The Washington times., 1914-05-17

act.y the same way about batting
There is something more in playing
bdu than the money Ncu receive. Most
piG yers really love the game and when
they are out on the held they have
something else to think about besides
how much they are getting. We like
TO be paid for our talents, and to be
pa:i well, but because d man gets i
raise in salary he isn't going to swe.I
up so that he can't see the ball any
more
SIS akinS of hitting, reckon some OF
us viii have to jump 10 the Federals IL
or EattinS averages do not improve be
fore long. The so-calied outlaw cir
cIi- certainly looks like Utopia for the
batters. i noticed in the first set of
official averages issued that twenty
seven men, or about one-third of the
regulars other than pitchers, were swat
ting the pill for a figure of 900 or bet
teiS while fifty-tWo Nere above Ia
There must be some Siuggers in that
outfit. Yet / find that a lot of the
ferC e-busters are men who never were
sluGgers in the American or the Ma
uonal.
Doubtless, some of the fancy hitting
figures acquired in the first few game ;
OF the Feds season were due to, tho
use OF a lively ball. The new league
either has already adopted deader pill
or VIII DO so shortly, / understand, and
then SOME of the great hittcrs Will
sink back where they belong. The
pitching in that circuit cannot be very
good, either, and there are several
short fences which helped pile up home
runs.
They tried that lively ball stunt in
the American League three or four
years ago. and you can be sure that all
the outfieIders were glad when they dis
carded it and went back to the Old
style sphere. For the few weeks the
lively one was in use the fellows in
the suburbs were worn to shadows
chasing eNtra-base hits. while the in
neldcrs were all crippled up from being
banged in the Shins with cannOn-snJ,
drives that they couldn't get their
hands on.
The public may want more batting
but il certainly doesn't care to see the
hall so lively that all the games are
decided by scores that run way up like
they do in cricket The present Ameri-
can and National League balls seem
TO be about right to make the game
interesting. and I think that the Feds
will do well 10 have one as near like
them as possible.
Talking about big scores reminds me
al the cricket story heard not long
ago. An American travelling in Englani
got into conversation on Il train, and
expressed regret that n" couldn't have
seen n great cricket match which had
started the day before.
Il certainly would have liked to seen
that match, just 10 get an idea Of how
the Stars of your game play said
the Yankee TO his British neiGhbor.
On. you can see IL all right, old
chap" said the Briton- What you see
in the paper there is only the report
OF the first DAYS play. II hasn't ieally
begun yet. I'm the best batter on the
Yorkshire team and 1 don't 90 TO bat
Until tomorrow, so you'll De Ia plenty
oG time"
According TO Sam CrawforI. who
went around the world with MCGraw
aul Comiskey, the English iidn't See.I
10 see much in baseball. and MAY be we
aTS overlooking some OF the fin" points
OF cricket. II seems to ma, however.
that game where you play three days
or 50 take out time for tea. and only
would never do COR the American tenn
permanent. We want some action In A
curry in our sSamcs. iOu VIII notice
that if pItcHer makes thr-e OF fcGr
throws to first base to F"l! Il runner
Cn. the fans VIII b"Sin - -"i restless
and yell for him TO play hall" I'm
aginc, then. what they would do II the
G, ntc.t were Halted win IL sacks full
ard two out for ia. or I we.', 10 be
Gated with the sun shining wnen :he
-amc WIS only half UVsr. invrc'd pe
a rot sure as YOU lIv".
sam Crawford tells another good one
alCu. the EnEii5luau VINO left tho
White Sox- Giants game in .-onn"n be-
fore il was finished and was asked bE
= man outside the ground what the
score was This is how the board read
when the beef-eater quit:
Chicago Observation-Disclosures. u mcOlO OI
New York Observation-Disclosures. q - ! o q o u
u don't know what It is oxactly."
said the fellow who had been At the
game to the other one, but it's way
up in the millions
There seems TO be n lot Of confusion
this season over the new rule nrn-
hibiting the Coa"hcr at third base from
putting his hands on III" runner. Sew
cial arguments have come up over this
addition 10 the code and both umpjrcs
and players have misinteIpreted it,
The rule distinctly says that the nun
ncr is out j: the COacher at third base
h0Ids or shoves him but nothing is said
about first. over IN Cleveland early In
the season, Birmingham. who was
coaching at FIRST took hold OF a runner
and showed MIN back on the bag. The
umpire, who was WORKING called the
runner out, and nobody on the field was
familiar enough with the RUE to know
that a mistake had been made The
man wasn't out. Of course. as the ulay
didn't come up at third base. Cleveland
lost a run by virtue Of III" bad ruling.
but Birmingham wasn't abb" 10 uuofe
[ he exact wording of the "Od- 81 La
cuuldn't Dut up a hO!ler.
II hardly seems possible iuat A VET
cran umpire and manaG": vCur,ip,t
have read the rules 70 lamuiaIiZe them
selves with the ChalIGcs. but in ihi.
- So il WAS plain that neither had don.
so Perhaps d course Of instruction ~
The playin. code might rot he a had
thing for some big leaSuers. for ever
nov and then something liz" this comes
M 10 show that the hoys do not 90.
,ar, well arausintCd with that II,,r,,
iurr I'm the back Of the Spaldiuc aHd
E"a.h guides.
Copyright. 1914. 10y the Wheeler syndt-
cate, Ipc.)