Show 1 0 INCREASE BATTING cailor lor thinks the pitcher Is curbed at last PLENTY OF BASK BASE HITS A surfeit of thern tay the alave ilave iteen binde to tite rt r great ioner ron or ns V Y TIM till recent legislation on rule at the national cague spring meeting in new york every man mail corboy or boy in tho united t nit states arbo ho either reads about abom t the lie national game sees fees it played of 01 helps to play it becomes deeply it in te rested the rule ot of iho ahe national league control basc baseball liall playing everywhere whether it be amateur or professional therefore the radical ch ingret mado by the league in its playing rules will affect games universally tor lor 1803 ahe i be most important of these changes Is t that hat which puts tho the pitcher farther bick back into the diamond the experiment is a daring oue one and tile the most conservative among tile the baseball observers await the resil it with some mis misgivings ivings the increased distance is i virtually five feet heretofore a lineus feet from tho the homo home plate has been tho the nc lie plus ultra of the pitcher the limit of his rip approach to tho the batter in delivering the ball ile he dared not get so much mach as the toe ofhie of his shoo shoe OTC r this line in stepping forward to pitch under tho the new rule his boundary lino line is put behind him CO feet 0 6 inches from crom the outer edge of the home plate one of 0 his feet must bo be on this line when lie ho begins to deliver the ball and in delivering it lie ho can take but a single step not a jump or er about five feet A long legged pitcher will be in de ald whereas it n thick duck legged legge d twirler twirl cr orha to labor under a heavier handicap the new ml it much easier forthe for the long ions suffering buffering find much abused umpire lie ile need not now watch where the pitcher lands with lis his forward foot but need only observe that th at one of his feet is on the prescribed line when tho the delivery begins to the superficial student of the came alime this change in pitching distance may appear less important than it really ii when it is remembered that pitchers like A necker and morris in their day acquired it n winning superiority by ste stepping aping with half their advanced foot over tho the line some idea will be had of the difference which five feet more will make inake batter the players league in asoo put their pitchers back only a foot and a halt half yet the batting was wag be much heavier on their fields than it was on the diamonds of tho national league that they were compelled to return to the 50 foot mark so no that their pitchers might not appear interior inferior the impression is widespread that the new rule will remove the crown from the pitcher king that hereafter ho he will bo be no more important tant than other members of the team for several years the public has clamored and hungered tor for more batting now get it there maybe may be a surfeit after the famine in base hits bits too much ofal of a change would be unpopular anil and yet the st summers immers batting promises to be of tin the biff bang set em cm up agail kind ind my modest opinion is that one season or maybe a part of one season reason will bo be enough under the bew rule to make etho tho baseball public pine for a few feet nearer relation relationship hip bp be tac en the lordly pitcher and the N el eaul batter the pitcher has been the person personification fi cation of trouble to baseball legislators ever since the game gaine became lie hns slowly and insidiously overridden tile the re strict ious set up by rule to curb liis his prom ess CES in the early twenties the rules required that ilat lie deliver the ball with the arm swinging almost parallel l witti with the body that hat was wag the pure pitch rind and in this delivery asa A sa brainerd was ling king gradually Gra duall y the pitchers began to rake raise the arm and swing it with an all angle at tho the shoulder which grew more and more obtuse that mada it necessary essaiy y to adopt a rule declaring the ball to be illegally dulli ered cred it if the land hand passed through a plane higher than that which cleft the pitchers belt immediately the fashion among pitchers in wearing belts became so BO changed that some of them wore ms ma after the style of the empire gown 0 w it to tavo trouble the legislators betre retreated a ted and alt up tip another barrier rallied a as 5 it were lit at the height of the shoulder 1 lere here trouble among the umpires became so general that the powers threw do dow it the bars bare I 1 me ed all restriction and permitted the pitchers to throw from any piano within I 1 their heir reach during my experience as a magnate I 1 conceived the idea of having a n plate of smooth marble in of the pitchers box v m lich should split him up tip the middle it if he offended against tile rule by overstep ping the limit instead of fooling him he tooled fooled me in less les than a month after tile the marble slab hiis laid down ai ag a snare huaro for ills his offending feet lie was universally benr aig ink a rubber soled lawn tennis shoe d the marble slab was nothing but a tombstone toli b 0 ON er cr an idea that met an early derth dratle this time I 1 cant figure out how the pitcher is going to escape the handicap s lie is Imin harnessed essed at lat last at ill 1111 not att b cur car to it as a positive po etive forgone fact until sc oral months 0 thu season haie flashed the pitcher la las shown i himself to bo be such a ery slippery fellow that lie he may flud find a way butof the difficulties that now bland in ilk hit path the hat flat but ot courso istone is gone it II IP I 1 P another rulo rule wisely i est i acts sacr i rice ice hitting and gives the batter credit by bv excusing him birn a time at al hat bat now lu will not be asked to sacrifice bac his average avei aie it whenever lic never he sacrifices his chance and it must b bo 0 a sacrifice Baci irice indeed flies to tile will no longer loncer count as sacrifice only an all infield lit hit w u lich advances a base runner mid and puts no one out but blin self the bulk balk rule was changed so it iw to make inake it easier casler for the umpire to dode decide whann lien at pitcher balkis tho the niagria tei meant well in I 1 lie but lintl 1 doubt aln glicr they suei acce ed the league championship acason begina april later than lat last year and ends sept lt J the managers ma lingers are trying to avoid the bad v of early horng arid and late autumn the chicago club is scheduled for 13 sunday kinns gadies lit ILL honic home the new york pitts burga mild and CUM Cle landi claudi alone refue to play sunday at homo or iu in tin the west vest theouley t 0 clubs chich join the sunday playing tit are arc tho the chiungos Chic ngos mid and brooklins us nn hl |