The Washington times., 1914-01-25
So Says Clark Griffith, Who
Thinks Demand for Change
Is Absent.
By THOMAS KIRBY,

with all due respect TO Ban Johnson
I do not think there is a chance of ever
legislatin- out of baseball the inten-
t.onal pass. There is absolutely no de-
mand for such a change and if pitcher
il not allowed to send a batter down
whenever he is so inclined, ii will de-
rrive the sport of much OF ITS most
interesting strategy"
This is the way Clark Griffith answers
a query as to what plan he would sug-
Eest by which the president or the
American League could put through one
of his pet schemes. Griffith, being con-
oeeded to be one of the closest students
of rItching the game has ever known, Is
cua,- fled in a particular sense to pass
Judgment on the proposed regulation.
Il am willing to bet that in ten min
tues l can teach any pitcher how 10
pass 4 man and I defy any umpire TO
prove that he did it Intentionally con-
t.nued the Washington manager. when
Won commence to enforce rules that VIII
rorce a twirler to put them over, you
remove one of the most interesting 1ea-
lures of baseball. Why shouldn't L De
allowed to low bridge" a batter or
hook one outside without having any
imp tell me that was doing II on pnro
pose and that it is against the rules!
You surely can't shackle the catcher'
and as long as the man back OF Lne
plate is allowed any freedom, you are
going to see good batters walking so
that the man on the rubber can take
fling at a weaker hitter.
There is absolutely no public de-
mand for the johnson idea and know
that to legfslate out of the game the
Intentional pass, is Impossible.
Mr.. Griffith is a standpatter so tar
as the rules are concerned, and Woulu
even now change the clause that com
pels the official scorers to Keep tap on
the number of earned runs that are
made against each pitcher.
When i go to make out contract
! pay my pitchers for the number OF
games they win, and when the public
either win or lose" is the way the
directing genius of Washington baseball
views the subject.
why, how often can you find man
on the way from a ball park who can
tell you how many earned runs were
made in the course of the game. OF
course, there are rare exceptions when
a man will have a dozen or more runs
made against him without having any
of them earned, but, aside from notices
in the papers, ] do not feel that II is
worthy of any particular mention.
'ks soon as you get ball players gen.
orally, or pitchers in particular, work
ing for averages you have removed the
principal object Of baseball winning.
This rule about the earned runs
against pitchers should be kicked out
of the guide, and the rules as they
stand given further trial before more
tinkering. I would have the base UNI
pire kept outside the diamond as he
obstructs the players, but aside from
this the rules as they stand are good
enough"
One feature Of the development CT
the Federal League hat Is misleading
TO many of those who have been COM
renting upon the activity o. President
Gilmore and mis- trusty henchmen. Is
the fact they have tampercd bur little
with the members of the respective
leagues.
This has been pointed OFT as one of
the weaknesses Of the plan Of the out
laws. This assertion. however, would
appear TO be misleading.
The success OF an baseball league
is dependent upon competition. Give
? lesgue one club that completely
overshadows the other cOrtenders ard
the principal feature Of the race is
eliminated. As matters now stand il
would seem that the Philadelphia CLUB
in the American, and the New YORK
club, in the National. have a decided
3,uvantage over all the other starters
That players could be luced from these
teams is improbable + for no ether
reason than that most Of the f1cn are
" eli paid and they can see before
the passing of another year, cutting
IN the ripe melon that Is annually split
To the men in the worlds series.
That is one reason why the Federals