The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-17
Few Experts Agree as to the Causes and Results of
 SIugging
By GEORGE CHADWICK Special Correspondent of The Age-HeraId Copyright, 192l, by The Age HeraId)

What do you think about baseball this year?' Umpire Klem was asked Are the batters. such terrors as they seem to be? Is 1t the slively bal that makes the home runs, orAis I the weakness of the pitchers?''
 'It isn't my place to criticise,' said the umpire, grimly. T don't make were allowed to say anything about the pitching, I might say that some days the fishing is better than othens when you go after trout
 Which would indicate at least that the umpire might have doubts about the pitching.
 Can't Push Ball
 Have the pitchers gone back fro u their form of the days of Mathew son, McGinty, Three Fingered' Brown. Mullen, Joss, Rusie, Young, Meeking, Leeyep, Tannehill and mea of that caliber?' the writer asked of a veteran pitcher of the National league.
 "Pitch," he blurted out; pitch.
 Pitch he blurted out; pitch" Most of 'em can't. push the ball"
 He must have been right, because he was internationally released him self within the next 24 hours.
 What do you think of the pitcher. batter, lively ball, small gossip" was demanded of Gibson, the Pitts burg manager
 T think that several managers were pretty well stocked up on old pitchers and overconfident of the future" he replied
 You can hit any pitcher after he begins to wear away. Look at tha way they trimmed my old pitchers when they began to go back, and at the way they trimmed Young aud Matty in the latter days of their ca reers. The hope of baseball is in young blood"
 Do the batters hit harder than ever?" Kid Gleason was asked.
 Well, you haven't seen any of 'em hittin' Faber, have your" was the re- ply Real pitchers pitch under any conditions That's what tells the phony from the genuine gold 1ucat.'
 Like BnI Collectors
 q lived through just such a change in rules as this" said Hughey Duffy of the Boston Sox. "We hit the pitchers for awhile, but they got Us eventually Pitchers are like bill collectors. They'll get you sooner or later"
 "The batters are batting out more than they have in the past. If vour first man starts with a two bagg er what's the use of sacrificing? Bunt- ing is lighter this year than it ever has been,' said McBride of Wash ington.
 NO one bunts against our bunt CTS, wish they would"
 "Taint the ball no more'n the stands" said the veteran Donie Busf of Detroit. Some of these villages
 l aIo he home plate that the ball can hop into 'em, Of course, there's lots of home runs when the village mana gers want to help out some of their bush batters."
 That's about all there is to the sub ject which is being discussed more freely in baseball than in the at tendance. Some are trying to con meet the heavy ball with the number of the spectators.
 For the first time in baseball the National league took public notice of the assertions that the attendance had fallen off, and President Heydler announced shrnkage. According to him there has been more total at tendance in his circuit by some thou sands than saw baseball last year.
 Games Well Attended
 That is true and considering the fact that the championship is tied up with only three clubs in his or ganization, and seemingly with only two in the American league, the games are being well patronized. The patronage, however, is not general. It has dwindled to next to nothing in some cities, but that always hap pens when club drops out as contender
 On top of all of the first, the fool ish raising of the scale of prices for sport which always has been the sport of the masses, and which has paraded the fact that it never has been the rich mans game. Grand opera admissions won't ever become popular for an hour or two of out door sport. Baseball is too purely spectacle.