The Detroit times., 1912-02-06
TO ELIMINATE SPIKES
FROM BASEBALL WOULD
SPOIL CAME SAYS TY
Wards Suggestion To Do Away
With Them Sounds Foolish
To Cobb
WOULD SLOW UP PLAYERS
Injuries From Spiking Are Very
Rare Compared to- Other
Hurts
WOULD SLOW UP PLAYERS
BY RALPH 1. YoNkER.

y
III they ever remove spikes from
baseball because they are dangerous,
they had better complete the job and
make the pitcher toss the ball TO the
batter because he might hurt him il
he threw IL swiftly" AYERS Ty Cobb.
There Is some talk that at the next
rules committee one change 10 be at
tempted will be the elimination or the
shortening of spikes. Chairman John
Ward favors this innovation. Cobb
dlffers. He says
TO remove spikes altogether would
spoil the work of every man on the
team whether batting or playing in
the field. To shorten them. even.
would tend TO slow the game up a
great deal. As baseball depends upon
It's speed for its success. II hardly
loOkse wise 10 me 20 interfere with
ne present custom
';As far as injuries are concerned.
there are very. very few serious in
jnries from spikes. ! remember only
two men whom severely hurt. One
WAS Bradley, Cleveland third base
man. | nipped one OF the fingers on
his throwing hand so that he had TO
stay out OF the game for 8 while. IL
was a slight injury but happened TO
catch him In a bad place. | put Bar
~ out for while al the close OF the
season in 1909.
The most serious recent result
from spiking, perhaps, was when
O'Leary got Lajoie and blood poison
ing set in and put him out OF the
game for long time last year
When you stop TO consider the
meE who have been hurt in the game,
very few have been injured by spikes.
After the season is over you'll ask a
playr how he came out, and he'll say
that he twisted a knee, or sprained
an ankle, got hit in the head with the
bali, but rarely that he was spiked.
You would Think TO hear some OF
this talk, past and present, that spik-
ers were some sort OF weapons with
which to main everybody who gets
within kicking distance. Little spik-
ing is done Intentionally.
The only time when spikes cut
seriously is when they are new and
sharp and the only time they are new
and sharp Is when the shoes are new.
new pair OF spikes Is almost never
placed on an old pair OF shoes. The
only time when there are any very
serious cutting b. spikes is when
somebody has a new pair OF shoes.
Then the steel is sharp. but II soon
wears down and is seldom replaced.
Would II be better for Mike Maurer.
the young Detroit pitcher. signed for
1912, TO take a few years at minor
league baseball than TO attempt 10
make good at once in big company?
Bill Schwartz. former Nap first
lxacker--later- MANAGER of the Akron
club. and at present the manager OF
the Nashville club OF the Southern
league, evidently thinks that IL would
be, for n. p Edwards, OF the Cleve-
land Plain Dealer, reports him as
speaking as follows:
TITS a tong Jump from the corner
iors and the municipal diamonds 10
the big league. The ball player who
thinks he can step from the amateur
ranks 10 the fastest Of company is
dreaming and the sooner he wakes up.
the better IL will be for him
Il know whereof 7 speak ] tried
II myself and have always blamed my
self and my friends for letting me Join
the Cleveland club at the start OF my
professional baseball career / was a
star player. according 10 my friends.
when I joined the Maps in 1904. They
predicted that I was Just the man
that the Maps needed 10 make II a
pennant winner, They told me
would have larry looking. like a has
been and that they soon would be
naming cigars after me Then woke
up and discovered how little I knew
about baseball as II is and should be
played in the big leagues. Cleveland
let me go As look back on my ca
reer as a Nap nov. wonder that I
stuck as long as did.
NY experience Vas just enough 10
discourage me and | figure that had
-bxeH content 70 start ar The bottom
could have worked my way mp and
been big Lacquer today. But / start
ed az the wrong end and want 70
warn others against making the same
mistake"
Manager Bobby Wallace or the
prasrue ruav no aaor AZ bfa old r,ocf-