The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-11-19
ECCyl JENNINGS SAYS FREAK
 PITCHING SHOULD BE BARRED
Detroit Manager Believes First Glass Pitchers Would Be Just As L::ifec
 tive Without Use of For eign &,ub8lauce on the Ball

Scranton, Penn, Nov. 19.-Abol- ishment of every freak delivery would be urged by Manager Hughey Jennings of the Detroit Tigers were he called before the rules committee of the two major leagues and asked to submit views on the proposal to change pitching rules next season The Tiger boss said as much yester- day when interviewed regarding the subject, when he discussed in detail the numerous freak stunts that are being employed by the pitchers, most of which he says makes tie old spit ball mild in comparison.
 It is the claim of Manager Jen- nings that the rules should be chang ed so that the spit ball, emery ball, shine ball, fingernail ball and others
 would be made iIIesal, and things fixed so that any pitcher, catcher, or infielder caught tampering with the ball would be fined for the first of fense and put out of the game for a second violation. He says all freak deliveries are menacing baseball, tha :. some of them are dangerous and that quite a few ball players who would be splendid hitters against regular pitch ing are being spoiled by the nurner- ous invented methods that are now being employed by the curve dispen- sers.
 Jennings doesn't agree with the | views expressed by some managers
 and baseball writers that if the lea 1 gues decide to banish the freak de- 1 1iveries the pitchers using these me ! thods should be given a years grace, so that they could master the usual 1 pitching problems and accordingly l qualify themselves to retain their big 1 league positions.
 l It is his claim that any pitcher in 1 the big leagues now using freak de- | livery and who is not able to hold on l through the use of the ordinary Ecurve ball, fast ball and good control l deserves no consideration from the l clubs and should be passed back to 1 the minors.
 l The Tiger boss says pretty nearly l every big league pitcher now throw 1 ing freak balls is using ideas origin ! ated by other twirlers, and that he believes there are quite few of them 1 when required to resort to the old l pitching methods could easily do SO l On the other hand he claims there
 are some twirlers of nothing better | than minor league calibre who are 1 getting by in the majors through | the use of deliveries that should never l have been permitted to creep into 1 professional baseball.
 | q don't agree with the suggestion
 that in changing the pitching rules the use of a glove by the pitcher 1 should be declared illegal" Hughey said. That would be pretty hard or
 the twfrler, because quite frequently
 he is required to stop hard line | drives I h.
 rules read in such a way that the nor ent the umpire discovered the ! pitcher acting in a way that bordered on doctoring the ball the pitcher would be fined. I would impose the same ruules on catchers, infielders and others in the game.
 The rules should read so that the pitcher would be required to get into pitching position and deliver the bal | as soon as possible after receiving il
 from the catcher or another player
 and I believe stiff penalties on any at. tempt to place paraffine on the ball
 roughen the covering with emery or
 rip the stitches with finyernails or
 sharp instruments would soon wipe | out the practice.
 | Manager Jennings is anxiously
 awaiting the coming annual meetings of the two major leagues. He looks
 for important baseball developments
 at these sessions. Important trades
 are sure to result, he says, and he | also predicts that rules will be chang 1 ed so that purchase of players by a
 major league club from another team
 in the big show after certain date 1 will be made impossible. MT. Jen-
 nings also looks for an adjustment o1 | the trouble in the American league and believes it will come about in a way that will find Ban Johnson
 still very much in power when il
 comes to directing the dessinies ot
 the organization.