The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-07
ny \. T. wORLEY.

little book Of 100 pages published in the
spring Of 1883 1t was none other than
spaldng's Baseball Guide. declaring on
the inside OF the front cover that it was
"a complete and practical handbook Of
the national game OF America. containing
complete instruction for experts as well
as amateurs in all points Of pitching,
base running. batting. and fielding. to-
gether with special chapters on base
ball topics and with professional sta
tistics 9f the season Of 1852, the record
Of the American Association and North
western League and college club stalls
tics" No doubt the book was as COM
plete as its publishers claimed in that
day, but when I slowly turned the soiied
and thumb-marked pages. mute remind
ers Of the good use 20 which the now
ancient book mad been put, I could not
help laughing at some Of the rules then
m use as contrasted with the playing
code Of sto-day. The big guides now
published by the same firm. complete
and accurate records Of the advancement
of baseball, not only as the greatest
American pastime. but the pastime Of
every civilized nation. make the little
book published twenty-seven years ago
an oddly indeed.
Baseball players nowadays seldom stop
TO taink what changes have taken place
IN the last twenty-five years. how
much the game has improved. and how
T much We owe TO the men who have per-
fected the present game which has pro-
vided a means OF recreation and Joy
20 thousands Of youthful ksarts.
Hark, Look, and Listen.
Su1e 9 caught my attention and pro-
voked the first laugh. as it specifies that
at each end Of the players bench there
must be 'immovably fixed bat rack.
with fixtures for holding twenty bats.
one OF these racks being FOR the ex-
elusive use Of the visiting club" This
wasn't such a bad rule after all. when
one stops 10 consider the number OF
players now injured by tripping over
/ the bats as they lay stretched out in a
row in front Of the players benches.
Rule Is certainly must have been a
hoodoo to the pitcher from the size Of
Jhc ball This rule provides that the
SalT must not weigh less than I'VE nor
more than five and one-quarter ounces
= avoirdupois. and measure not less than
nine nor more than nine and one-Quarter
inches In circumference. II must be
composed OF wooden yaHn. and contain
not more than ounce Of y-ilcanized rub
Der in mold form. and be covered with
leather Il must be furnished by the
. secretary OF the league. whose seal shall
; be final evidence Of the legality Of the
! ball" Section Of the same rule says;
! Tn al games the ball or balls played
with shall be furnished by the home
club and become the property OF the
winning team" Those rules aren't so
,kbad but listen to this, provided in sec
= tiou 1 OF the same general rule, should
the ball be lost during the game. the
umpire shall, al the expiration Of FIVE
minutes. call for a new ball" Wow,
Suppose the fans had to wait five min
utes every time a ball was lost at the
park. wouldn't there be a merry old
, howl. and wouldn't some Of US set tired
OF eating cold dinners2
Soft Thing for the Cops.
Evidently the "coppers" have always
! stood in good with the leagues. for Rule
Il takes care Of any stragglers in uni
form who may wander through the
gates. It provides as follows: "No
person shall be allowed on any part Of
the field during the progress Of the game,
in addition 10 the nine players on each
side. and the umpire. except such officers
Of the law as may be present in uni
form"
, The rules committee Of 1883 evidently
suspected that the umpire was due TO get
some call downs in the years to come.
for they inserted the following in Rule
-. regarding the respect the spectators
must pay TO his 'nibs:" The umpire IS
the sole judge Of play. and is entitled to
the respect OF the spectators, and any
person Kissing or hooting al or offering
; any insult or indignity 10 him must be
promptly elected from the grounds" The
p Job Of the arbiter was soft in 1883. if this
rule was,enforced. Imagine a spectator
now being elected from the ground for
l calling the umpire a 'robber." thief"
! mutt" "rummy." lobster" or any
! Of the epithets fondly applied to his
"nibs during the games played every
! day Rule q says: NO umpire, manager
S captain. or player shall address the audi
I ence, except in case Of necessary expla-
nation"
Could Call for High Ball.
In the old days a player would call for
high or low ball and the pitcher would
try to accommodate him. a high bah was
one which passed over the plate higher
than the players belt and below the
shoulder, while a low one was a ball
passing over the plate below the belt
but not lower than his knee II the
pitcher threw the ball overhanded il was
promptly called a bali. Seven balls en-
titled a batter to take first base but the
same number Of strikes as prevail at
!, present put the batter out.
Rule AZ says: "A substitute shall not be
allowed to take the place of any player
in a game unless such player be dis
abled in the game then being played. by
reason of illness or injury" Compare
this ruling with the play Of the present
day Managers now yank out a man at
a critical moment so that another player
can go in and possibly make a hit. or
5 work a base on balls sc. According 10
: the rules of 1883 this wac not allowed.
: instead OF the home team getting the
: last innings. as is now the case in pro-
fessional ball. the two captains were sup
: posed to toss up for the honor. foul
strike was bali batted by the batsman
when any part OF HIS person was upon
: ground outside the lines Of the batsman's
2 position.
: Had TO Touch the Bases.
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