The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-23
PACIFIC CLUBS
TO ADOPT new
KIND OF BALL
Latest Announcements Bring Fur
fher Condemnation from East
ern Sections.
BY John B. FOSTER.

| NCOpyrlSnt, lSzz, Dy L ne ATSuS-J
New York, Jan. %. - Eastern
baseball leagues and their officers
are much put out at the statement
of the Pacific Coast league that ii
! has adopted a ball for 1922. which
will differ in construction from that
used by other leagues. Between
their independence on the issue of
drafting players and their further
| isolated stand on the substitution
of their own ball, the Pacific Coast
ers seem to have almost reached
the stage where the next move will
! be to announce that they are a self
constituted major league and there
is no absolute authority to prevent
them from so doing.
| OF course the effort to follow
that would be to secure recognition
! to their claims. There probably
would be objections but in the long
run the Pacific Coast league might
win because of the important fact
that it is so far away from eastern
competition.
There is nothing in the rules of
baseball which tells of which ma
terial the ball shall be made al
though there are explicit specifica-
tions as to dimensions aud weight
OF the ball. 1t is also stated that
in all games played under the rules
a ball made by one of two con-
Germs shall be used.
The Pacific coast can set up a
| code of rules of its own, if it cares
60 in
! ing for a ball which is different
! from that used by the major
! leagues in the east is tantamont to
such a policy To take that course
upsetS the standard of the game
and even those who have wished
the Pacific organization success in
any effort which it may make to
safeguard its own prosperity and
establish its permanency, are hest
tant about a move which might dis
arrange the present methods OF
comparison of plays and players.
Would Change Game.
! The avowed purpose of the adop-
! ton of a baseball which is differ
ent in construction from that used
elsewhere is to get different results
from batting. That makes another
game of baseball. 1t is going back
ward and not advancing. 1t is a
reversion to the policy which was
in effect many years ago and which
brought about two kinds of base
ball, league baseball and associated
baseball. Indeed, it has only been
within the last two seasons that
the National league and the Ameri-
no hnnn in n
| Interpretation of the rules.
If the Pacific coast would set up
new rules some other league might
think it had power to declare new
er ways in which to play the game
and the outcome would be mess
of absurd conflictions and petty
technicalities which would effectu-
ally mar the sport.
| President Heydler of the National
| league has come out against change
which will unsettle the standard of
| the game and so do Colonies Rup-
pert and Huston of the New York
| American club. The other individ-
ual club owners will take the same
stand but a power greater than the
( owners, the thousands and thou
sands who play baseball every sum-
mer and who are interested in the
games as readers and followers OF
the sport, will line up quickly
against anything that is inclined to
give baseball a double standard.
From the rule standpoint the sport
never was more perfect than in
/ 1920 and 1921 and it would be haz-
ardous and extremely foolish to I'M
settle its condition in any way.