Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-24
w WEARING large numerals on
\ the backs of their blouSes,
wv the Yankees will present
novel sight to American

w WEARING large numerals on
the backs of their blouSes,
NV the Yankees will present
novel sight to American
League fans this year. A
welcome sight, too, think.
Announcement that the New York
players will be numbered was made
yesterday, without any feelers on the
subject being thrown out or any
preliminary ballyhooing, by Ed Bar
row, business manager of the club.
This mould indicate Col. Rupert
and those icho comprise his board of
strategy are confident the inn0vG-
ton 1DiH prove popular NTH the
cash customers, and that is some
thing they try to do nothing else
but, for the Dery simple reason that
1t affords the only means OF making
that huge stadium in the Bronr q
Deritable gold mine.
1t develops that the numbering
scheme was not adopted without
due elaboration nor recourse to
opinions Of those high in the c0un-
ellis OF the game, for Barrow did not
divulge the intelligence until after
titular head Of the circuit. Nor was
it'done without good reason. In ex-
PLANTATION, Barrow said:
"We have had a number of re-
quests to do this. We know that it
never has been attempted by an
American League club. There have
been cases where minor league clubs
carded it.
"The argument for the Yankees is
that there is such large proportion
OF fans from out OF totDn at all our
games 1OhO neUer haze seen Ruth,
Gehrig, Hoyt, PennOck, Combs and
LGzzert in action that they ought to
be aided in picking out their tauor-
ties, so iUe 1UiU try the numbering
system, eUen though the regular
dyed-in-the-lUool NetU York City fan
kno10s all the big hitters and their
substitutes.
"The figures will be placed on
the backs of the bIOuSes of the
players and will be IL inches in
height-big enough to be seen all
over the park. we think.
THE system may be put in effect
on the Spring training trip. We will
try 1t out on the rural districts, 1t
might be said, at first. Out in the
small towns 1t might be more neces-
Sary than at the Yankee Stadium"
The Ualue OF using numerals for
idenN fcation purposes long has been
apparent in track, lacrosse, basket
ball and other sports, and has proved
OF ineStimable benefit to spectators
at gridiron games, despite an Occa-
SionGl shutting, Intentional or other
tOise, OF benumeraled jerseys.
Whether the trail blazed by the
Yankees will be followed by the
other clubs i'm the American League,
and of the National League, too, for
that matter, Is cOnjecturaI. but
am inclined to believe it will take
even longer for universal adoption
than was the case i'm intercollegiate
foot ball, where some of the larger
institutions held out stubbOrnly
against the change.
So far as the Washington Club is
concerned, it can be said that its
players never will be numbered so
long as c. G. Griffith has anything
to do with it, unless a radical al
teration in his views has been eff
fected since the last time discussed
the subject with him.
1t wds some tei0 gears ago-eight
or more-that campaign tor num-
bering players tDdS inaugurdted By
Tommy RICE, a Brooklyn scribe and
Dhom Old-time sports followers OF
the Capital mill recall once Drote
sports pieces for local paper. He
! took the trouble to Write me letter
soliciting support for the plan, and
in all good faith / intfrrogcted Grit