Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-12

- RNEST S. BARNARD, the
- up-and-doing president of
the American League, must
- be accounted a genius if
the correct definition of that term
is zone possessed of an infinite
capacity for details"
Barnard, who was elevated
from the position of president of
the Cleveland club to that OF
league head by the almost unani-
nous choice of his fellow mag
mates when Ban Johnson's retire
ment left the Office vacant, had
been on the job but short time
when he issued All exhaustive set
of general rules to govern the
playing of games.
These. announced just prior to
the start of the last campaign,
in no way interfered with the
established regulations, but served
to clarity them and do away with
some of the practices that had
tended to lengthen the time con-
sumed in running off ball game.
Elimination of unnecessary de-
lays without removing any of the
essential strategy usually employed,
or handicapping any player in giving
a club his best efforts was the OBJ
ject of Barnard, and he overlooked
few bets in his effort to reduce
"stalling" and correcting other evils
of delay that had crept in through
carelessness.
So deeply did Barnard 90 into
things that he put ban on the
habit OF some players stepping out
pitched ball and similar practices
minutes to the time needed for COM
plotting a contest.
Being a member of the working
press whose labors are lightened in
proportion to the time he has spent
at the ball orchard each day we
were heartily in favor of Barnard's
interpretations of the code.
They elected lot of good ma
tured joshing from the scribes who
saw in them a chance to wax
humorous and a few of the more
rabid bugs wrote us letters con-
demning any move designed to
curtail the period of their enter
tainment.
The exact figures on i1hdt iods dc-
comphslled through Barndrd's efforts
in this direction are not available,
but it is safe to say that in the
aggregate they Topped many hours
of the time consumed in playing
games oper the course OF the season
and tUere nell north Dhile through
producing generally snapper brand
OF base ball.
Barnard, himself, and his club
owners were so well satisfied with
the results attained that the regu-
lations will be in force again this
year and while they have not been
extended the boss Of the circuit has
formulated new order which
serves to indicate he is very much
ure of the patrons in mind, but in
the interests of the magnates who
look to the fans to foot the bills
hCuiiCu IA VIC Vpcid Sioh VI CiuU'
This new order directs that
hereafter the club owners must pro-
vide a regulation ball bag for the
use of the umpires in which the
reserve supply Of balls may be kept
locked. The fact that the locks,
not the bags, are to be provided by
the league, and that the umpres are
to have keys, is a matter of little
interest to the fans, but the enor-
nous number of balls used by
club Is.
Four dozen balls-96-must be
provided by the home club before
the start OF every game. New balls,
too, in their original bores, NTH
seals unbroken. This number usu-
ally proUeS adequate, NTH some
left oUer, but it has been ascertained
that no smaller number can be spec
tfed NTH any assurance that the
supply 1Dill not be exhausted.
Wholesale the spheres cost SIS
dozen. II only two dozen per
game were used each club would
have TO pay $3.50 for It's ~ home
games of the championship season
each year and this does not take
into account the balls necessary for
six to eight weeks Of Spring train
ing.
Accompanying the Barnardian
ukase regarding locked base ball
bags for use this season are some
special regulations STIMULATING that
all spheres put in use and fouled
off or otherwise temporarily taken
out Of play. must hs continued in