| Show i r t I II Dy By TOMMIE TOMMI PORTER I A force play lay not or-not a force ou out Motions and interpretation o of the rules of baseball on this point caused prolonged argument argumentI vve ve varied opinions at the base base- I Si l 1 writers' writers dinner In the press till S around the dugout and andI LOX boX gugh Ugh the grandstand I because one national au au- au ity interpreted t the e rules a as ast asI Score tied bed last half o oT of I t ninth T runners on OIl first and third thIrds are re out Batter hits to outfield out out- field to Eld runner from third reaches reache mt at batter is safe at first run- run from first tags but and is touched out before te he can get back to tb bag Ruling does not count as runner Bu m Bun from rOII first is held to have been forced out I t. t majority of baseball followers tollo fol tol- lo lowers jowers players officials and including ding ding- this scribe gued heatedly against such a ruUn declaring the force WI J be off after the runner ta tad had once touched second The National Association of ot Professional Baseball leagues stains this belief in a new interpretation by the Joint EUIe Bules Committee so o that the theno therun no run is h now flOW to be counted and I Ithe the tie batter credited with a hit However the committee still holds bids that a a. batter hitting a along Jour long drive into the outfield and second only to be tagged out shall be credited with a single even though lie he touches second before over- over Now No Noall all this was just theory but heres here's another play which recently popped up in two different different dif dif- ferent Pioneer league games Runner on first batter hits drive I god for three bases with runner from Iron first r reaching aching home safely However latter falls fails to touch COnd and ball is played back l rare re for putout Ruling Since Sincer runner r from first failed to reach safely his negligence in failing to touch that base makes the play playa a force out and batter cannot be credited with a hit despite his three-ply three swat No batter gets credit for a hit when another nother player is f forced out on the play regardless of the fact that only poor base running caused caned that says says' the rules committee It And so 0 it goes roes Fans and players argue scorers and writers writ writ- en ers tet et grayhair and the rules committee grits its collective teeth For no matter how the rul l are e Written it seen seems that various interpretations will al- al flajs be offered on any anyone one incident Before w we close the he pages for forne the ne season leasOn of 1941 we should like to 10 o offer a few words on the recent Soapbox derby at which we were among mong the hundreds of onlookers I Frankly we thought it would LIn be e Just a so-so so afternoon just other Another event on the sports But before the echo of sirens ltd cheering for the first race away we were among the post enthusiastic rabid fans lea caning ng over a group of young- young ser wj eu on the curb and peering around Wind the shoulder of a husky to see ee what was next on toe the program Again Ajain frankly it was a wow Those ose kid drivers clinging crimI grimly Woly to the wheel as they SCOoted past at a or miles better ter pace fond mothers twist twist- log Ine f handkerchiefs In iii worry proud papas grinning com com- when sonny remained In the title bracket fans ex- ex the best sportsmanship noted this year rear in ch cheering cring linner and loser alike 11 m. m The e spectators did get a bit out 9 hand now and then crowding out hut O ut into th the street to endanger the e m drovers drivers and make th the P police lice SOmewhat grouchy But the Crowding was only a result of to too much enthusiasm and and- will prObably be pr prevented vented next year by erection of barriers at the edges of f the street km Just the le same it was American American- n ZI of tl the finest kind with youth Jing ing its day in full measure y we e h have ve such more mor pros Pro pro- r s |
