The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-05-06
CHANGES IN BASEBALL RULES


complished much good for baseball. Many
changes were made in the playing code.
A few of the changes Immediately in
vited criticism. The majority were gen.
orally approved. One of the excellent
provisions incorporated was that which
established an official diamond for boys.
It was the result of agitation on the part
Of Mr.. John B. Sheridan of St. Louis,
who has had much experience in helping
the amateurs of his city to play correctly
and organize in the right way. In the
future where boys are to play games with
an arrangement for championship sche
dule, not only will they not be compelled
to play on diamond for men, which
was too large for the average boy, but
they will be able to enforce the use of
diamonds of similar measurements among
themselves. In other words, one game
will not be played on a diamond where
the base lines are ninety feet, second
where they are less than eighty and
third where they may not be much more
than seventy. There is a standard now
which can be lived up to; in fact, will be
lived up to, and when amateur games are
compared there will be a foundation of
uniformity for their comparison, for all of
which Mr.. Sheridan should be given the
consideration which is his due.
Of the changes which were made di-
rectly affecting the playing of games, that
which had to do with the intentional
base on balls" took up the greatest amount
of attention when its text was made pub
lie. It may be possible that every one
does not understand this rule quite right.
There is nothing in it which prevents the
pitcher from giving an Intentional base on
balls If ordered by his manager to give
an intentional base he will try quite as
hard to send the batter to first as he did
in the past. He will not, however, have
the assistance of the catcher so publicly
displayed that spectators will resent what
is being done, particularly when batter
of the home team is at the plate.
The pitcher will not be able to throw
the ball so wide of the plate that the bat
ter finds it impossible to try to hit it with
out stepping out of the batter's box. The
pitcher may throw the ball high and he
may throw it low to give the batter
base on balls. He may throw it inside of
~ IL 81 of
is nothing in the change in the rule which
prevents that. If he is foolish he may
throw it directly at the batter, but only a
foolish pitcher will do anything of that
kind. The most important fact is that
hereafter it will be greater test of skill
on the part of the pitcher to give the bat
ter base on balls. It will also be
greater test of restraint on the part of the
batter, who will be tempted to strike at
bad balls, trusting to luck to make the
hit that he is so anxious to make if there
is winning run or tieing run on third
base.
In every way it is better test of the
game. The batter is not likely to find the
ball completely out of reach, and if he
lacks GOODNESS may be led on to bat at it,
while the pitcher will be compelled to
use excellent control to keep the ball at
some point where the batter can do the
least possible effective work. To hazard
a guess, it would seem that if pitcher
undertakes to give intentional passes in
1920, he will use all the speed possible.
He will be likely to keep the ball well up,
except when he is facing batter who is
known to be dangerous in free swing at
a high ball which is almost wild pitch.
The changes in the scoring rules in no
way affect the game. A sacrifice fly is
sacrifice fly, no matter where it is re-
corded. A home run over the fence be-
comes home run by record. 1t is true
that it was always one of theory, but it
did not get into the books. The runs
h.++.d IN ore a ooo6 addition IN Rasehal1