The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-25
Griffith Wants More Allow
ance for Sacrifice Hits
LIKES OLD METHOD BEST
Give Credit to Player Only When He
Bunts or Call Everything Advancing
Runner a Sacrifice, Says Reds
Manager-Base Running.
No. Xxx.
ny CLARK GRIFFITH,

Copyright, 1910, By american Press Aeso-
citation.
Here is something that I've been
hammerlng at for some time. It Is
for more allowance IN scoring sacrifice
hits, My idea Is either hunts only
should count Us sacrifice hits or that
all fair balls which advance q runner
At the expense OF the batter being put
out should be called sacrifice hits
that is. one should be the whole hog
or none. believe IN the old way OF
scoring hits, giving credit for one only
when player hunted. or would call
everything that advanced a runner a
sacrifice. ! contend that II long dy
which scores a runner from third base
Is to be called a sacrifice then a slow
grounder that accomplishes the same
result Is Just as much entitled TO that
credit
Very often a runner Is scored from
third by a ground bail which bounds
over the pitchers head and cannot be
ielded In time to get the man at the
plate, though the batter Is thrown out
AZ first base This kind OF a bit does
the club just as much good rs long
fiy and Is entitled 10 the same consid-
GRAFTON. II runner Is advanced from
second 10 third on an out the batter
should be entitled TO a sacrifice BIT
even II he did not buni the ball. This
seems to be much falrer 70 the batter
than TO single out and call It a sacri-
dee. 70 the exclusion OF the other
kinds. which may be Just as helpful TO
the teams
Most OF the scorers are IN favor OF
going back TO the old rule that only
hunts shall count as sacrifice hits, thus
restoring the value OF the sacrifice hit
column. But II the long ny sacrifice
Is 10 be retained think my idea Is
fair one namely. to count ns sacri-
ices al outs which advance preced
Ing runner. Undoubtedly this change
would be welcomed by al the ball
players. as Il materially would increase
lhe batting averages.
Is clever base running as important
q factor ln deciding games as ever You
can BET II Is Since | have taken hold
OF the Reds have had my men prac-
tice base running continually. Take
for instance, when there is clever
base runner on the sacks. He works
the catcher for many throws. and once
you get them pegging you can pun OF
many tricks 90 them. do not believe
in headlong sack purioinlng when
there are aeeurate throwers behind the
plate, Bur take the average baeksrop
and as general rule It pays to keep
en- pegging. OF recent years there
has been so very little great base run
ming that the iRdelders are az loss
to know what 10 do with fast men
coming at them all the riTse A ma
tority OF them 80 up In The air when
runner after runner starts round the
sacks without waiting to be pushed BY
the hatters.
Backstops do not always throw nc
curately lnheiders rake the throw
and Immediately grope around as II /
they were 10 the dark II the runner /
has little nerve be can steal almost |
an the time There has been a great
howl about spiking Of Infelders. /
think this is largely due to the inheld-
ers not showing how TO tag the run {
ner Why. IN the old days, when base
puflolnlng was one Of the loading fea.
lures Of the game, the Inteld station /
ers were experts in tagging and dodg- +
Ing them. Today the inAelders don't /
know what 10 do with them, They 1
go over the sack In clumsy fashion
and get spiked By the man sliding, In.
stead Of being to the side ready 10 tag
the player as be arrives. Some time
when you have a few spare moments
Just glance over the records OF the I
Did timers and you viii see that more
base runners used TO get hurt than the
men holding down the sacks Seldom
was the lnhelder injured. twas gen.
orally the base runner that got the
pumps.