The Washington herald., 1917-03-04
STOVE LEAGUE PLAYS
HEAVY PART in GAME
Without Winter Dope Baseball Fan
Would Be Lonesome Individual

New York, March 2-The resounding
crack Of the willow against the leather
and the wild rawlings OF teeming stands
es the winning run filters across the
platter, coupled with, the thousand and
one thrills provided for the bugs dur
ing the summer months. unite to make
baseball our greatest national pastime.
But the good old stove league does
its share. The busy scribes delve into
records and dig up yarns which keep
the fans from starving to death for
baseball dope while frosty blasts are
blowing through the bleachers. Every
writer Of baseball contributes his log
to the stove league fire. which burns
bright and warm from Turkey Day un-
III the baseballing stars trek on to the
Southland. He compares the shortstops
70 today with the shortstoppers Of i've
I'd ten years ago, and the bugs eat
Up the dope. He digs up pitching records
snd baserunning records. and his doped
yarns take the place OF the box scores.
Without winter league chatter the base
<an fan would be a rather lonesome
Individual, and without the chance of
comparing the stars Of today with the
Idols Of yesteryear the scribe would find
It hard to do his share.
When the major leagues held their
scheduled meetings here a short time
ago II was confidently expected that the
members Of the rules committee would
set together and make q few alterations
In the baseball code as 1t stands today.
But the rules committee did nothing
OF the kind. The wise old heads who
are In control Of baseball are satisfied
with the rules. and for obvious reasons.
Suppose measures should be taken to
Increase hitting. make 1t tougher for the
pitcher to retire batsmen and handicap
the base runners. Suppose steps to make
the work Of the fielders more flashy
were agreed upon by the baseball doctors
and the whole baseball code be generally
shaken up. Would the game profit by
It in the end?
We do not believe It would. And here
Is the reason as we see 1t:
Baseball has stood for years as the
most popular Of all sports. 1t has be-
come firmly established in the hearts OF
the sport-loving public because it Is
being offered from year to year as q
stable attraction.
The game as 1t Is served up to the
public today has suffered few alterations
In the past ten years. and this fact has
done much to keep 1t foremost amons
sports. Almost every other branch OF
sport has been altered. Frequent changes
In the rules and consequent shifting OF
conditions have kept such sports from
growing But baseball has stood out q
perfected game in itself. and the solons
of the pastime can see no reason for
changing the order Of things.
Should radical changes be made In
the rules the favorite winter pastime
of comparing players and their records
would fade out in a short time, and II
would take years before It could be re-
stored
Imagine a scribe attempting to COM
pare a player who had established rec
ords fve or ten years ago with one Of
our present-day stars II the rules today
were vastly different. 1t simply could
not be done, for the records Of the two
players would be made under different
rules and different conditions, and theirs
would be no loophole for the comparison
And don't think for a moment that
the winter league dope doesn't hold q
high place in the estimation Of the fans.
BasebalPs solons know 1t, and they real
ize the advantage OF 1t. The good old
dope has helped to make baseball q
national institution
So the passing up Of many suggestions
that have been made from time to time
for altering the pitching, batting and
baSe-running rules has been a wise move
on the part OF the rules committeeman.
and. as one prominent baseball man said
recently:
The game Is satisfactory aS It stands
today because it is no easy matter to get
q runner around the bases, and the fans
realize that the making of a run requires
hard work. 1 wouldn't undermine the
foundation Of the game by tampertng
with the rules, for the fans are satisfied
and baseball owes its popularity largely
to the fact that it Is built on a solid and
lasting foundation"