Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-20
WHY NOT RAISE THE
BATTING BOX A FOOT?!
EIevating the Batsman Would
instantly Kill Off SpitbaII
and Help the Hitting.
(By w. A. Phelon.)

II the earnest gentlemen who are
tinkering year by year with the rules.
and who always declare that they want
to help the downtrodden batsmen,
would try a simple and harmless ex-
pertinent or two they might gain some
valuable information and be placed in
a fair way to solve the problem OF the
fading averages. There is a lot of time
between now and April. Why not try
the experiment of raising the batters
box and giving the hitter the advantage
of elevation, SO long conceded to the
pitcher?
For several years the pitching slab
was placed on a hill. and this was car
rfed to such an excess on some parks
that the hurler was on veritable
mountain. from which he sent his whiz-
zing curves down at the batsman The
rules now provide for only a moderate
elevation Of the pitcher. but he still
has all the best OF the situation
Elevating the batsman might not ,elp
the straightaway hitting SO far as most
OF the curves are concerned, but il
would end, once and for all, the great.
est nuisance OF which the batsmen ha.e
complained during recent years - tie
spitban. That noxious and Shiny pest
is low drop shoot. so far as tangent
and action are considered. 1t breaks
about the height of the knee and bangs
like wet lead into the catchers fins
held down near his ankle. Put the bats
man on hill and the spitball is done
for.
Pitchers admit that they cannot throw
the spitball high. 1t won't work right
when it breaks way up. and IL thrown
low, with the batsman on a hill il
would simply hit the turf for a called
ball. In other words. elevating the
batter ends the spitball and kills on
nuisance of the game.
Other Advantages.
There are other advantages which would
be given the batter by elevating his po-
sition. He would get fairer. fiercer
swing at many shoots, and he could drive
the leather at more difficult angle for
the infield to capture. With the hill on
proper slant. he would also pick up
speed and impetus his way to first
and beat out many infield Founders that
are now sent across ahead OF the run
ners. The scheme looks worthy of
trial, and If it wouldn't work 1t would
take only a few demonstrations 10
prove it.
This idea looks good So does the
three-ball proposition. The opponents OF
result in too many bases on balls. thus
deadening the game. Nothing OF the
sort Nearly every pitcher now wastes
one or two balls. deliberately, sending
them wide in hopes that the batsman
may foolishly swat at them, which he
doesn't do once in eighty-seven times.
With three-ball rule. the pitcher would
simply have to cut out that sort or
idiocy He would have TO feed the pills
across the platter straight and true. and
the batters would get a fair, square
whack at the leather That would I'M
prove the batting from the start. and
would penalize only the wilder hurlers.
If something isn't done to offset the
progress of the pitchers. It will be only
two years before there will be no 800
hitters. excepting maybe Cobb, Craw-
ford and Wagner, and averages of 30
will be considered splendid biting.