Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-10
.RUTH'SH HOME RUN
RECORD SHOULD
STAND FOREVER
Providing Ban Johnson's
3 Plan Becomes !,
Lew.
Bx I. u. Sanhorn.

"~cO ANSOAO ~ AS AAAAAS
homo runs in a season will stand un-
beaten forever. If the movement start
ed by President johnson OF h Amer
lean league, TO make fou baggers
NEore uniform is adopted>by the major
leagues this coming winter.
The proposal to lengthen the dis
lance from home plate required for
4 home run,o out Of bounds will elimtn-
Ain tho present easy method OF OBJ
laining a jog around the circuit where
stands are located on the foul lines
SO close that ordinary flies go intoSthe
crowds. tt is impossible to increase
The size of the ball parks, of course,
but by changing the minimum dis
lance required for a home run, there
can be produced greater uniformity In
The feats of the batsmen.
The rules at present make 235 feet
the shortest possible distance that en-
t:tles-a man to a home run out OF
BOUNDS. Nonel Of the major league
parHs is as SMALL as that now, but
..9ui,e a lot Of them have stands or
fences less than 900 feet distant from.
the home plate. And 1t does not re-
uuire a tremendous blow to knock q
lively baseball 800 feet.
Shortest Stands in New York.
!. . The Polo grounds at New York have
llO CoolC0 ~ " AA"A AoAAS @~ssS
into. Both right and left foul lines
are so short that many a ny drops into
them. with an outfielder backed up
against the barrier, prevented from
making an easy catch Of it by lack OF
room. Moreover, there is no screen
III front Of the crowd to make the
home runs more difficult. -
Both Philadelphia parks have short
fields. and the~ quantity Of homS runs
made there is increased greatly by
'the fact the barriers in front Of the
outfield stands are 80 low that hits
frequently go into the crowd on the
first bound, and these ave W be
counted as home runs, although they
would be good for only two bases II
the baNl hit he barrier instead OF
bounding over It..
Right field at the Philadelphia Ma
tional league park is so short that 1t is
hard to make even wv bases on a ball
hit against the fence. But q. tall Wire
screen makes It harder to hit}the ball
out of the lot. The same Is true OF
right field at Cleveland The other
fields at the Indians park are good tor
home runs inside the grounds.
) Ban Johnson's idea is to establish q
dead line inside the foul lines when
necessary to eliminate the Joke home
run. If some distance like 500 feet
or more IS selected for. the. dividing
line, only balls hit outside the tnclos.
ure beyond the new lines will count as
home runs. Those hat go into the
crowds or over the walls between the
new lines and the foul lines will count
for only two orrthree bases, accord.
ing to the distances from the plate. II
will mean more work for the umpires
AID more wrangling, but 1t will make
fha hnrha rim fOaa0 nOYNnfhinR more
.than it does now.
There is no attempt to take away
the laurels Of Kenneth Williams, whc
has made his mark this year under
rules that have, existed from time I'm
memorial. but the four Dagger ma
become SO common that 1t has ceaset
to create comment unless the make,
thereof a lot Of them to his credit
Ideal Park in Chicago.
The new deal, II. 1t goes through
may. cost the batsmen q. few rea
home runs. Occasionally a ball !!
driven into a nearby STAND o- ovss .
have carried it OH Of the lot q Com,
iskey park, which Is tho most ideall.
arranged Of any in either league. 1
Is the same distance to the stands or
either foul line and requires a rea
home FUR to clear the screen in from
Of the stands I'M any direction. Blu
the loss Of a few home runs under tn,
new deal will be offset by the fact tn,
reader will kndw a batsman deserves
1t when he gets'n home run instead o
having to- stop and remember whsr,
the game was-played andfhow short o
long the distances are.
1t will discourage future great
from shooting at Babe Ruth's world
record, but it will label theft four bas
blows with the word genuine" an,
give the Sultan Of Swat q chance t,
set a new mark under new conditions
Dollar Da3, Friday, DOT. - -