Evening journal., 1911-09-04
DIAMOND EQUALS
FOOTBALL DANGER
Many MishapS This Year
Makes Baseball Look Like
Strenuous Sport

All the National baseball commits
sion and the directors of the National
and American Leagues have to come
together and modify the diamond rules
so that thers will be fewer accidents in
the future. Such move had to be
made in football, with the result that
last season was practically free from
serious injuries.
OF the two games-baseball and
football--ths former appears to be the
more strenuous right now, judging by
the long list of players who have been
hurt one way or another this season.
Never before in the history of the
game have there been so many players
obliged to remain out from injuries,
and many Of them have been serious
enough TO cause alarm.
Why, you will ask. are there more
mishaps this saeson than in past
years? 1t is pretty hard to answer this
question, but the reason seems TO be
that baseball calls for more speed than
ever.
Most Of the accidents have been
caused by base running. The game has
become so fast and inside ball has been
so highly developed that success real
ly seems to hinge upon ability to run
the bases. Sliding into bases has re-
suited in a number of bad hurts and
being spiked or knocked down by the
rum srs have caused other accidents.
Probably the player who has been
the most dangerously hurt of any in
the game is Frank Chance, the man
ager of the Cubs, and on the fact of
his enforced absence from the lineup
the Cubs will blame the loss of the
National League pennant If they lose
out. Chance was struck on the head
by pitched ball early in the season,
and the doctors told him that he could
never play again. Those who saw the
Cubs play and watched the playing Of
Safer at first base can realize how
much the club misses its peerless
leader.
The Giants have been practically
immune from players being hurt until
last Friday. when Larry Doyle, the
great second baseman, bruised his
back sliding.
Although the McGrawites have mad
a great deal of luck in the matter OF
avoiding accidents, most every other
club in the country, has been handi-
capped by injuries to star players al
some time or other.
The fact that Charlie Doom. the
great catcher and manager of the
Phillies. is out of the game with {
broken leg, and that Roger Bresnahan
who is the star backstop and leadel
of the Cardinals, is off with dam
aged wrist, is the reason these TIVE
clubs are not lighting for the pennon
at present
Bresnahan has been injured twic'
this year. The first time he almos
sustained a broken leg, while the sec
ond day after recovering from this in
jury he was forced out by the acci
dent to his right hand.
Besides losing Doom, the Quaker
we're obliged TO go for a long tim
without Outfielder Titus, whose rlgh
leg was broken early in the season.
Hans Wagner, the Pirates sta
shortstop, has a wrenched ankle, an
he will not be able to play for som
time. Fred Clarke, the manager of tn
Smoketown crew, has been missin
from the lineup many times since h
got hit in the head by ball throw
by Pitcher Sallee, of the Cardinals, i
July,
Catcher Sweeney, of the Highlander
during the middle of the season wa
on the bench for long time becaus
of a broken finger. Most Of the othe
New York Americans, though, hav
been fortunate in avoiding accident
Hal Chase laid off for a spell of tw
or three weeks on his clubs first tri
/ West, but it was because Of illness.
The two star second basemen of tt
, country have had long periods Of idl
ness because of injuries. While Eddi
Collins. of the Athletics, was laid u
because Of a bad leg. his club took a
awful slump. The Maps, too, missS
Larry Laioie when he hurt his leg s
that he had to be on crutches for tw
months
1 The Tigers have had their share
4 i'll luck. Accident after accident hs
, handicapped the team. De Gainor. Il
1 first baseman, was off for montl
through a collision, while Delehan
' and Moriarity are two others that ha'
Q suffered.
= Nap Rucker, the Dodgers star lef
D handed pitcher, sprained his foot Ju
before the season opened, and he WI
out for weeks. Barger, another Of the
crack pitchers, was on the hospit
list for a long time because of
, broken finger
= Almost every ball player in q
country has been out at some time
, other from some slight injury, but
has been the stars that have suffer
. the most, and when they have be-
+ hurt it has been usually for weeks
n a time.