Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-20
STORIES OF
The DIAMOND
Clark Griffith Wants More Al
1owance Made in Scoring
Sacrifice Hits.
LIKES OLD METHOD BEST
Credit Player Only When He Bunts
or Call Everything that Advances
Runner a Sacrifice.
No. Xxx.
Nv CLARK GRIFFITH.

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. Ny idea IS either bunts 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. I believe in the old way OF
scoring hits, giving credit for one only
when player hunted, or would call
everything that advanced a runner d
sacrifice. l contend that if a long fly
which scores a runner from third base
is to be called sacrifice then 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 ball which bounds
over the pitchers head and cannot be
fielded in time TO get the man at the
plate. though the batter is thrown out
at first base This kind of u hit does
the club Just as much good as Il long
dy and is entitled 10 the same consid
grafton. If 81 runner is advanced from
second to third on an out the batter
should be entitled TO sacrifice hit
.tru j.: he did not bunt the ball. This
;sl.s TO be much fairer TO the batter
60 single out and call it a sacri-
80 the exclusion Of the other
WLi,h may be just as helpful to
IS.
- &C the scorers are in favor of
ua. =. 10 the old rule that only
S.a.ll count as sacrifice hits, thus
e. r.ing ,hc value Of the sacrifice hit
..s,ruln I;ur If the long fly sacrifice
s.. to br retained l think my idea is
"a fair one uamely. to count as sacri-
tees all outs which advance a proceed
ing runner. Undoubtedly this change
would be welcomed by all the ball
players. as it materially would increase
the batting averages.
Base Running Still Factor.
Is clever base running as important
a factor in deciding games as ever? You
can bet it is. Since 1 have taken hold
OF the Reds have had my men prac-
dce 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. l do not believe
In headloDg sack purloining when
there are accurate throwerS behind the
plate. But take the average backstop
and as general rule it pays to keep
'em pegging. OF recent years there
has been so very little great base run
ming that the infielders are at a loss
to know what to do with fast men
coming at them all the tire. A ma
1ority 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. Inielders take the throw
and immediately grope around as if
they were in the dark. If the runner
has little nerve he can steal almost
all the time. There has been a great
howl about spiking of infielders.
think this is largely due to the infield-
ers not knowing how to tag the run
ner. Why, in the old days, when base
purlofning was one of the leading fea-
lures Of the game, the infield station
ers were experts in tagging and dodg-
ing them. Today the infielders 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 tag
the player as he arrives. Some time
when you have few spare moments
just glance over 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
was the inhelder injured 1t was gen
orally the base runner that got the
bumps.