The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
AFTER SHORT LEAGUE SEASON,
CINCINNATI MOGUL ADVO-
GATES INTERLEAGUE SEASON
OF 40 GAMES-LONG GAMES
BORE PUBLIC.

New York, August 16, 19lS.-Henry d
Purroy, once power in New York po-
litics once remarked that there was moth
ing so uncertain as a sure thing in
politics. This great truth applies with
equal force to. baseball A game is never
won until the last man is out and a
pennant is only cinched when the per-
centage table shows that one club cannot
be beaten if it loses every game it has
to play. Only little while ago it look
ed practically certain that the world s
pennant would be played for by the
Giants and Atletics. 1t still looks like
those two teams will be the contenders,
but the Phillies and the Maps are play
ing better ball right now than the lead
ers and the margin is a long way from
a safe lead.
1t seems hard for man who has con-
tributed his share to winning the PEN
nant, to be traded by the leaders to
the tail-enders during the closing days
of the season. Take this trade by which
Otis Crandall goes from the Giants to
st. Louis for Larry Mclean for example.
Crandall, while not a first strong pitch
er, has been a most valuable man for
the Giants for a series of years. Within
two months of the windup, when it seems
reasonably sure he would have a share
of the worlds series melon, he is stunt
ed, while Mclean who has done noth-
ing gets his cut in. Nobody is to blame.
McGraw's business is to keep a winning
team and he cannot afford sentiment.
If in his judgment. Mclean was a man
valuable more than Crandall it was his
duty to make the swap.
But in common fairness Crandal should
be protected in his interest in the world $
fair money. Why could not the Nation
al commission make a rule when a swap
was made after the team had been half
played. that the share of the world s
series pool should be divided between the
man who went and the man who came.
This would be fair.
The rules of baseball permit the UNI
pire to call a ball whenever a pitcher
holds the ball for more than twenty
seconds. He can continue to call balls
for each such offense. This rule was
adopted to shorten the length of base
ball games. 1t is a good rule, but ii
is one that might easily, and with the
approval of'fandom" everywhere be i'm
proved upon.
There is no reason why the pitcher
should be allowed twenty seconds In
which to make his delivery; fifteen would
be ample time. 1t is admitted that IL
when every pitch is well defined action
and fequently such issthe case of curve
balls, spit balls and the like, puts tre-
mendous pull on the waist and the Shout
der But it must also be taken into con-
sideration that 1t is seldom that pitch
er is asked to work oftener than every
third day at most.
This is cited because the time consum-
ed In playing of baseball games. par
ticularly in this American league this
year, is a topic that has demanded the
attention of the public more than ever
before Many well-played game has
not appeared as such, because the time
consumed has made the play monotonous
and irksome
The games in the National league have
been faster than the games played in
the American this year. Why this should
be is a problem to decide.
Some of the major league club owners,
who are gazing at future grandstands
these days. and yet are compelled to dig
deep to pay the travelling expenses of
their ball pleyers. should think over the
proposition.
Two years ago. Hermann advised a
new tangled schedule-an interleague af-
fair-which would provide Cincinnati,
for instance, with both National and
American baseball league games. 1t was
Hermanns plan to draft schedule of
H. games for each major league which
would wind UP early In August. After
that the leagues would mingle in q ~