Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-25
EvERS SUGGESTSA
NEW BASE BALL RULE
Called Balls Cut to Three and
Intentional Passes to
Be PenaIized.
HAS SCHEME TO STOP
STEALING OF SIGNS
Changes in Code to Be Pro-
posed at Coming Meeting
of Rules Committee.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


NEW YORK. January 25.-When the
joint rules committee, representing the
major leagues. meets next month two
radical changes in the code will be sug-
gested for consideration. John ]. Evers.
manager of the Chicago Cubs. believes
for various reasons that the number of
called balls should be reduced from four
To three and that men on second and
third bases should move up when
pass is purposely handed TO heavy
batsman. Other base ball men advocate
a measure expected to do away with the
practice of stealing signs The Cubs
enterpriSing manager explains the idea
in this way:
When pitcher Intentionally gives
base on balls to q heavy hitter to get a
weaker one to the plate base ball crowds
usually cry out in protest. 1t is often the
case that players will reach third and
second bases with a strong batsman COM
ing up. The latter is passed purposeiy
and the next man. a comparatively poor
hitter. is disposed of easily.
Under the rule j intend to submit to
the joint committee this practice would
be abolished. If the pitcher walked a big
hitter with a man on third the latter
would be permitted to score a run, while
a man second would go to third. 1t
IS my idea that a pitcher should be COM
PEELED to put the ball over the plate under
these conditions, if only to improve the
batting and run making.
Pitchers Too Effective.
The foul strike rule has increased the
effectiveness of the pitchers to an alarm
ing degree SO that. in my opinion, they
should not be allowed to tighten their
grip on the batsmen. That is why 1 will
suggest that the number of called balls
be reduced from four to three. Then it
would be Impossible for pitcher to
waste balls to handicap the chances of
baserunners-
Several base ball men who discussed
Evers suggestions yesterday seemed TO
think that the three-ball idea might find
favor. as II would tend to lessen the ef-
fectivenesS of the boXmen. but they also
argued that if the Intention of a pitch
er in giving a pass was left to the judg
ment Of an umpire wranglins on the ball
field would be greatly increased.
The stealing of signs has come to be
an evil which some of the best known
club owners are anxious 10 squelch. 1t is
fact that last year three American
League teams-maybe the Red SoX. Ma
tionals and Athletics-had Wolverton's
system of signals in ali the games they
played with the New Yorks, yet Wolver-
ton was pOwerless to put stop to 1t.
The term "stea ling the signs doesn't
lines detect the signals I'm the catchers'
mitts for the guidance of the men in
the box. IL is often the case that keen
observers among the players observe Ger
tain peculiarities in the delivery used by
a pitcher which tips off the kind of bah
to look for at the plate. The Athletics
perfected this method of getting onto
the signals" some time ago, the belief
being that Chief Bender was "A wizard
in this respect when stationed on the
third base coaching line
To Move Coachers' Boxes.
But the magnates who think that the
catchers' signs are easily read by the
coachers at first and third base have a
remedy in the shape Of rule that will
move the coaching lines back at least six
feet farther away from the base paths, so
that it will be physically impossible to
get in a line Of vision with the interior
OF the backstop's gloves. 1t was made
serious offense two years ago to rig up a
signal-tipping bureau behind the outfield
fence from which with the aid of power
full glasses a man could see the catcher's
signs and then telegraph them to the
batsman. In the American League Ii is
understood that expulsion must be the
fate OF manager under whose auspices
tipping bureau Is conducted, whether
he admits that he knows of it or not