San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-04
Sneaky Little Movement to
Reinstate "Doctored"
Baseballs for the Pitchers
Quickly Squelched--H HON.
er Zoning Comes Near
Getting by-Now Seems
Doomed.
BY GEORGE CHADWICK.

| Copyright, 1898, by The San Antonio Light.
New York, Feb. 3.-Schedule meet
inSs for the major leagues are ten days
away. At these meetings it has been
customary TO hold the sessions of the
rules committee, but, as no one so far
has asked rule changes, the presump-
ton is that the game which was good
enough for 1922 is TO good enough for
1923.
Possibly it is as well. Games in
which the rules frequently change are
not as popular as those in which their
freedom from change is long lived, al
though it is noticeable that the young
er American is more uneasy under rules
than the young Englishman.
The owners of some of the ball clubs
have been asked if they would like TO
see the rules amended, but, if they were
not non-committal, they were down.
right opposed TO it. Their attention has
been called to the ACCESSIBILITY of per-
hitting the two new eastern fields TO
start with a free era and no handicap
of ground rules and this has also given
them the thought that it may be best
after all TO begin everything in 1923
without change in the rules.
Want "FTeak" Hurting Back.
There will be no fooling with the
pitching regulations. The little move
ment, quietly started, to get resin, soap
stone and a few other powders into
baseball again will not get much far
Their than it has gone. Two men quite
prominent in baseball were in favor of
it, and each had an nXe to grind. The
moment that resin and soapstOne get
place again in baseball, emery and Il
few other things will follow and in time
the pitcher will be back where he was
three years ago when he made the ball
the travelling agent for a chemists
shop.
1t is reported that forbidden dope"
was used in the games played last year.
In spite of the fact that opposing play
ers are posing always as detectives and
that the umpires are constantly on the
watch, il is almost certain that reisn
got into the game and that soapStone
played n slight part in some of the
pitching.
There is no necessity of allowing the
number of balls or strikes TO decrease or
increase batting. IL the total number
Of balls were fewer than now, II would
surely be no less than three and II the
minimum got down TO three there would
be fewer hits, perhaps, but there would
be more runners on the bases sent
there through no physical experiences Of
their own.
If the penalty were removed from
hitting the batter with a pitched ball,
you would have host of pitchers driy-
ing the batters back from the plate uri-
til the game would resemble the Coney
Island amusement in which you get a
cigar if you bean a Scnegamblian with
a baseball.
Zoning Plan Nearest.
The coming argument for home runs
or possible home runs, came as near
being reality as any rule change. 1t
isn't necessary to pass a new rule TO
bring that change if desired by only one
league. 1t is an open question whether
it is not possible for home clubs to es-
tablish zone rules il they wish TO do 70
and manufacture home runs TO suit
their personal convenience, but the con-
sent of all OF the clubs of the league
would have to be obtained to put 1t
just a chance exists that the matter
of paying high bonuses 10 college play
ers for signing their names to con-
tracts will come up. Offhand it seems
as If that is matter which belongs TO
the individual club. II owners of base
ball outfits have become such poor bus
ines men that they are willing to pay
$1,000 TO have an untried player sign
his name to a contract, the matter-of-
fact part Of the world will quickly
think Of the old adage Of Q fool and his
money soon parted.
As q matter Of fact this practice has
grown to be positively absurd and is