Show beears eveh E 6 I 1 n g big 14 league mu a g u we B sla b cal I 1 by BILLY EVANS sportswriter league umpire and general manager of the cleveland indians has baseball improved during the last 25 years yes yea and no in suino some respects respect 3 it 11 has made biad decided progress in other ways it tina has slipped back just its as far there Is no easier way to start on an argument than to tell some star player of a score 0 af t years brick that the game Is 1 much faster that la Is its his cue buo to open up und and believe me he has plenty of logic on fits aide several years ago a boston newspaper conceived the idea of having a number of former outstanding stairs many of them return to that city for an old timers game gamb it was one of the most interesting affairs ever staged in that guino gaipo ye former greats as larry cajole bill bradley jimmy archer kr elier cy young elminy jimmy colllns collins greatest of all third basemen ha semen bill dencen rip kip selbach and many others some of the play era were man men who had find starred in the majors 35 years back it WAG toy my good fortune to be umpiring in boston while those old time stars ate atre gathering for this game T altot lt ot cacir day would bring four or five alve back to 0 the scenes of their former triumphs when their names were eo a dally feature of the sport page headlines some of them indulged in short workouts work outa in nn an effort to limber up a bit at dinner or sitting around the lobby of tile the hotel I 1 made tt it a point i 0 discuss with of the veterans tie be present day style as contrasted 0 that of the past A number of he old time stars were close stu atu ants of the game players who 1 in heir day gained of their suc BUC ess eso because of keen minds mind it might bo be supposed they were based in their opinion I 1 find lem iem that way most of them were ank to admit that in certain respects i ere re hao ha been improvement a good any were willing to believe that ill it was was about abou fifty fifty hut but it ii a single ohlyer expressed tile tho that the game of today was waa an improvement in any way over the or nr cle to of ball they played a score or ore are years hack back it looks tb 6 me no as it if to te players tor for long drives lias has taken uch itch away front from the game remarked rm arteil 0 great jimmie colllns collins universally needed to bo be tho greatest third senion of nil all tit lies 1 I colca that ost every player grips tits his bat nt at 0 end and takes a healthy cut every everi ne he swings 1 I understand the ball Is touch much live r and home runs much easier to ake lie so no doubt that explains tile the uke ike a healthy swing system as in laed la in by all players today vot sot I 1 a single player in nil all the games I 1 saw choked up on oil ills his bat and tried to place tits his lilts ailts not one player tried to heat beat out a bunt built I 1 saw only two bases stolen in n six guinea games no player tried a delayed steal not a single double was vas attempted 1 I have always believed that playing for one run called for much more inside stuff thail trying to get runs lit in clusters apparently a one run or even a two run lead Is not considered much of a margin these days in our day one of the greatest of relis lve threats was the steal filtch ers era paid close attention to tile the base runners particularly men on first developing ve a movement that would dailve the runner back or make him film stick close to the base wits was considered a most necessary asset for or each pitcher undoubtedly nil all players fired by tho the fame that came to babe as the result of tits ills ability to tomake make home runs took up the kuth style stile of always taking a healthy swing at the ball but after nil all there Is only ono one cluth players like him coale conie to tile the game about one in every 25 years year 8 or more do baseball be b a 11 I 1 Is a a still t ill a great game but no better it has newer and different thrills but no more than in our days 1 the thoughts of the thinking brainy jimmy collins expressed tile feeling of every old t atmer im er present 0 by th tb dell ball syndicate inc imo |