The Washington herald., 1917-02-04
RULES Committee
PROPOSES CHANGES
Pittsburgh Experiencing a Boxing
Wransle-O Other Sports.

There is an old saw that runs, Where
there's smoke, there Is fire." II such
Is fact, then every indication points
to quite a number Of changes being made
In the playing rules when the rules Com
mittee. of organized baseball. meets In
New York City. within the next two
weeks
The demand for more hitting has be-
come so pronounced, not only from the
spectators, but the players as well, that
1t is openly being stated that several
members of the committee are In favor
OF seriously considering some OF the more
rational suggestions being advanced to-
ward this end
John McGraw was one of the first to
come out with suggestion that would
increase the batting. The Giants man
ager is In favor of making the ball more
lively but 1t is hardly probable that any
recommendation along this line will be
entertained. The greatest objection to
the ball being made iivelier would come
from the players themselves, as they con-
slider faster travelling ball as dan
gerous.
President Tener. Of the older league,
advocates that the number of balls en-
uting batter to take his base be cut
down from four to three and at the
same time that the home plate be made
one inch smaller. This might increase
the batting, but the hardship It would
WORK upon the average southpaw twirler
would DC so great that it would prac-
ticaliy eliminate him from the game. As
1t is, left handed twirlers are not endow
eo as general rule, with an over amount
or control. and to allow the batter tn
take his base on three balls would b.
handicap enough without cutting down
the size OF the plate
Inc most novel suggestion OF all. and
thnt
sense Is the one put forward by Charley
Herzog Herzog's plan is to NOT nena,ize
batter with a strike for any ball that
hits toul beyond either first or third base
ana within ten feet of the foul line his
argument being that any ball that hits
WITHIN this territory is generally hit there
as the result Of scientific batting. This,
ttons that has been offered.
another proposition-one that will hard :
~ be given any consideration whatsoever
is that or Percy Haughton, the Braves
owner and president. Haughton proposes
that the distance from the plate to first
ana thlrd bases be shortened one foot.
as, as stated oerore' a change along this line
VIII hardly be contemplated for the very
good reason that it would result In any
NUMBER or infeld hits being beaten out
curing the course of an ordinary gane
IN practically every game played there
are instances where the batter is beaten
10 the bag by a mere eyelash and had
the distance been shorter he would un-
doubtedly have arrived there before the
ball. 'ii'
Hundreds OF other Suggestions soma
rational and others not, have been ynade
put all with one object, and that is to in
crease the hitting. Unless all present
signs fan. there is every reason to be-
heVe that when the rules committee fin
lshes It's annual work it will be found
that they have promulgated several new
| rules with an intent to increase the stick
work. S''e' N
while Gov. Whitman has issued a
public statement in which he saws he 4.
IN favor of repeating every boxing Law
on the statue boks of New York, tn.
chances are that after hearing both sides
or the controversy which has arisen, he
may quallty his statement in which he
Is credited as saying that he is opposed
TO boxing under any and all conditions,
Ihat the game In New York, during the
past year, has had a rather musty smell,
the big town sport writers are not a bit
backward In admitting. yet at the same
time they are also calling attention of
the higher authorities to their claims
that some Of those who compose the
State board are Just about as much off,
If such is = fact, then there is every
reason to believe that Gov. Whitman.
J In all due respect to the sport-lovinC e
/ public, that is those who are In for
sports conducted on the level. will Civ.
this dirty dish-washing affair a more
! thorough consideration
Boxing is a mans game and a game
! that should be a mans game morally,
| physically and mentally. If there is a
certain element connected with the game
In New York that savors of crookekness.
! then the governor should exert every in
! fiuence in determining as to Just who
these particular ones are, and be they
promoters, principals, or those in author
ity, they should be severity dealt with.
Entry records are in imminent danger
OF being shattered at the annual tourna-
ment of the American Bowling Congress,
which is to start at Grand Rapids on
March g. According to an announcement
Issued by Secretary Abe Langtry last
week. between $50 and 500 teams would
shoot for the national honors.
| Langtry's estimate makes the unofficial
prophecy Of so quints look good to we'll
posted fans. as Langtry has always used
the soft pedal in promising a big entry
list for the players Chicago teams to
the number of eishty-three have already
| forwarded their entry lists to the ma
tional secretary. and II four more send in
their entry between now and the date of
closing the entries, February a. the
Windy City Will have equaled its record
of last year at Toledo. It would not be
surprising but that Chicago came
through with not less than 12O ave-men
| teams.
| The boxing game is not only in bad re-
pute with the authorities of New York
State, but Pittsburgh. another acknowI-
edged fight center. has its ,fstic tangle.
Unfortunately. the Smoky City has no
boxing commission, either municipal or
State. the chief Of police. in the majority
Of cases, acting as the matchmaker.
Lately this official has seen At to re-
fuse permits for bouts between several
well-known battlers, giving as his reason
that their past performances were of a
shady character and that he did not pro-
pose to allow a repetition Of what he
terms a "stalling bout"
This state of affairs where the chief of
police performs the functions of match
maker for all the bouts is not meeting
with the approval of the sporting public
or the press, and 1t would not be surpris-