The Washington times., 1915-07-17
TY COBB SAYS
"Bone-head Play" is something
which you don't get a1uay NTH,
while a ''Great Play" is anything
that goes through.

! rules code was brought out very fore
ibly in one OF the Boston games in De
troit. iris Speaker tried to steal home
and beat the ball. and Baker, our
Htldebrand did not make any decision
at all and reveral of our players gath
cred around the plate and started to ar
que that the Boston man should be
called out. Still Hidebrand stood mute
| and didn't say a word.
Finally, George Burns, our first base
man, tumbied to the state OF arrairs
and went over to the bench and touched
Speaker, who was getting g drink OF
water. Then Hildebrand ruled Iris out.
Now, the proposition that a play can
come up on which no decision Is to be
given until somebody chases a player
TO the bench and tags him is all wrong
rules that on a play Of this sort. a man
who slides past the plate without touch
Ing 1t is out If he gets up and walks
awy without trying to get back and
In other words. when he leaves the
field of play he should be either safe
or out. II he touches the plate he Is.
OF course. safe. providing he has beaten
IN. me tag; II he misses it, he is out And
the playing field ought not to extend to
the bench. The next thing we know.
some catcher will be chasing a base
runner into the clubhouse and putting
the ball on him. The fans pay to see
all Of the ball game. and they don't
want prt of the play to take place
on the bench, where 1t Is hidden from
view.
The umpire is placed in a Serv en-
oarrassing position by thing of this
sort, as the rules now real He doesnt I
want to tip either team off to the fact
that the runner has missed the plate.
and he looks foolish standing mute
Serious trouble Is likely to arise over
such play. too.
In the worlds series OF 1911 Larry
Doyle, of the Giants, scored the win
ming run of one game without ever
touching the plate. The Athletics did
not happen to notice it. SO they left the
neld and didn't me/e any protest. But
i the umpire, Bill Klein. saw that Doyle
had slid by. and he said that If the
Mackmen's catcher had gone after
Doyle and touched him, he would have
ruled him out.
You can imagine what a riot there
would have been If Doyle had been
pursued to the bench and tagged. The
umpire would have been mobbed as
sure as shooting and somebody prob
ably would have been seriously hurt.
The arbiters have trouble enough in the
ordinary course of the days work and
there Is no use exposing them to need
less risks.
Just as I predicted last week, there
has been no important change in the
positions OF the leading clubs in the
American League. The Tigers are
proftins while their two rivals, Chi
cago and Boston, are cutting each
others throats, but we can gain only
on the loser in that series.
Boston's pitching staff did not look
| nearly so good here as ! had expected
to see It, and, unless the stars take a
brace, Carrigan is going to find his path
toward the pennant very stony one
Leonard didn't seem to have thing
against US, while Shore and Ruth were
wild Foster was the only one of the
bunch who made us any trouble and
OF course. he cannot expect to win all
the games for the Hub boys.
Copyright. 1915, by the Wheeler syndi-
cate. Inc.)