Show 1 I 1 Backseat l D By FRANK K BAKER BAKER- BAKER BAKER- R I Telegram Sports Editor Its It's g gratifying to learn that the Semipro Baseball C Congress I will test tes out the proposal to eliminate eli the the pitcher as as' a a. a batter at its annual tournament in In Wichita next summer Like a lot of others I have grown weary of watching pitch ers parade so helplessly to the plate and Im I'm sure baseball m managers managers man man- agers in general feel much the same way about it V B Baseball rules now in vogue make it possible to send a p pinch pinch- ch- ch hitter into the game for a hurler but the chucker has to retire from the game and nd a new pitcher must be brought into the game the nex next time the team takes the field The innovation proposed by the would permit another player to take the hurlers hurler's turn at the plate without jeopardizing the pitchers pitcher's eligibility on the hill Almost any s system stem of selecting an alternate batter would be an improvement over the present up set-up requiring a pitcher to take his regular turn at bat Even the bat boys would be an n improvement in a lot of cases And its it's a cinch that most clubs have a few extra hands who are a greater threat at the plate Especially in semipro or major league baseball where the squads usually include a few strong hitters who arent aren't active enough to take daily turns in the field Banking on most pitchers to drive in important runs is the acme of futility to say the least Oh I know know- there are a few exceptions like big Red Ruffing of the Yankees who are celebrated for their batting prowess but they are few and far between One might as well try ry to level Ensign peak with a coal shovel as gamble on most pitchers to get a winning game-winning hit Salt Lakes Lake's p winning pennant pitching staff batted at a clip last season which means the Bee as a group were doing well to get a bingle once in every six official official off i cial trips to t the e plate Counting the six mainstays of the Salt Lake staff staff Mel Mel Marlowe Larry Jansen Mel Paul Al Tate and Jack Bowen the Bowen the Bee twirlers got only 67 hits all season long and Tate got 18 of them while batting This puny assortment of base knocks drove in only 36 runs By contrast Manager Tom drove in and even Earl Owen who played in but 77 of the game schedule batted in 43 runs True a lot of folks will come up with the argument that the pitchers arent aren't supposed to hit anyway that we shouldn't put them on the spot for not rattling the boards when it isn't their specialty Those exponents of leaving the game just as it is will say that blockers arent aren't supposed to make touchdowns in football and that pitchers shouldn't be expected to clout the apple in baseball Simmered down however all that point of view coincides perfectly with the argument to eliminate the pitchers pitcher's ers er's turn at atthe atthe atthe the plate Inasmuch as hes he's not expected to hit well and seldom does so why not do away with the boring scene of a pitcher taking his futile swings Its It's surprising how man many times a pitcher comes conies to bat under the present arrangement with important runs aboard Managers are torn between the choice of using a higher av average average average av- av batter and warming up a new chucker or gambling on the remote chance of his pitcher coming through with a hit and continuing his fine work on the mound Babe Ruth the Sultan of Swat who switched to the outfield outfield outfield out out- field after a brilliant career on the mound is another notable exception to the rule that pitchers seldom are are ae able batte batters s. s For Forthe Forthe the most part the are woefully weak at the plate though Many of them are gangling fellows not particularly en endowed endowed endowed en- en dowed with the physical requirements for around all-around athletic performance And because they see action only every four or five days they dont don't get a chance to get their eye on the ballas ball ballas as the players do who are in action almost daily In addition to all these factors most pitchers minimize their batting drill to keep in pitching form Nevertheless almost every pitcher alive is touchy about his batting record Lefty Gomez drew more genuine delight out of getting two blows in a world series than he did out of his pitching mastery of the enemy and he le was number of hits always betting Ruth hed he'd get a specified during the season B Big g Jack Bowen was subjected to a lot of ribbing for his wildness with the Bees here last season but he took it all In in good grace The moment this department deplored deplored deplored de de- de- de the use of him as a batter in a critical position though he made a vigorous protest despite his 1 84 batting average at the time Pitchers Pitchers should welcome their elimination as batters because it would save them an embarrassing situation and it should g give ve vethem them more rest between innings It would put a few more players play play- ers in a action tion and it would make things more interesting for forthe forthe forthe the fans I |