The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-18
BASEBALL |. RUL.E 5
TO BE SINPL|F|ED
Joint Committee Will Be Ready
for Suggestions at Meet
ing Next Week.

New York, January 17-When the
joint rules committee OF the National
and American Leagues meets at Pitts
burg next Monday 1t is expected that
! most of the session will be taken up
in simplifying the playing rules in
! the matter of brevity and directness.
| Some of the rules as they now read
| are puzzlinE Inasmuch as the rules
are made not only for the National
and American Leagues and the minor
leagues, but for the amateur players
as well. they should be SO framed as
to be plain for all to understand. The
case OF professional ball players under
Instructions from a competent umpire
is altogether different from that of
schoolboy or eorner-lot game.
The unpires of the big leagues, as
Baseball Writer'S Association. have
been invited to meet the rules COM
mittee and offer any ideas they may
have tending to help along the cause
consider suggestions from followers of
the game.
The composition of the committee
that will go over the rules Is as fol-
American Charles comiskey.
Chicago: Charles Somers. Cleveland;
Tom c. Noyes. Washington. II Is like
ly that Manager Hugh Duffy. OF the
White So&, will act tor President Co
miskey.
National Leasue-rresident Thomas
and Clark Grihirh, Cincinnati.
Baseball Writer'S Assoclatlon-H p.
Edwards. Cleveland. |. e. sanborn,
Chicago; Jack Ryder, Cincinati.
Umpires-"silk'' O'Loughlin, Tom
Connolly and Jack Sheridan, American
League; Hank o'Day. Jimmy John
stone and Billy Klein, National League.
In ft,, III "a
While there Is little chance that the
| committee viii make any radical
changes in the playing rules. a mum
Der OF suggestions Will be offered for
increased batting is constantly being
| agitated. George Tebeau, owner of the
Kansas city club, and an old ball play
er. suggests that the leagues should
larger bat and that the pitcher be taken
out when it is his time to bat, allowing
some other player to do the twirler's
batting and running. Edward Itah-
lon suggests that the home plate be
made smaller and where the front OF
the rubber is now seventeen inches, 1t
should be reduced to ten Or twelve.
Manager Fred Lake, of the. Boston Ma
tonals, suggests the number OF balls
allowed pitcher be reduced from Tour
TO three. Lake is Also In favor OF
rule compelling all catchers to wear
shin guards OF some kind
There are those who do not think the
fans are at all times in favor of a heavy,
Waiting zane AS n well-known ball
player puts 1t: Does baseball Grove
| ike batting? Does it prefer gamet
| full of smuggling to one In which erect
I've pitching and brilliant telu a., Sc cut ~
little reward? The answer to the i a.
| question is surely yes, proVlued ths
nome team is doing the slugging.
great many fans go TO nasepai Is, rms |
/ ~ I've VIII leave the grounds IN hlgh
/ so,rtts But if the visitors win by III
tea, runs to three, say, the rams cant
see much In the heavy slugEtns.
T,,r would Shorten Gamcs. !
4 ,.,,,, president Ban Johnson, OF the |
,,,,arican T,eapac. comes the sugEes-
i tSnn Nat n rule be passed preventing I
,be nitcher from taking the regniia-
4 lion tive-ball warm up at me n neSm.
ming of each inning; 9o ,ra ta,.en IN
s amrng !, game for the warm UP, ana |
I NV l. Iss in favor Of shortening the games
i Wherever possible. sa |
nnrinr the winter the propose,a
h nue sAs most talked Of has been IN
resnrd to the spikes on the PLAYERS
\ shSas I'm to date no satisfactory SUP SUI.
!. stitute for the spike has been prou ~ |
. forward. and It looks as u1ioasi nh avs
viii continue to take chances OF IN
i Jury on the base lines, .,.,
i The players themselves almost WIZ Z,
i out exception, demand spikes ana l., II
i their present form. They reallze. lha'
their speed would be sacrificed II any
4 innovation was made. The men VINO w
get spiked during q game are the N.
iielders and catchors for the most
part, and yet they clamor for the re-
ttention OF the snilses. They claim that
an Injury from spiktng is due TO care
lessness on the part of the man hurt,
lit Is the players almost unanimous
! contention that Il base runner never
Intentionally srilSes q rival.
IF an infielder plays his position
| as it should be played" says Joe Tin
| lier, of the Cubs. there would be no
injurles to speak Of. Just Il, reinsm ,t :,
and play accordingly. ] take particu,.
lar pains 70 study every player ,, an, ana
Every man has a method which Is
seldom departed from, With this In
IF there are it's because the man
with the ball either takes. a chance
or because he doesn't study his on
ponents''
yyp,