New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-10-06
SOFT BAIL GAINING
RAPIDLY IN favor
Making Serious lnro,ds on
Popularity Of Hlrd Sphere

|
who maintain that the Indoor
game has its place and that II
reaches a larger number Of people
Of both sexes than the hard ball
sport could. Both camps have ar
guments to support their claims,
and all agree that the advent Of
the soft ball game has distinctly
changed things in baseball.
Baseball is about IS years old,
and for we'll over half that time it
has been SO popular that sports
writers have justly applied to 1t the
| epithet OF "the national pastime."
! Its beginnings are the subject OF
discussion, but the origin OF soft
ball is even more obscure. The two
games seem to have been born to-
gether in the days when balls were
| of home manufacture and were
made hard or soft In accordance
with the size or skill Of the players
who were to use them. The hard
ball game became professionalism
and leagues were organized, 80 that
the ball use had to be standardized,
but youngsters on the .sandlots still
continued to use many a stuffed
sock for ball.
Baseball Goes Inlo0ss
With the growth OF organized
play in gymnasiums, baseball was
taken indoors and was used along
with basketball. ring hockey. and
| sf.,.n enff
ball had to be used. and the manu-
facturers soon produced balls Of def
mite standards to meet this need.
The soft ball also came to the fore
with the development OF summer
Fairgrounds, as it was admirably
fitted for the smaller boys and for
girls.
| Out of this stage the game was
lifted by the men who played 1t In
the gyms and the youngsters who
had grown up with 1t on the play
grounds. The game was found to
be we'll adapted for twilight sport,
and factories, churches and lodges
took 1t up. 1t could be played with
much less equipment and by men
who could not show to advantage In
the regulation variety. 80 that It
appealed to men of ordinary ability
and those who could not charge ad-
nilsson to their games.
/ The various leagues still have
their own sets OF rules. but. from
the helter-skelter conditions under
which the man who argued longest
was always right, Indoor" baseball
has progressed to the point where
at least each circuit has its definite
rules There are actually official
rules for the game when played In
doors, while the twilight leagues
have generally adopted the regular
baseball code and made those
changes which tho different ball
renders advisable.
Popular In Leagues Hero
The sport has been much In vogue
in New Britain during the past few
seasons. The Inter-Church league
has been playing for four summers
and the Fraternal league recently
finished a successful first season.
while a number Of factories have
their own inter-department leagues.
The shops have also organized
girls loop. and both boys and girls
participate In their respective
leagues during the course Of the
summer playground season.
The arguments both for and
against the soft ball sport are hinged
upon Its differences from the regular
game. The ball is larger. the pitch
ing is from below the shoulder IN
stead of above. and the distance be-
tween pitcher and batter Is shorter.
1.-The ball comes over the plate diner
lently and the bat must be swung
more quickly than in baseball. This.
! it is claimed. spoils ball players
sense of timing the pitch and ruins
his batting eye.
Arguments Against Soft Ball
The shorter distances between
Ibases is further claimed to affect a
, players throwing ability, while the
Tighter ball is blamed for thrown
! out arms. Few hard ball pitch
ers attempt pitching in soft ball
game, for the underarm motion and
shorter distance to plate are said to
reduce, effectiveness and even injure
a hurler's arm. New Britain has
many good baseball pitchers and
quite a few clever indoor tossers,
but only one or two have risked their
wings by trying both, and 1t is
claimed that indoor pitching Is re-
sponsible for sudden deadness in the
arm OF one prominent local player
this season.
The boys who grow up In the soft
ball pastime, its defamers declare.
are not hardened enough for the reg
ular game and never acquire the
fielding and batting ability necessary
for a proper showing. II this con-
slant growth of soft ball at the ex-
pense of its bigger brother keeps
up. the alarmists fear that the time
will come when there will not be
enough youthful material to replace
the men now playing organized base
ball and that the sport will die out
because of lack of personnel.
Steps have already been taken to
overcome this trend away from base-
ball to soft ball. golf, and tennis.
The American Legion. service organ
ixations, and municipalities, often
with the encouragement and finan-
'cial assistance of the professional
leagues, have recently been sponsor
ing organized leagues which purpose
to develop new material for the dia-
mond.
The defenders OF indoor baseball
also have their arguments. They
maintain that only a small percent
age Of boys are really able to become
proficient in baseball and. that soft
ball is for the greater crowd who
could not hope to make a showing
in the other game, also for those
who make only occasional stabs AT