BASEBALL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 144, 19 June 1915, Page 12

BASEBALL

(By "Homeplate.") RAJIN PREVENTS GAMES. Last week-end quite a number of players turned up £ft Kelburn Park in expectation of a game, but the inclement weather prevented play. This was rather a pity, as the players requiro as much practice as they can get before the proposed exhibition game comes off. However, the time was not entirely wasted, as a mass meeting of players was held in the dressing shed, and matters regarding the future welfare of the league were discussed, not without some heat at times. FUTURE POLICY. The league officials should at once map a campaign for the next twelve months. Firstly, "Homeplate" suggests that after this winter the whole league's efforts should be ooncentrated on tbe summer session and the winter session be dropped. Baseball is not a winter game in any sense of the word. Moreover, the climate of this Dominion during that period is not at all suitable. Therefore, those enthusiasts who are devoting their time to the advancement of the game would have much better results if they confined and concentrated their efforts on the summer. Another reason is that there is no summer game to compete against with regard to drawing the crowd. Moreover, there is the player himself to consider — in winter he has plenty of excitement from football ; up to recently, in the summer, there was none to which he could turn to ; and from the player's point of view, 'ball stands far ahead of any other summer game. Simply because there are 80 many chances for" him to shine, to show what is in him — batting, running, and sliding to bases, fielding "grounders" and "flies" — they all require highly developed alertness arid ingenuity, backed up by well-trained muscular power. However, "Homeplate" is not an advocate of allowing the winter months to lie fallow — rather the opposite. Winter is the season when all enthusiasts should be "on their toes," and putting plenty of "pep" into the search for recruits. Some change is most desirable, as the players certainly become dissatisfied when they have to do without their game owing to the inclement wintry weather, such as was the case last Saturday. Another point of future policy is that the league must take steps as soon as possible to get the school boys throwing "the hidebound globule" around. This can only be done by "pumping in" plenty of free material. -Where is it to come from? Although the local league is strictly amateur, there is no game with so many dollars behind it as organised baseball — welll A WRONG DECISION. Umpiring at all times is a thankless job, and Homeplate" has an exceedingly warm feeling for a man who undertakes the onerous duties of an umpire. Not only does he have to be a Philadelphian lawyer, but he must be a man of quick perception and sound judgment. It is of course obvious that even the best of umpires make mistakes. The Saturday before, last M'Clintock was pitching, and Walters umpiring. The pitcher delivered an exceedingly fast ball, which hit the homeplate. Tho umpire awarded the man first base. Upon looking through my rule book I cannot find anything warranting such a ruling. The correct thing would have been to debit tho pitcher with a " ball." " Homeplate " also wishes to point out to the local umpires a rule thai is not observed locally : " Rule 54. — Base runner entitled to bases : Section 4. If a ball delivered by the pitcher pass the catcher and touch thp umpire or any fence or building within 90fl of homeplate."

of delivery of some of the local pitchers — low balm. If the umpires strictly enforced the above rule pitchers would be compelled to deliver the ball so that the catchers would have some chance of handling it. This would also enable some system in battery work to be developed — would stop many steals home from third, which are not really earned, and, indeed, improve the game generally.