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Show PLAYERS USE LIVELY BATS Umpire Throws Out One Bludgeon Reinforced With 52 Nails The lively bat Is the very latest thing In baseball. For several yearn most of the hard hitting haa been charged against the so-called lively ball Xow there comes the question as to whether or not the bat 1 playing a part. Major league catchers are of tho belief that the bat Is doing its bit toward helping along the slugging i that now features the major leagues How come the bat to be regarded as lively? Well, here is the latest rumor that Is going the rounds rela-tic rela-tic to the Increased hitting Major b aguc players have their favorite fa-vorite bats. Weather conditions and th hard usage to which the bats are subjected often cause them to crack ! with the grain. ' In order to preserve these favorite bats. It has. oe.-n the custom for years with major league players to drive a few small nails or tacks Into the hat where it showed signu of splitting, now IT WORKS. Although the rules say that th bat shall be entirely of wood, littlu attention has ever been paid to the custom of drhlng a few nut's into a faxorlte bat in order to preserve It. , The use of a few nails for such a purpose was In no way cheating, simply sim-ply a precaution used by the players for keeping the favorite bat from splitting so badly that It would b-unfit b-unfit for use. It Is a well-known fact that the hardest lilt balls come Into contact with the bat at a point from six to 1 inches from the end of the bat. When a batsman hits the ball In that spot, it generally travels. Xow to explain the lively bat and the possibilities it offers. Some player evidently got the ideal that it would be u clever stunt to stun , ; me uai iiu niuia ui ine HVrorivG point of contact. Only a week or so ago, I ruled out a bat that had 5J nails driven into the bat close to the I end. PJR i"i I :: .i M F , It Is said that the practice lias b) -come iereral In both big ICP.gues, and tlul most n the players itr uslig b-its that rre heaVDv Bi.uljjJ .v.ih nails. It Is a very easy matter to Imagine how solid slxt yhafts would make a small area It Is also egay to picture how much impetus such i studded area would gie lo a ball tnat was pr-j i : hit I in umpires nov :r -i.say Lo play th i ro'.i of detective, the eatc.vcs iro all beginning to watch bats closely, and I understand any number of bats have recently been ruled out in both major leagues. it wouldn't be at all surprising if some definite action was taken ' against this dishonest practice by both leagues and the umpires given or'deis to throw out all bats tnat contain even a single nail. on |