Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14
'RULE CHANGE SEEN
AS AID TO BATTERS
Calling Hit as 1t Leaves
Field Not Endorsed by
Nationals Chief.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

7 OOK for more homers in the
American League next year
L. says Clark Griffith, presi-
dent of the Nationals, back
from the Winter business sessions
of the major base ball circuits in
New York. Although he did not
attempt any trading, Griffith with
some other authorities did tinker
with the rules of the game and he
declares one change in the Ameri-
can code which he did not par
ticularly indorse will raise the
total of four-baSe blows in the
1881 championship campaign.
When they changed rule a." states
the washington prexy, they helped the
long-hy hitters. Trying to pull ball
into the stands these fellows often
swing too fast and when the bail finally
lands among the spectators it frequently
is in foul territory even though 1t was
fair when it crossed the stand barrier.
Well, such drives will be homers here
after instead Of mere fouls"
All this because the American League
has consented to a change in rule az
which, when a batted ball passes out
side the grounds or into stand, will
compel the umpire to decide 1t fair or
foul, according to where it passed be-
yond the playing field. Heretofore the
junior major circuit has had the UNI
pire decide on the hit according to
where the ball disappears from his view,
although the National League for sew
fnllntuoH "a
revised.
why, believe the rule change will.
mean 40 or so more homers a season
in the Yankee Stadium alone" says
Grifith. Three or four of the big hit
tiers on the New York club send drive
after drive into the right-field bleach
ers there and some hit frequently into
the rather short left-fleld grandstand
every day. With so much hook or
slice on them these drives swing foul
after crossing the stand walls and mean
nothing. They'll be homers now,
though, in many instances"
There's much to what Griffith says
about these blows in the Yankee Sta
dunn, but why worry about them now.
The Yankees aren't the only batters
who have clouted many near-homers
into the New York stands. Other clubs
will benefit from the rule change while
playing in Col. Jake Ruppert's park.
Several Washington batters in the past
season made the left-f1eld stand rest
ing place for many Souls that looked
good when they crossed the barrier.
WHILE he was on the right side Of
Wv the sacrifice fly argument in the
Rules Committee, Griffith took a
licking in fight on the "momentarily
held" proposition that for some time has
annoyed him. He didn't like section of
rule 81 and sections and of rule 56.
The Washington president wanted the
rules so worded that there could be no
questionable catch of fair or foul
fly or of third strike. Several times
in games here in recent seasons UNI
pires have ruled that players of teams
opposing the Nationals "momentarily
held" such lofts or strikes when 1t
seemed the ruling might be wrong.
The best he could get out of the
Rules Committee, however, In New York
last week was a change in phrasing
that substitutes for "monentarily held"
the words securely held" Sounds bet
ter, maybe, than the old phrasing; yet
Grif1th thinks there still win be trou-
BILE arising from interpretations of this
revised rule. He wanted and still wants
a rule that will make only an abso-
lutely clean catch decisive.
averages in some cases
- may be weakened by the abolition
Of the sacrifice fly rule, but the move
should prove popular. There never was
any real reason for crediting a batter
with sacrifice and charging him with
no time at bat when he was fortunate
enough to loft the ball far enough to
enable a base-runner to advance after
the CATCH
1t was bad enough when the batter.
was credited with sacrifice only when
MS hoist got a runner over the plate.
It became even worse when a sacrifice
was credited If hoist advanced a run
1er anywhere along the circuit. There
have been cases when puny, twisting
FOULS caught after much effort by an
nfielder accounted for the advance of
, runner simply because the catcher of
The foul could not recover his balance
IN time to make head-off throw
Now to be credited with a sacrifice. rs
he batter must make plain his intent
20 advance a runner at the expense of
MS retirement. There never was any
such intent when the batter rammed
long ny. In hitting out, the batter
vas at the plate to hit and hit only,
The sacrifice fly has gone and base ball
S the better for its going. IL
THROUGH with the Winter meetings
L and the Rules Committee work.
irifflth does not expect to do muchs
'aSe ball business until after the Yille-
ide, he says. OF course, he will be \
eady to talk turkey should trade of
ers come his way, but he isn't looking
or any. Nor does he expect to hear (
rom any of his hirelings in the. nearS
uture. a. ~
LJou,a,,ar 4Ioo,o1I - ook;,,,4,, ...t..A.k
round the Washington club headquar-
ers after the holidays. Then the Ma
ionals' boss will begin correspondence 8
With his players concerning their 1891
'ase ball affairs. AS the Washington :,
players are quite satisfied their club.
lid right well financially the past seal
on there's bound to be some dickering -
YER terms. -,
Which doesn't make Grifith lose any 4
leep. He's used to that end OF the u
"iiio' EGyvE