South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-08-08
Era of SWot Has
Invaded National
in Majors
Question Whether Fans Pre-
fer Smuggling Game to Style
That Calsl for Science.
By BILLY EVANS.
Are a majority OF the major lea

que players on a hOme-rur 5aE2
Has the era of swat which has
enveloped the national pastime de-
stroyed much Of the science of the
game?
is the orgy of home runs now GO
ing on in the major leagues due to
greater batting skill on The part OF
the players or a lively bauf
Is the increased hitting due 10 an
inferior brand of pitching in both
the American and the National
Leagues
Do the infelders play a ground
Gail with the same sense Of security
they once did?
What effect have the smuggling
tactics now SO widely i'm use. on The
art Of base-running. one OF the pref
tiest features Of baseball?
DO the fans prefer the slug EN-
out home-run tactics rather than the
old style game which called for
much skill in all departments OF
play?
Unquestionably most major lea
que players are on a home-run jag.
Hitting home runs has become a
mania
Ability 10 hit home runs. to swat
the bali higher and farther than any
other player in the history of the
game made Babe Ruth the baseball
idol Of the nation.
Ruth because of his. home-run ha-
bit is the biggest attraction i'm base
ball The New York club, assisted
by Ruth, has broken the attendance
record at every park in the Ameri-
can League circuit.
Ability to hit home runs has en-
abled Ruth TO command the biggest
salary ever paid a major league
player BY merely lending his name
to various advertising schemes he
has been able 10 make even more
than his baseball salary in side is
sues.
No wonder all the other players
began to take a healthy cut at the
bail always shooting at home runs.
There is no doubt but that the
hOme-run habit temporarily has de-
stroyed much of the science of the
game. Resorting to strategy TO get
a run over the plate is a rarity. one
run doesn't mean much in the mod
ern game. A team must get them
in punches.
The place hitter is almost extinct
The bunt is seldom used. The sacri-
fec is not popular unless the game
is close. The hit and run is the
thing most of the time The squeeze
play is a rarity / can't remember
seeing a base runner pull delayed
steal. Trying to steal home, one OF
the most spectacular plays in base
bali, is passe.
The orgy of home runs that ie
now being INDUCED in by both major
leagues is not due to greater batting
skill on the part Of the players. The
big reason is the baseball It is SO
much better than the one used 10
years or more ago that there is no
room for comparison.
II wouldn't be surprising II az least
ID players broke the record of p
nome runs made by Ed Williamson
ir 1854. This record stood until
1919 when Ruth made % He has
since broken that mark twice. If il
isn't the men. it must be the ball.
Players who five years ago were
never regarded as home-run hitters
arc daily breaking into print with
the select list of the 10 leading home
run hitters.
Possibly the pitching Of today in
-he majors isn't what il was 10
years ago, yet the pitching hash Z
been so bad. No. you can't blame
the pitching. so it must be the ball.
IndeIders no longer play a ground
ball with the same sense Of security
because of the false hops the bali
takes. Playing them to the side is
poor policy. yet many an inhelder
is using safetv-first tactics.
Home-run hitting has cut down
base running TO almost nothing
Why take n chance on stealing
bases when q player is liable TO crack
out home run at any time?
The one big thing in favor Of the
home-run hitting is the fact that
the fans seem to like it. All attend
auce records have been smashed in
the last three years. Babe Ruth and
his home-run making has been the
big feature.
The home run for the time being
has increased the thrills and the box
office receipts. The fans seem 20 be
strong for the era Of swat that IS
now holding the boards.
The homo run has always been a
thrill producer because IL is the
hardest thing 20 do from a battirs
standpoint. It calls for perfect
timing and a healthy wall5p IL is
the last word in hitting.
Home runs are becoming common
Clcc they get too common the game
Is going 10 suffer.