Show BASEBALL BULL NOT YET PERfECT Manager Boston Americans Thinks There Is Still Room for Improvement Jim McGuire manager of the Boston Americans is one of the veterans of baseball who has ha followed the game for tor years cars Here is what he has to say of ot the improvements in the he game BY JIM I am of o the opinion that he game of baseball has almost arrived at a per perfect perfect perfect stage of oC excellency t is very ory dif difficult difficult dl to decide just no what depart department department department ment of the game needs bolstering and amI that convinces me that it has almost reached perfection In the olden days the batters batt rs were predominant because the fielders wore no gloves and the pitchers were not nearly so scientific You often hear old players and old fans say Bay sa that we have no such batters today as we had twenty years ago They were never more mistaken in their lives It is true the t e batters do not finish the season with such a large average but b t that does not necessarily mean that they the are not as good or better batters The batter of today must contend with scientific fielding The glove has hurt the batter immensely Immense In the old days a fielder would not go alter after af cr a hard hit ball with his bare hands han s and if he did didget didget didget get it the chances were that he would not hold It long enough to throw the runner out at first s Pitcher and Batter at Evens Now the batter has everything against him and that makes the game even ev n it the pitcher has not such Buch an ad advantage advantage vantage as the public seems to suppose Of course he knows the good batters and tries to deceive them but on the theother theother theother other hand the batter knows what kind of curves they have and he lie waits until he gets he wants In nine cases out of f ten the decision in this battle of wits is a draw The fielders make makeup makeup up the rest of the interest in the game I am very much pleased with the new sacrifice rule which has been adopted allowing a batter a sacrifice hit when he scores a runner from third on a fly to the outfield That rule should il have been adopted years ears ago go It gives the batter credit that is justly due him Likes Foul Rule Yes I like the foul rule but I think it is If i In need of at many improvements For Instance I do not think it right for a strike to be called on a batter be because because because cause the ball strikes his bat when he Is II trying to get away from Crom it That Th t should be called a ball bail I have a suggestion which I believe bellee would help the foul strike rule and make it more equitable I think a line should be drawn straight across the tile foul territory at right angl angles g with the line from Crom pitcher to catcher All Alt foul balls hit between that and third and first base should be called fouls All foul toul balls hit between that line and the grand stand should be called strikes I think this would make it very ery easy for the umpires and would put the entire game on an even basis It Is la manifestly unfair to call caU a strike on a batter when he is trying to get getaway getaway getaway away from Crom the ball baU Batters Work Is Harder Today I often hear that argument about the batters of today not being up to the he standard of twenty years ears ago but that Is all aU stuff The batters are better bett r now than they the ever were There Is no rea rca reason reason son why baseball not improve like all aU other sports It does The trou ble with the batter is simply that the opposition Is 15 harder to overcome There are two forces in baseball the offensive and defensive At present they are about on a par and that makes the game nearly perfect pert ct When they get geton geton geton on a par exactly then the game will be perfect |