Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1911-12-22
a TYPICAL CLOSE PLAY iNvoLv
ING SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO
THROW" THE GAME.

THROW" THE GAME.
The fielder might purposeIy huri the
pail little wide, thus forcing the
baseman off the bag in order to catch
1t. The runner, sliding, might pur.
pcseiy fail to touch the base by the
fraction of an Inch. The baseman
might purposeIy tumble the ball or
fail to touch the runner by a halr'a
breadth. The umpire might decide
that the runner beat the ball, or tbs
bail beat the runner, by The tenth of
a second. and the cloud Of Gust would
cover the terror" of Judgment or skill,
which Is the worst "fan" would call
public of the honor of our big league
players.
~~~--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-
the season of 1908 when he failed to
touch second base. When Bridwell
made the hit that should have won
the pennant for New York thousands
Of frantic fans" leaped upon the field
to congratulate the Giants. O'Day
saw Merkle run to the clubhouse and,
throwing down his protector he ran
into the diamond, saw Evers hold the
ball on second base and, above tbs
tumult called Merkle out. Five thou
sand men were swarning madly
around O'Day and the Chicago play
ers, only partly understanding the
cause OF the excitement. Men struck
at O'Day, struck Chance and struck
Pfester; but the umpire shouldered
his way along, brushed angry men
aside to get his protector and walked
through the crowd to his dressing
room.
Suppose O'Day had been lacking il
scruples! His easiest course by far
was to call Merkle safe.
The most responsible player on the
team, of course, is the pitcher. He
comes pretty nearly knowing the
weak spots in the batters who face
him. He knows that certain batters
like to connect with slow ball,
others despise spit ball, etc. II the
unsusceptibility of these men to the
buZzing of would-be bribe givers was
less pronounced how easily the pitch
er might throw deciding game! Yet
no one believes pitcher capable of
other than loyal, hard working effort
to advance the fortunes OF his team.
The result is that baseball Is enc of
the most prosperous industries as
well as our national sport. 1t is esti
mated that at least forty million per
sons saw the games of about fifty
baseball leagues this season Base
ball has been systematized and COM
bined; been reduced science and
business.
The National and American leagues
have each president, a secretary
and board of directors, as thorough
ly equipped as those OF the sugar
trust, and with. apparently, a better
appreciation of how to acquire popu-
larity with the public. Merely from a
business standpoint baseball is en-
titled to leading place in national
affairs. A commercial institution
with an income of $10,00O,0O0 is re-
garded as of noteworthy Importance
in American life. We have such an
institution in baseball. 1t does a
not minimize it's popularity among
the trade. Take just one iteD:-that |
of balls. The two major leagues pay
$4,000 cash each week for balls. Some
enthusiasts of the sport declare that
before many years, instead OF forty
million persons, two and three hun
dred million paid admissions will be
taken at the box Offices in this coun-
try alone each season. In that case
expenses will go up-the managers
will have to buy more balls.
Apparently nothing can stop the
growth of the industry, or sport.
whichever you care to call it, except
the creeping into 1t of something dis
honest to kill the public's enthusiasm.
The game has all the elements OF
strength; the American people re-
joice- in clean athletic contests, and
baseball somehow has the power in
an unusual degree to shake the kinks
out of mans mind, make him at
heart a boy again and send home in
an optimistic mood the person who
left the Office, study or laboratory pit
fully pessimistic two short hours be-