most pleasing feature of
the 1908 campaign was the doing away
withthe tedious practice OF having pitch
ers rub new balls on the soil. thereby
making it possible to get better control
of new sphere. The practice had de-
veloped to such an extent that 1t not
only annoyed patrons, but greatly delayed
the game, dragging many contest over
the tWO-hOur mark.
It became evident that something must
be done to remedy the fault. The solons
of the game asked the manufacturers
If it would be possible to manufacture a
ball without a gloss, the pitchers claim
G,~.. t1n hn1 G n a
it necessary that the cover be slightly
soiled in order to be certain of their
control The answer came back in the
affirmative. with the added information
that the gloss was merely used to finish
off the ball 1t was then decided that
all balls should be made minus the glossy
finish, and the umpires were instructed
to forbid the rubbing of the new ball IN
the soil.
The rule created all kinds of discussion.
1t being generally Claimed that some
pitchers couldn't work well unless they
roughened the cover and that all pitchers
would get around the rule some way,
thereby making much more trouble for
the impires.
What was the result?
Pitchers who formerly had always spent
minute or so manicuring new ball.
knowing that any such attempt would
only make the umpire hand out another
new one pitched as If they never had
twirlers tried to get around the rule. ex-
cept a few of the spitters, who, by lib
eral applications of tobacco juice, sue
ceeded In coloring up the ball considera-
bly,
The one happy result however. was
that all the games were shortened any
where from ten to twenty minutes by the
stopping Of the nuisance.
An innovation in the playing rules as
recently adopted at Chicago nat is bound
to meet with popular approval is the
clause making 1t necessary for any sub
stituted pitcher to remain in the box
until he has either retired batter or
until batter has reached first.
If base ball managers the country over
ment of the game it certainly was the
one regarding the substituting of pitch
erS.
According 10 the old rules it was posi-
BILE for a manager to change whenever
he so desired. The pitcher put in to re-
lieve another had the privilege of throw
ing five balls. The rule seemed a good
one at first, but the foxy managers soon
found a loophOle that made il a very
aggravating situation to the spectators
and the opposing players.
pieces without the slightest warming al
though up to the time of the blow-up he
had been invincible. Such a condition
leaves the manager in the lurch. Think
ing his pitcher fit to go the route he
often doesn't take the precaution to have
some other. member of the staff warm
up. The first thing he knows the bases
are filled. the crack pitcher is all to the
bad. and the opposing team is on edge,