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Show DRAWBACK TO PITCHEIt Hew . American League, Rule Will Be Hard on the Twlrlcr. . . The new rule of the American league requiring the pitcher to put the ball between the hip end the shoulder of the batter Is causing great discussion among the baseball fans. It is stated by all the baseball authorities that something must be done to make the batting heavier and the American league magnates liave taken this method meth-od of doing It r Just wby they pick on the pitchers it Is hard to see. In the history of the game the life of a pitcher has been regularly made harder. Formerly a pitcher could take several steps In the box. The distance to the plate was not so great formerly, and there have been other changes which tend to handicap the pitchers. Yet . when a man trying to follow the development of his position posi-tion and advance figures out a new stunt for the puzzlement of the batters' it is at once legislated against. The spit ball was a legitimate development devel-opment In the art of pitching and It is a pity to see it canned as it has been by the new rule as the spit ball nearly always breakt low.' It seems to the writer that it Is not so much to see big scores the public wants, it is to see snappy fielding and so long as the strike out records do not get to be large it does not matter whether the hitting Is safe or not as far as the Interest of the crowd goes. Of course the new rule will be easier on the umpire and on the batsmen, but many a good pitcKer will be put out of business on account of It. |