The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-22

hard to get him because he has some
thing on his mind. Perhaps he has &C
cumulated the passing habit, as many
pitchers will from giving one man a free
ticket, and he cannot get the ball over.
He loses the next man, too. and the
game is gone.
O'Day proposes to make the catcher
stand in 3 space behind rne plate four
feet wide. That is, he must be in this
box before the pitcher starts to deliver
the ball, md he cannot move of TO one
side for the pitch-outs as catchers usual
~ do when it is decided that a batter
should be passed. But there is nothing
TO stop the catcher from moving after
the pitcher starts his motion, and il
would be simple enough for him to step
10 one side then and get the wide ones
TO pass a batter. II would not be pos
sible to make a rule that the catcher
must be in the box when he receives the
ball, because then he would not have a
chance to get wild pitches that might
not be intentional I do not think giving
bases on balls on purpose hurts the
game.
Not many pitchers make a practice of
this intentional passing. Some managers
instruct the twirlers when to give an
Intentional pass, while others leave it up
TO the pitcher. McGraw always let's me
use my own judgment I pass as few
batters as possible, because / don't like
TO take the chance it always involves.
gave nome-run'' Baker a base on balls
in a game Of the 1911 worlds series.
think I showed good taste, the way that
bird always bats in a worlds series.
believe he is the greatest pinch hitter in
the world, as he has shown himself to
be They tell me Baker was all smiles
after that contest.
What is the matter, Frank" one of
the other players on the team asked
him. you did not get any home run
today. What are you so pleased about?'
No." replied Baker, but / got some
thing which liked better and which was
more of a compliment Matty passed me
en- purpose"
The fan must remember that whenever
a pitcher gives a batter base on balls.
he is endangering his teams chances of
victory, because he is putting another
man in position TO score.
Unlike football, the rules of baseball
have not been tinkered with TO any ex-
tent in the past few years. Before I go
10 see a football match nowadays, I
have 10 take a guide book and study It
10 understand what they are doing. As
] am not much OF a student of football,
I do not attend many games. II the
the ordinary fan would have to learn the
game all over every year or Whereabouts,
il would ruin the sport
The only tendency of the changes IN
baseball for the past few years has been
TO shorten the time Of playing a game.
At first, the catcher stood back on the
first two strikes and took the ball on
the bounce when there were no runners
on the bases, but that was a long while
ago. He was then moved up behind the
halter for all occasions by the rule
makers, and It was a good change. Next,
the foul strike rule was added with the
idea Of cutting down the time OF play,
because the owners of ball clubs recog-
rized the fact that the fan likes to see
his ball game quick. This change did
rot hurt the game, but rather improved
81. as some men used TO be able to foul
them OF almost Indefinitely when there
was no penalty for it, and in this way
tire out a pitcher and make the contest
monotonous.
= Games should BE Shortened.
Even with these changes, Ban John
son believed the games in the American
League were dragging out too long and
hurting the profits of the clubs q few4
seasons ago, so he introduced q rule that
no relief pitcher should be allowed to
warm I'd after he had gone into the box.
1t was customary to let a man throw
five balls In a game between Boston and
the Athletics, a Red Sox pitcher forgot
himself and iobbed one up. McInnis
standing near the batters box and being
the next hitter, walked into this one and
pushed the ball over the. fence for a
home run. This rule was then shortly
rescinded.
johnson also hit on another scheme to'