The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-09-02
Griffith Wants More Allowance
In Scoring Sacrifice Hits,
LIKES OLD METHOD BEST.
Give Credit to Player Only When He
Bunts or Call Everything That Ad-
vaness a Runner sGcrlfce, Says
Reds Manaaer-Rase Running.

BY CLARK GRIFFITH.
! : u tT7F7ETEEI WI r = -
Copyright. 1910. by American Press Asso
clatiQn

Copyright. 1910, by American Press Asso-
citation.
Here is something that I've been
hammering at for some time. 1t Is
for more allowance in scoring sacrifice
hits. MY idea is either bunta only
should count as sacrifice hits or that
all fair balls which advance a 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 Tor one only
when a player bunted, or would call
everything that advanced runner a
sacrifice / contend that il a long fly
which scores a runner from third base
is to be called a sacrifice then slow
grounder that accomplishes the Same
result is just as much entitled 10 that
credit.
Very often a runner is scored from
third BY ground ball which bounds
over the pitchers head and cannot be
fielded In time q get the man at che
plate, though the batter is thrown out
at first base. This kind Of hit does
the club just as much good as long
fly and is entitled to the same coDsid-
GRAFTON. If runner is advanced from
second to third on an out the batter
should be entitled to a sacrifice hit
even if he did not bunt the ball. This
seems to be much fairer to the batter
than to single out and call it sacri-
fee, to 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
bunts shall count as sacrifice hits, thus
restoring the value Of the sacrifice hit
column But If the long fly sacrifice
is to be retained | think my idea is
fair one namely. to count as sacri-
fees all outs which advance a preced
ing runner. Undoubtedly this change
would be welcomed by all the ball
players, as it materially would increase
the batting averages,
Is clever base running as important
d factor in deciding games as ever? You
can bet 1t is Since ! have taken hold
Of the Reds | have had my men prac-
tice base running continually. Take,
for instance. when there is a clever
base runner on the sacks He works
the catcher for many throws, and once
you get them pegging you can pull off
many tricks on them. do not believe
in headlong sack purloining when
there are accurate throwers behind the
plate But take the average backstop
and as a general rule ii pays to Keep
'em pcgging or recent years there
has been so very little great base run
ming that the infielders are at loss
to know what to do with fast men
coming at them all the tlme. A ma
jority of them go up in the air when
runner after runner starts round the
sacks without waiting to be pushed by
the batters
Backstops do not always throw ac-
curately InheIders take the throw
and immediately grope around as il
they were in the dark, If the runner
has little nerve he can steal almost
all the time. There has been great
howl about spiEing Of infelders
think this is largely due to the inteld-
ers not knowing how to tag the run
ncr. Why, in the old days, when base
( purIoining was one Of the leading fea
lures Of the game. the intield station
ers were experts in tagging and dodg-
ing them Today the inieIders don't
know what TO do with them. They
go over the sack in clumsy fashion
and get spiked by the man sliding. in
stead Of being to the side ready to tae
the player as he arrives. Some tirst
when you have a few spare moments
just glance oyer the records Of the
old timers and you will see that more
base runners used to get hurt than the
men holding down the sacks. Seldom
wls the inhelder injured It was gen
orally the base runner that got tn,
/ bu;nps