South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-08-13
II ornsb S 18th
Breaks IS Year
Old Homer Mark
Ed Williamson of Chicago Hit
Twenty seven Circuit
Smashes in 1884.
BY BILLY EVANS

Rogers Hornsby OF the ST. Louis
Cardinals has broken a National
League record that has stood the
test Of time since 1884
When Hornsby cracked out his
twenty-eighth home run he broke
the home-run record that has stood
for SS years in the National League.
In 1884 Ed Williamson. playing
for Chicago, cracked out 81 home
runs. Since that time the games
greatest hitters have unsuccessfuily
battered away at the mark.
In 1919 Babe Ruth Of the Ameri-
can League broke Williamson's re-
cord by getting % circuit drives In
1920 he bettered the mark, getting
81 and in 1921 he placed il at SO.
In SS years no National League
player has ever been able to sur
pass the feat of Williamson When
HOrnsby cracked out his twenty
eighth homer he therefore set a new
National League record. He Is GER
tain to add a great many more
homers to his total before the close
OF the season.
At the start Of the season. when
Hornsby wasn't being given the
slightest consideration for the home
run honors, he expressed to me the
thought that he would like to break
the National League record for
home runs. He has fulfilled his
fondest hopes
What about these records that
are being constantly shattered In
baseball?
Does the breaking OF a record in
t. ese days OF modern baseball mean
as much as it did in the old days?
In breaking a batting record Is
the credit due the modern players.
because they possess a keener eve
and greater strength than the old
timers. or Is II due to conditions
that now govern the game?
Personally. I do not think that
the players of today have keener
eyes, greater judgment of more
strength back Of their swing than
the stars OF 20 or 30 years ago.
Rather I am inclined TO believe
today make for more hitting than in
the old days.
The ball in use today IL so much
better than the ball OF 20 or more
years ago that comparison IS red
iculous The official bal. OF those
days was a rag ball in comparison.
In an effort 10 take care of the in
creased attendance mony Of the ma
jOr league parks have had the play
ing territory considerably cut down.
In both major leagues there are
number of trick fly ball parks. so to
speak-ball parks where an ordi-
nary fly ball OF 20 years ago becomes
a home run because OF short fields
A TO pitching, I seriously doubt
II any great difference exists be.
tween that OF today and 90 years
ago. At that. pitching has been
below standard Ia both leagues for
about five years.
Back in 1911 Frank Baker made
two home runs in the world series
His batting was largely responsible
for the defeat of the Giants by the
Athletice. He became known as
''Home-Run Baker"
In those days the home-run leader
for the season would have from nine
10 u home runs. Recently Ken
meth Williams OF the St. Louis
Browns cracked out something like
nine home runs inside OF a weeks
play.
Uuquestionably the improved
baseball has been the big factor IN
the making of so many OF the bat
ting records that have been shatter-
ed in the last two or three years.
The breaking OF a modern batting
/ record doesn't call for quite the
effort it did a score OF years ago