The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-07
WOULD LIMIT
PLAYERS USED
in ONE GAME
Fans Getting Tired of Abuses Caus-
ed by Carrying Many Sub
stituteS.
BY JOHN B. FOSTER.

New York, Feb. Z. - The rule
makers of baseball are trying to
find some way of limiting the num-
/ Der of players that may be used IN
a championship game, it became
known today They realize that the
use of a swarm of players during
a game is distastefui 10 the public
at times They also realize that it
will be difficult if not impossible to
prevent it without changing the
rule in regard to the substitution OF
a player. And they are not anxious
to do anything with the rules at
present.
The rule about substituting play
/ ers now says in so many words,
that a player may be put on the
| field at any time the manager or
captain of either team desires to
make substitution, upon suitable
notification to the umpire. If the
umpire is not informed of what is
going on, there is penalty at
| tached.
To provide for any other method
would mean that the scope of this
Z
Frankly the only safe way to get
about it would be to repeal the rule
completely, and if there were votes
4 for a different rule to make the
( best change possible.
! There were instances in the
games played in 1921 when 80 play
ers and more were used. These oc-
Cured frequently as compared with
other years. In one game there
were 35 players on the field before
( it was over. 1t is apparent to any
/ one that subStitutions in such doses
pretty well eliminate the old fash
, toned idea of team play when dad
and grandad" Dragged about their
mines it meant something. 1t did
not mean that enough players for
four mines could be hooked togeth-
err in one contest.
! A game in which substitutions
are made freely loses its attractive
ness to the spectators in the first
place because such contest becomes
scramble, and in the second place
/ because the spectators probably do
not know one-third of the players
who get in and do not see enough OF
/
| 1t has ben suggested that the
presidents of the major leagues be
| given authority to limit the number
of players to be used in game. If
both leagues or half dozen
+ leagues voted their presidents that
power it would apply so far as each
! league was concerned But sup
/ pose that one president said that
not more than II players might be
used and another said Is and
third 1S The result would be some
more of a hit and miss baseball,
which cannot give any better salts
/ faction than the overuse of players
in a game.
+ 1t is impossible to make local
rules for baseball other than
/ ground rules in which buildings and
I fences act as hazards without alter
! ing. the uniformity of the sport. 1t
lis a question whether any league
president would care to assume the
! task of specifying how many play
/ ers could be used in a contest. The
rules now that it is allowable to
substitute at any time and if a case
were to come up in which there
]
substitution the president would be
| in hot water at once because of a
! league rule which contiicted with
/ the baseball code.
Could Limit Number.
1t would be possible to make an
amendent to the playing rules
which could state positively the ex-
act number of players that any
team might put on the field during
contest. If the force were cut
down to ,12 it is certain that it
would result in a curtailment on
the part of some managers the use
of pinch hitters in a more OF less
successful effort to change their
/ luck.
Those who were brought up in
| the baseball school of the old days
believe that the substitution of
players has become ridiculous. 1T
is probable that they will have to
wait long time for change while
the clubs are permitted to carry so
many players. When manager
begins to shift players for luck and
! because he has come to the last of
his resources mentally he does not
care whether he uses one or ten. 1t
is simply fight against lost hope
and while he has any players left
he will keep it up.
Some club owners wish that the
substitution of players might be de-
creased but while they really have
the remedy in their own hands they
are not assertive enough to try it.
If the squads of players were cut
down numerically very likely there
would be fewer substitutions.
The question also has been raised
whether in view of the present
heavy batting, the distance for a
home run should not be made more
than 235 feet. There is no reason
why it cannot be if the rule makers
wish to change their definition of
homerun. The limit of 235 feet is
directly traceable to the old Nation
al league ground at Boston. That
was the distance from the plate to
the nearest outfield fence on that
field Fences were built high to
keep the ball from going over them
but they were built so high that it
was also agreed that if the ball did
go over it should count for a home
run. That's where you got home
run for a high hall