The Detroit times., 1911-02-23
THE TIMES SPORT PAGE
IHEARTl Hin n.
10 Sporting
IHEARIl Editor.

There is just one new baseball
rule I'd like TO see incorporated into
the code. out OF all that have beer
proposed" says Bobby Lowe, the for
u--- mer Tiger. That's
,,p rup one which VIII en-
MAKERS able club e
OF RULES. leave poor-hit
--u ting pitcher on the
bench while his side Is at bat. SUB
stituting a real ball player for WORK
at the plate and on the bases.
I'm sending letter 10 that effect
TO a friend OF mine who has asked
for revision suggestions. ! don't ex'
pect that the change will be made
this year but I'm certain that II Is
inevitable.
Its a fact that pitchers are. as a
rule. poor hitters and poorer base run
ners. How many times do We see a
stage of the game where the substitn
ton Of a good hitter for the piiciler
would increase the uncertainty oil the
game and add TO it's INTEREST," II
takes a lot of the thrill out OF the
game now, when one of these poor
hitting pitchers comes 10 bat IN
pinch. The crowd simply sets MIN
down as a sure out and SO he Is, al
pIost invariably,
OF course, there are exceptions TO
the rule. like George Mullin OF the
Detroit club. Yet think how many
horrible examples there are!
Pitchers as class are poor hit.
tiers for several reasons. They natur-
ally give all their attention 10 fooling
the batsman and they provide batting
practice for their mates far more Of
ten than they indulge in II themselves.
At bat they almost always refuse 10
run out anything that Is close. They
reason that il isn't worth while 10
exhaust themselves in this way. and
endanger their value in the box In The
inning that is coming. The same rea-
osn keeps them blocking the bases
when they happen to get on. No
stealing for them. II might result
in bringing them TO the slab winded,
more or less.
People want more batting; this is
a sensible way TO get II. They van
more stealing; how can they better
ensure II by disposing OF the man
who always stops all work OF this
sort when on base?
Another advantage that would re
suit from such rule would be the
removal of the frequent necessity for
taking a pitcher out OF the game to lei
someone else bat for him. Often his
comes at a stage where the crowd
hates TO see the pitcher retire from
the slab on which he may have beer
fighting the most brilliant sort OF
battle.
Another advantage is in the chance
such a scheme would give the man
ager of a club to develop gooC
young ball player who has natura
batting ability but needs seasoning
Were the substitute plan in operation
the youngster could get lot OF sea
soning without weakening his team by
any fielding weakness.
1T wouldn't make the least differ
ence In the size OF a clubs payroll
either. In fact, think IL would rather
work the other way, for there would
be fewer pitchers required in the
fewer changes that would have 10 bt
made in the boxmen.
IL think that every ball player vii
agree with me that the change woulC
be good thing.
8! Weinberg. former manager o
the pugilist, Kid Walker, wondered
why everything was so quiet on tn,
street yesterday. Inquiring, he wa
! jovially informed that George Wash
/ ington was dead is that 500" quot
( 81; why | didn't even know he wa
sick"
I With feeling OF fatigue We not,
that the Nashville Banner refers {,
I Forrest Plass as the former masco
of the Detroit Tigers.
A basketball tournament is in pre-
eress in Chicago the teams classifie,
f, by weight. This worked out in
unique way. One Of the captain
scaling a half-pound too much. n
resolutely sprinted about the QUITE
edges OF the crowd till he had she,
! the eight ounces. making an entr,
! into the game while the score wa