The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-02
COULD NAME BATTERY
BEFORE GAME STARTS
No Excuse for Managers Delaying Until Bell Rings and
Thereby Annoying Press and Public.
Mistakes of Sheriffs
By THOMAS S. RICE.

/ This being the season Of gooG resolu-
tons and reforms, we wish to bulge TO
/ the front with a suggestion that a re-
I form he Instituted in the present meth
I DDS of baseball managers concerning the
/ announcement OF their line-Ups
/ As Il now stands, neither the reporters
nor the fans in many instances have the
/ slightest idea who IS going 20 pitch
until the game starts unless the man
aver chooses 10 tell them Then the
/ manager has a right to change his de
/ cisi0n just as the teams go on the field
and thereby cause a vast amount Of
annoyance and trou.5le To all who handle
running accaInts Of the games, the
/ score board men downtown and in other
cities ara the newspaper Offices which
make a habit Of posting the results Of
all the games This Is one of the ridic-
uIousIy childish oversishts which show
that baseball IS stu IN It's formative
/ stage and has a long era Of technical
busine IS development ahead before II
viii become a perfectly organized sport
or business
40 Excuse For Delay
Te tbev.--. uv reason under the sun why
q MANAGER should not know positively
five minutes before the game whom ne
is going TO 5dtch? There is absolutely
rome. unless The bOXman selected meets
with a disabling accident in the said
five minutes The delay until the hnaL
moment Is due almost entirely To a de-
sire upon the part Of some managers 20
show how exceedingly crafty they are
It gives them a chance To assume a
So1oTonaSdue air. and swell up Ike a
sand toad If il were not Tor their
cautious weighing of every minute cir
! cumstance. and their marvellous insight
mo the true inwardness Of the meaning
OF the other fellows seIection-so these
managers would have you believe-their
teams would never win game hence
they walt and name their pitcher Just
as Ire bell rings IN order 10 demonstrate
their own wisdom
OF al the rot eve- sprung this rea-
son for delaying Is the limit II IS per
fectIy proper for manager 10 name
1 his battery according TO the choice OF
the OPPOSITION. hut that * no excuse for
putting IL of so long Wouldn't the
manager be able to use his astonishing
strategic powers n meeting FIRE with
IRE I'VE or ten minutes before the game
as well as five seconds after the bell
rinEsg He could but he doesn't, and
it's about time for the Ieague presidents
70 uurcture the bubble Of conceit which
-eads u the annoyance
Johnson Should Act.
We respectfully suggest that the
American League adopt a rule that the
managers give their entire Iine-ups ~
the boss umpire FIVE or ten minute be-
fore rIay starts. and that no change
be allowed in the first inning except
e-.rr as nav be necessitated bv accident
or Hv a pitcher being knocked out OF
the box This IS 50 reaEpua BILE and
would be such a very great convenience
-.1 che public and the newspaper men,
without costing the league or the teams
q solitary sou. that we cannot believe
u--=kTa-f Johnson will fail - iuCG-D0-
-ars The idea in his plans for iUu-ov-
fUz- the attractions at American League