Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-20

ship have been singularly free from
rowdyism and dirty playing. The play
ers, knowing that the eyes OF the nationa
commission are upon them, are not 81
prone to take exceptions to the umpires
rulings to make any attempt to 1nJur'
the players of the opposing team In th'
Detroit Pittsburgh series of 1909 Morlar
ty started the roughhOuse tactics OF
Byrne, who was carried off the field, anc
before the series was completed Ton
Jones' Moriarty and Schmidt were more
or less used up. With the exception of 9
rather stiff kick put up by Chance, which
led to his Punishment over Murphy
home run hit in Chicago, there was nc
wrangling. no suspicion of manning, In
the series with Chicago last season II
was thought that the series this year be-
tween the Athletics and the Giants would
be a model of square. manly sportsman
ship, and it doubtless would have been
but for the actions of Centerf1elder Snod
grass. who is evidently playing for the
honor of being the thug of the 1911 series
Snodgrass is doubtless a good player,
but it is good betting that he is not near
~ so good as he thinks he is. To begin
with. he is offensive in his freshness-a
habit which he could be cured of il the
umpires lived up to the letter OF the
rules. He has got all the bad traits of
the late Curt WEIGH. but when it comes
down TO playing the game the latter could
have discarded leg and then beaten him
TO it. Like the lamented WEIGH. Snod-
grass has developed the habit of being
hit Intentionally with the ball. but he
does ii in such a shoemaker fashion that
the only wonder is that any umpire ever
falls for it. Welch did it so -artistically
that the umpires. though pretty sure that
he could have avoided being hit, were
compelled TO give him the benefit of the
doubt. In order to head off WEIGH, the
rule regarding the granting of base as
salve for being hit with pitched ball
was changed, and no player was per-
mitted TO walk who was hit on the arm
below the elbow or on the hand That
rule remained in force for years. and with
the exception OF the foul strike rule.
which Ned Hanlon declares was evolved
for the purpose Of preventing Roy Thorn
as getting 10 first SO often on balls, was
the only piece of rules-making aimed at
a single player that the old sport can
recall.
But there will never be any necessity
for any special legislation to nullify Snod-
grass efforts TO profit by being hit with
a pitched ball. He does it SO clumsily.
his intent is so patent, that only an
umpire with impaired eyesight or witp
the fear OF the crowd in his heart would
permit him TO get away with it. He
instead of the prescribed distance on the
side OF it, and AT times parts OF his
body are over il. Under the circum-
stances IL is almost impossible for the
pitcher TO keep from hitting him. Now
and then the umpires compel him to get
back to the imaginary line, but on the
very next ball pitched he is right on top
of the plate again. This practice is not
confined TO Snodgrass. but none of the
others does ii so brazenly.
On the theory that getting hit with
pitched ball is part of winning system.
so long you can get away with II,
Snodgrass may be excused for taking the
chances he does. but when it comes down
to deliberate attempt to MAIN fell
low player ii is time for the supreme
court of base ball to step in and curb
his bloodthisty tactics assuming that
his immediate employers take no action.
When he spiked Baker in the opening
game on Saturday, nothing much was
thought of 1t, although the Philadelphia
rooterS were on the anxious bench until
Baker resumed his position. The play
was close. Snodgrass hit the dirt low.
and there was a general disposition
shown to pass it up as one OF the unfor-
tunate but unavoidable accidents incl
dentar to the game. But there was not
the slightest chance to question the de-
liberateness of Snodgrass' intent on
Tuesday He did not have the slightest
chance to make third. unless he could
by some means knock the ball out Of
Bakers hands, as he had done in the
opeAing game. He did not slide toward
the base; he jumped at Baker. and that
he did not put the Athletics star out of
the series at least was not his fault.
Give him the benefit of every doubt. and
admit that he did not intend to spike
Baker; that he was only trying to knock
the ball out of his hand, and the result
is the same. If he did it purposely--
and that is the belief of nine out of ten
persons who witnessed the incident-he
should he summarily dealt with and not
permitted to play in game until he has
learned to control his homicidal mania: II
he cannot control his impulse to sink his
cruel spikes into the flesh and blood of
an inoffensive opponent he should not be
allowed TO play anyhow. Such evidences
OF wanton cruelty and bioodthristiness are
a lasting disgrace To the game.
The fact that during Bakers first sea-
son with the Athletics he was slightly
spiked by Ty Cobb is seized as a pretext
by some of Snoderass' defenders to jus
tify the latter's action Tuesday They
claim that he plays the base awkward
IL, and that some day he will be per-
manently disabled if he persists in his
present style of covering the bag. Among
those who take this view of II is Hughey
Jennings. What could be more natural
than this apostle and exponent of dirty
ball UNFOLDING the manning tactics OF
Snodgrass. That is Jennings idea of ag-
gressive play-the kind of play which
killed the game in Baltimore, despite the
fact that ii was represented by one OF
the greatest combinations Of players ever
gathered together in one team, and the
kind that killed the game in Cleveland
under Tebeau- Other managers and near
managers all with Broadway affiliations,
harp on the same string, but the vast ma
jority Of the critics and the spectators
saw what occurred, and, seeing, did not
hesitate TO express the opinion that Bak-
er was the victim of the most cowardly
and wanton attack known in the history
of the game.
When Ty Cobb spiked Jack Barry al
most AT the close OF the season Of 1909.
and lost the Athletics the pennant, there
was not squeal from Manager Mack
or a Philadelphia paper. While every one
deplored the accident, no one felt in
clined 10 attach any blame to Coup.
Livingstons peg went on Collins side OF
second. and Barry, who was to take the
throw, had TO go over the bag to get it.
Under the circumstances the collision