The Washington times., 1929-02-04
ITALIAN BOWERS WHO FIGURE TEAM
SHY At IDEA
OF 10-MAN
TEAM

The fact that big league
baseball Inagnates shy at John
Heydler's tenth man sugges-
tion has no bearing whatever
on the merits Of the idea, ac-
cOrding to neutral baseball OBJ
servers.
n simply emphasizes anew that
baseball rnagnates are afraid OF
ANYTHING that is different in the
nlayins rules. Anything that hasn
been done before scares them into
rigidity.
The idea that baseball is a nine
man game no longer holds water
baseball critics outside OF the busi-
ness seems to agree There was
time when big league clubs carried
only IL or IL players throughout
a season and in those days the nine
men who started a game also fin.
ished It.
Ii was not until 1891 that the
rules allowed player substitution,
and even then not much attention
was paid to II by the managers.
Players were still supposed to be
able to go nine innings without
crying for help.
But nowadays as many as 3S
men have been engaged In .
single nine-inning game, and
nothing i'm the rules prevents
substitutiOns so long rs man.
ayers have any substitutes left.
Big league baseball has reached
the point where a game that en-
lists no more than Is players Is a
rarity.
Last year the American League
used 257 players and the National
230. Playing SIT games, the Ameri.
can League averaged 11.2 players
per team per game. Playing s14
games, the National League aver.
aged ia players per team per
game. Thus the American used 24.4
per cent more players than the
regulation nine, and the National
used 26.7 per cent more.
With these figures In mind, Ileyd-
ler's suggestion of a substitute bats
man for weak-hitting pitchers looks
harmless enough, to say the least.
And since. by having substitute
batsman for the pitchers. many a
pitcher will last nine innings who
now lasts but three or four. the
economy of Heydier's suggestion
from the standpoint of developing
pitching material is apparent.
The two big leagues used last
wear 106 pitchers each. In the
American League So of them par
ticipated in 20 games or more. as
against 81 in the National League.
Thus, AZ American LeagHers
And 81 National Leaguerp par
ticinated In less than 70 games,
Only 2s American League pitchers
worked 1sO innings, the equivalent
III 20 full games. Olily rs National
League pitchers tQtaled 189 innings.
Obviously, an outstanding feature,
then. Of big league games was q
parade OF substitute pitchers. And
this indicates either that pitchers
no longer are able to stand the
pitching gaff, or managers have the
unhappy faculty of picking the
wrong pitcher to start the game.
Nor are substitutions limited to
pitchers. Although big league sched.
ules call for 154 games. only ~
men in the American and 80 men
in the National appeared in al
many as l25 games. Fifteen Amer
leans and 10 Nationals appeared in
from 100 to 124 games and Il
Americans and IS Nationals APP
peared In a to 80 games. Totals
FOR these three classes show that
but as Americans and u Nationals
played In more than half the scheds
uled games.
4 careful study Of games In
which substitutes are rushed TO
hat and into the field shows
that few such games are won.
In other words, the manager
begins to make substitutions when
the game Ii already lost. Some.
times he iustifies this on the ground
that he is giving his substitutes a
chance to work, to Timber up. And
that may be justifiable. hut in
one sense that is like sendin@ IN
an understHdy to crack Ed WyHn's
lokes Baseball fans pay TO see the
hest team a manager can put on
the field. When any manager
changes his mind seven times In
an afternon as to what his bert
team Is. his managerial ability is
open to question.
Any rule that will tend to reduce
substitutiofls will certainly be new
test OF managerial skill. On that
ground alone President Heydler.s
f0.man rule seems to be worth
trying.
SOnnenherg Meets
His Prototype on Mat
49,. r,ln1Nrr Ir..h - fs,tn Sntl