Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-04-15 | Page 14 | Backseat Driving

I PRANK K BAKER BAKER- w. w Babe Dabe Ruth is out of organized baseball for the first time tim in 22 years and most critics arc agreed that the home run craze inspired by the Bambinos Bambino's big black bat is losing losing los los- ing ground but th the Ruthian influence is bound to stay I in Jn baseball because of some rule changes brought about lY the slugger 0 IO Until Ruth began his spectacular home run spree rec ho no one paId much attention to the rules which determined just st when home a-home run was a home run When the Bambino came to the plate with everybody but the pitchers pitcher's wife pulling for him to I ball out of the park any rule that seemed unfair to his endeavors immediately became an issue Ruth for instance missed being credited one season with four home runs simply because the rules declared that in the home horne half of the ninth or extra inning the ball game ended the moment the deciding run passed over the plate k V The Tho hypothetical case looks something like Jik this Let us suppose Ruth Rutlt came ame to lo tho the plate at Yankee stadium in th the tho I home half of the tho ninth inning with the tho Yankees one run beY behind behind be- be Y hind 4 to 5 and the tho bases loaded whereupon the mighty Earn Barn belted the ball into tho the bleachers t In Inthe th the old days das that game ended the moment the second ru rU run crossed the plate making mJ the score 6 C to 5 S f for the Yan- Yan lore 1 Moreover vcr Ruth would have been credited only with rua a double Inasmuch a as run scored run run scored incidentally b by the man on onS on S second Cond base base base advanced only two bases Co I 4 f It rt di dip l not seem qu quite te fair to deprive a t batsman batsman- of ot a aHome ahome Home e run simply because se a pre preceding runner tallied the deciding deding run runs Ruths Ruth's loss of several import important nt home runs under theold rule dr drew w public attention to o. o its at antiquated I q qualities t and it was not long b before fore the rules roles bod body was as asp p prevailed P upon to change chang the he sc section section tion J r Under Under- the thed bid d code Ruths Ruth's bIo blow over oyer the fence have rc hi t nt to win 6 to 5 J arid urd gained Him liim a double in the rec records ras If the thc modern day dat batter belts the ba Hall hail into the bleachers exactly similar conditions his team team would woud win 8 8 to 5 J providing of course course couise that the theman man alan circles the bases Home Hom runs are not on their way out but the managerial craze which inspired baseball magnates t to encourage the circuit bl w by shortening g the fences and developing the rabbit ball bas outlived has outlived its usefulness i Fans Pans of home runs when they became the rule rather than the exception Whether in a a major league park of atan dr atan nt league game the customers will welcome the promised return of speed and nd inside ball to the National pastime The thrill has bas been taken out of the experience r ence of watching runs made in bunches The bunt the play and the pegs t to the plate are just as spectacular in their way as the hit over the fe and it is a fine thing that baseball is seeking a more normal balance of the two phases of play