Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-20
|HOME-RUN RIVALS
|. DIM RUTH'S GLORY
300 Feet as Minimum Homer
Distance Might Boost
Babes Gate Value.
BY JOHN b. FOSTER.

~ Their players than Babe Ruth
can make home runs now.
Batting is open and free and
~ the man who can't swing ike
a gate is almost unknown In
the big leagues of base ball.
The Ruthian novelty Is no longer as
great as it was when first imported
from Boston to New York. The Ph1llles
have a batting behemoth and the Sox
are importing one from California.
Cleveland has one who is not so bad
and the Cubs are also home-run artists.
Ruth hasn't lost his supremacy, but
the fans no longer greet his cloutS with
the boisterous acclaim that they did.
other batters can do it and 1t is only
when Ruth hits the ball farther than
the average batter hits 1t that the
wellSin rings.
Haas hit one over the fence IN Phila-
delphia that changed the progress of
the world series, perhaps its outcome,
and Foxx and Simmons hit home runs
that established the American League
firmly as world series winer, en-
actly as Ruth batted home runs at
st. Louis when he got chance.
Politics in Argument.
That being the case, politics is play
ing a part in rule suggestions, as it has
played before. II there could be some
change in the rules by which the dis
lance of the home run could be in
creased it is argued that Ruth would
be bigger attraction, so that advisers
Of Ruth are busting around to try to
kept this amiable star before the pub
lie regardless Of what Col. Rupert may
think The only difference between
colonel pays Ruth and wants to get all
he can in return.
II the average home-run batter can
be discounted and something be done TO
make Ruth home runs an 18-kt. article
Of the big leagues, 1t is figured that
Ruth will be more valuable.
Club owners who have home run
batters for short distances, say little
under 800 feet or a little over 275 feet,
ming to get the benefit of the home run
boom. They think they should be per-
mitted to retain all they can get. Take
the Phillies, for instance, with Klein.
He is almost sure to go forward and
In 1880 will be one of the attractions
OF the team If home runs are still
attractive.
Reasons for HOmers.
A lot Of propaganda is being put out
about the recurring home run and the
lively ball. There Is no lively ball. The
bunk about that alibi has been pretty
we'll exploded. There is home-run
orgy and there will be one as long as
the fields remain short. Sixty base balls
are used in every third or fourth game
and pitchers do not know how to pitch.
Howard Ehmke pitched the first
world series game of 1929 and it was
the first time the Cubs had seen any
pitching in 3 years, so Is Of them
struck out.
Undoubtedly base ball would be better
of If the home-run distance were made
800 feet, but both major and minor
league parks are built with short skirts
and still operate in the fiapper class.
Those who are trying to readjust
Ruth's value by making home runs
harder to get hope to see skirts length
cned and make at least a 275-foot hit
necessary to get q home run. That
would make the coming of the Polo
Grounds imperative and also operate
against some other fields.
It wouldn't be an extreme remedy,
because If any change is made the
home run should be put at 800 feet.
That would make home run. worth
something, whether Ruth batted it or
Klein.