The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-02
Talking
ITOvER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Feb. 2.--About ten
IN years ago, more or less, Babe
Ruth, by the simple process of
swinging for home runs every time
he came to the plate. innovated a
style Of offensive play that revolu-
toned the game.
Where previously the little Ma
poleons" and the master minds with
their delicately shaded tactics
known mysterionSly as inside play
had dominated the scene, the large
Mr.. Ruth came along with a prim-
tive formula that changed every
thing.
With one swishng smash OF his bat Mr.
Euth slammed the little Napoleons and
the master minds into comparative OBJ
scuritv-and along with them went the
stolen base the hit and run and the punt
sacrihce. IL was the beginning OF the
era Of brute strength.
70 the surprise Of the magnstes. the
boisterous acclaim. Cobb was through. lcng
live Ruth. From the box office angle there
was one serious objection Ruth stood
alone. There was no opposition. Only the
Yankees profted consistently bv the
baseball is essentially show business,
differing from the stage the screen and
the saw dust rings only In that u s
BE Fu eaees there a. are sxeen cubs he
viouslv it is not good business to build
up the drawing power Of one team at the
expense OF fifteen others.
VXTHEN the mountain refused TO
w come to Mohammed, he went
to the mountain. And when other
Ruths failed to come to the other
club owners they-well, they did
the next best thing. They intro
duced the jack rabbit ball-a ball
so lively in character that a one
armed boy mascot could nudge it
gently for home run.
Immediately phooey home run kings be-
ban TO blossom all over the baseball land
scape. Averages jumped from thirty 70
standard by which batting excellence was
judged, became a commonplace. A pitcher
who. could last full game achieved nigh
Yet in spite of all this the magnates
continued to deny that the ball had been
tempered with in any way At intervals
the manufacturers would issue impressive
sounding statements in an effort to ex-
plain the saturnalia OF smuggling. IT
seemed that the yarn was different, a
better and superior grade.
Finally, a few months before his death,
Ban b. Johnson, deposed president of the
American League admitted to a New York
changed. and that the change was made
to increase the hitting, and along with 1t,
the gate receipts.
THE fans seem to want that kind of
baseball" Johnson said. so we decided to
give 1t TO them"
A S the averages continued to
/ n grow and new hitting marvels
were developed, the magnates were
confronted with a problem they
hadn't anticipated. These new hit
ting marvels began to demand
money commensurate with their
ability as reflected in the averages.
They had Ruth's salary as prece-
dent. From the beginning the
Yankees had paid Ruth literally.
SO in due time the salary scale was
raised higher and higher, especially among
the hitters A hitter who could show that
he made ten more home runs than the
season before could justifably demand
generous increase; And because the home
large. the increase was generally granted.
Mr. Hack Wilson was the most conspicu-
Gus example of the inflated home run era
Swinging against the lively ball two years
ago he set a new record for the National
League and finished ahead of Ruth in
to pay him what the records indicated he
was worth. They either had to do this or
openly admit that the records meant
It was about this time that the mag
mates decided the farce had rome far
enough. They were beginning to feel the
salary pressure, and the bogus home run
had lost its appeal. Something had to be
done; There was gathering of the great
minds and presently it was announced
that the ball was to be deadened.
To the guy IN the street this came as
the start that the bali had been made
lively. it seemed strange that it was neces-
sary for the magnates to deaden 1t. Un-
less of course you want to be broad
minded and agree that to have made such
XXTELL. anyway, the dead ball
w made its first appearance last
season and the averages suffered
general slump corresponding to the
general rise that followed the first
appearance of the lively ball. Where
upon the amusingly inconsistent
magnates pointed with pride to the
change.
1T has made a much more interesting
of the National League. The sans will
find 1t much more fascinating to watch"
And With the dead ball. what happened?
They pointed to the averages and said:
I'VE paw of on those" Generally there
has been downward revision of at least
Did the magnates deaden the ball as a
preliminary step to Slashing salaries? Is
this big business plot or merely CO.