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TIIE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1907.
SPORTING
PAGE
SPORTING MILL GRINDS ON—RESULT IS MOSTLY CHAFF
NOT NEWS, BUT VIEWS
By PERCY H. WHITING.
“Three balls, take your base.”
Wouldn’t it tickle your tympanum to hear an umpire get
that off nest season f ,
And yet it is a reasonable possibility. They are talking
about cutting down the number of balls which a pitcher is al
lowed to perpetrate from four to three.
VANDY MAY
PLAYST. L.U.
If Commodores Don’t Oet a
Game in East, Will
Take Them On.
THIS BOY RIDES.
This is revolutionary, all right.
As long ns this generation of fans can rentember a batter
ha* taken his base' on four balls. The average fan would nbt
think any more of a change in the number of balls allowed
than he would in the number of bases.
But ih<f mighty moguls, up around tho source of the great
white light, are talking it.
The need for the change came when the foul strike rule wns
adopted. We forget for the moment just why it was put into
effect, but certainly it was not for tho purpose of cutting down
batting averages.
But it did knock them, good nnd plenty.
The foul strike rule had its good effects, and was a desir
able piece of legislation. It cast n gloom over those batters who
used to worry the pitchers by fouling off a dozen or so balls be
fore ever trying to hit, and it shortened games.
The foul strike rule, tho, knocked batting averages galley
west (wherever that may be). The rule tinkers probably lived
in the hope that the batters would eventually improve enough
to even things up, and may be they did improve some, but the
pitchers have improved even faster.
The result has been that bntting has slumped. This year
two men in the major leagues batted .350. • They were the .two
phenomenons—Ty Cobb and linns Wagner.
• ,
Something MUST be done to improve batting.
It is not a question of what the batters want, nor the pitch
ers, nor the rule-makers. It all hinges on what the fans want
and they want batting.
The averago fan is slightly inclined—though maybe he does
not suspect it—to believe whnt is told him. They have been tell
ing him for years that tho games with little batting are the scien
tific games. And he prides himself on liking to see the thing
well done.
So when he comes away from one of these “scientific”
games he says, “Great game today. Zeller let ’em down with
two hits and we got three off Wilhelm.”
But the next day he doesn’t go. back. And he keeps right
on not goirtg back until ho reads in the papers: “Ycsterdny’s
game was a slugfest proper. The clatter of base hits could be
heard thirteen city blocks nnd both tenms ran themselves into
a coma from exhaustion,” or bosh to that effect.
Then he goes out to see the next game, just on tho hope that
■ it will be something lie likes.
A gamo full of hits and runs is like a comic opera. It isn’t
art and it isn’t elovating, nnd we’re a bit ashamed that we like it
better than Shakespeare, but wo do, and we keep on going to
see that kind.
The hitless games arc the “hi’ art,” tho tragedies, tho prob
lem plays of baseball.
* But well lot the other fellows go to soe ’em.
Cutting down tho number of “wido uns” a pitcher is al
lowed will improve batting noticeably. The twirlers will have to
“put ’em over the pan,” and if they don’t tho batter can get
away to first just one ball sooner than he has in the past.
The passage of the rule will mean more bases on balls and
more hits. Also it will mean more men on bases, more runs, more
! excitement and more fun.
The baseball historians tell us that tho rules used to allow
the batter seven balls. It wns n desirnble change to reduce the
number to four. Maybe it would be still more desirnble to cut it
to three. Wo don’t protend to say, but it wouldn’t hurt our feel
ings a bit if they gave it a try.
St. Louis, Dec. 19.—St. Louis Uni
versity may get a game with Vander
bilt next fall.
St. Louis has wanted to take on the
Nashville eleven for a couple of sea
sons, but has been unable to get a
game booked.
In a letter Coach Dan McQugln or
the Vanderbilt eleven states that he
would like to play Cochem's team next
fall, and while he had nothing to do In
arranging the schedule, he would talk
to the board of the NaahvUle school on
the matter.
Vanderbilt has not completed a
schedule for next year os yet, and much
depends on the outcome of arrange
ments for an Eastern game. It that
falls thru St. Louis might get a chance.
In his letter McQugln says:
"Vanderbilt now has a big game with
the North, probably one with the East
and a very hard one for Thanksgiving
lo Sewanec, and this Is about all that
can be done well In one season. It
will not be long, In my Judgment, how
ever, before Vanderbilt and St. Louie
will play, tho I don’t know for sure if
It will be arranged this year. But I
think, as far as Vanderbilt Is con
cerned, It will depend upon the out
come of negotiations at present In the
East."
Catcher Heydon
May Be With Sox
Chicago, Dec. 19.—Catcher Edward
Heydon, who' last season null the
Washington American League Club,
saying he would play there no more, Is
expected to be a member of the Chica
go White Sox In 1908. Owner Charles
Comlskey, of the Chicago team. Is en
deavoring to make a deal for Heydon,
and the Indications are that he will be
successful.
JOCKEY ENGLANDER.
He Is one of the best of the pig
skin brigade these days.
“AIN’T THIS
JUST_AWFULf
Tad Jones Has Synovitis of
the Sacroiliac Syn-
chrondrosis.
New York, Dec. 19.—Tad Jones,
Yale’s quarterback, Is getting along
nicely In St. Vincent* Hospital, where
he ha* been for two week* undergoing
treatment for synovitl* of the sacroiliac
synchondrosis.
To get nearer to the layman’* under
standing, t^o ailment U an Inflamma*
tlon In the neighborhood of the base of
the spine, a trouble in the Joint, caused
1 robably by a sprain.
Stone Mountain
Plays Y. M. C. A.
The V. M. q. A. basket ball team
and the Stone' Mountain aggregation
clash Thurday night In the Y. M. C. A.
gymnasium.
edited BY I
i P. H. WHITINd
BILL SMITH SCHEDULES
EXHIBITION CONTESTS
Bill Smith has scheduled the follow
ing games for Atlanta next spring:
New York Americans, March 12, 13,
Macon (perhaps). March 16, 17, 18.
New York Americans. March 19. 20.
21.
Cleveland Americans, March 23,
Cincinnati Nationals, March 23,
New York Americans, March 2:
Chicago Nationals. March 28 SO'
New York Americans. April 2 j ,
Brooklyn Nationals, April 6, 7.' ' ’■
HOT FIGHT FOR JOBS
ON A. A. C. AGGREGATION
The'competltlon for team positions on
the Atlanta Athletic Club basket ball
aggregation, which meet* Columbia
Saturday night, is decidedly fierce.
Coach Fred Hoyt has nearly a score
of men to pick from, and will doubtless
CHARLEY COX WILL PLAY
WITH FORSYTH’S BUNCH
Hpeclnl to The Georgia a. 0
Athens, Ga., Dec. 19.—Charley Cox,
of Atlanta, who Is. a member of the
senior law class*, has accepted an ofTer
from Forsyth, the old All-Southern
Clemson guard, to play on a football
team which the latter Is getting up and
which will meet the Savannah team
Christmas and New Year's day.
Forsyth’* team will be an all-star
aggregation, and will be composed of
men like Sadler, Barks, Ketron, Fur-
tick, Forsyth himself and others of a
similar Ilk. /
Last year Forsyth collected a pow
erful bunch and contested for honors
with the Savannah team. Two games
were played, in both of which the For
est City representatives were victo
rious.
This time the big football player and
promoter is anxious to get revenge, and
Is making every effort to gather to
gether an eleven which will prove ab
solutely unconquerable.
It Is understood that Brooch Bocock,
who coached Georgia after Whitney’s
departure, will alro be on# of Forsyth's
men.
Cox has been requested to report for
practice In Jacksonville on December
21 - \
GEORGIA STUDENT BODY
APPROVES OF NEW RULES
PRINCETON BASKET BALL TEAM
IS DISQUALIFIED BY A. A. U.
Athena, Ga., Dec. 19.—The student
body of the University of Georgia Is
highly pleased with the measures
adopted at the S. I. A. A. meeting In
Clemson.
The passage of a one-year rule and
the regulation of the card system are
thought to be great steps In the right
direction. It Is regretted that a
straight, unweakened and unconditional
one-year rule was riot agreed upon.
But even as It now Is, much good, It Is
believed, will be effected.
The election of Professor A. H. Pat
terson to one of tho vice presidencies
of the association Is regarded as being
equivalent to h declaration that Im
plicit conddence Is placed In the fac
ulty and student body at Georgia to
employ every effort to keep athletics
cienn and unadulterated.
The university was doubtless In
jured by the widespread criticism and
unjust abuse which followed In the
wake of the Georgia-Tech game.
The choice of Professor Patterson to
be district vice .president by the S. I.
A. A. Is a deserved compliment. It
Is to be hoped that the people of the
slate will realize that the action of the
association cornea In the nature of a
vindication not of the playing of ring
ers. but of the good name nnd reputa
tion of the students and authorities at
tho University of Georgia.
New York, Dec. 19.—The reglstra-
'tion committee of the Metropolitan As
sociation of the Amateur Athletic Un
ion has disqualified the I*rlnceton Uni
versity basketball team and declared
Watkins. Thompson. Warner and
Clough Ineligible to play with regis
tered teams.
j The Princeton team Is scheduled to
Police Using Two-Wheelers
To Chase Auto Scorchers
This la an age of speed, to which the au
tomobile ndda the flnlablng touch, yet It la
through the modest bicycle and the motor
cycle thnt speed maniacs are now controlled
nnd taught due respect for the law. That
wheel-mounted officers furnleh the aolutUm
momentoua problem waa alowly grasp-
ed by the police authorities, lint the lesson
hna been learned very thoroughly. Wheel
FORE!
NOW IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A HIT WITH
YOUR
Golfer Friend
SEND HIM (OR HER) A BOX OF
Golf Balls
Or a caddy bag.
of trouble with).
Maybe he needs a NIBLIC (to get out
Call On Us
for anything the Golfer needs.
Athletic Department
KING HARDWARE CO.
55 Peachtree Street.
F. G. BYRD, Manager.
* atxe of auch detnlla an rapidly as
aiiunda, which were dying out a few yeara
ago, nre being formed nil over tho country,
nnd thoae already organised nre held Ir
Uth
crenne the
Inquiries made nt police headquarters In
the one hundred largest cities of the United
Ntntes show that more than half of them
have or will have wheel sqtinds nt once,
and the following tabulation furnishes soiua
Interesting comparisons:
IHeveles. Motorcycles.
New York t 1K> 15
St. Isiuls. ....... o
Huston 5
Haltlinore. ....... 1
Cleveland. 11
Huffalo 7
San Francisco 2
rifsbtirg.
Detroit 0
Milwaukee 0
Washington ft)
Newark....,, 14
Isoutavllle. Ky. . . . . 3.1
Minneapolis. ...... 5
Providence. ........ H
It.K*henter. * S
Toledo. 0
Columbus, Ohio. , ... 2
Worcester, Mnaa. ... 4
New 1 In von. Conn. . . 3
Cambridge, Maas. ... 4
Atlanta 40
Hlehtnond. Vn. ..... 10
Hartford. Conn 7
Wilmington, Del. . . . . 0
Trenton, N. J.
PAPKE IN TRAINING.
Kewanee, III., Dec, 19.—Bill Papke
began active training here today frir
his match with Hugo Kelly at Mil
waukee, December 80. Paddy Lavln,
of Buffalo, arrived today to act as
Papke's sparring partner. Hugo Kelly
I, working hard In his big camp at
Harlem.
Yale men never thought there would
be another line-plunger like Perry
Hale. Coy looks to be his equal. Then,
too, the "Kid” Is not through yet.
play Columbia tonight In the intercol
legiate series and the Columbia team
will be rendered Ineligible If the game
Is played as will all the college teams
which are members of the Intercolle
giate association. These teams In turn
play a> number of amateur teams out
side the college ranks, eo that the whole
fabric of basketball is likely to be af
fected by the action.
George Kennedy, 1908, left end, will
captain the 1908 Dartmouth eleven. He
prepared at Roxbury Latin school.
"Hurry Up" Yost says the West will
never have a chance with the East ns
long as Its schedulo remains so lim
ited.
Although Andover was not represent
ed on this season’s Yale team, five
members of Its team are to go to New
Haven.
When Inches relieved Kish for Hnr-
turn out nn aggregate nthat will mak.
It Interesting for the New Yorkers
The forwards will probably he nicked
from Doonnn, Thornton and Hollld,,
Rappole Is rcasonbaly certain o( a do.'
sltlon. But the exact line-up Is unier-
Moran Best Thing
Imported Recently
New York, Dec. 19.—Owen Moran, the
only English fighter who has been on
these ehoros for the past ten year, and
made a great name for himself, is now
the biggest card In the West. ■■
London has not sent us a boy win
the class of Moran since Ben Jordan
came over nlno years ago and took a
decision from George Dixon.
He Is now matched to fight Abe At.
tell for the featherweight champluiuhl,
of the world, and, In a letter to Char-
ley Harvey, hie manager, he say, h«
was never more confident of wlnnln,
In hts life.
Did the Kaiser
See Burns Fight?
Detroit, Dec. 19.—According to Ti
my Burns, from whom a letter ha,
Just been received by Detroit friends,
Emperor William, of Germany, Is a
right good sport, and, furthermore, he
likes to see a combat between two
masters of nature’s weapons. Kaiser
Wilhelm wns on hand. Incognito, at
(he ringside the night Tommy Dumi
knocked out Gunner Molr In London,
and. enjoyed the mill Immensely.
vard In the Yale game, a wit remarked:
"Harvard doesn't want Inches: what
she wants Is yards.”
Bqrr and Fish are the only regular.
Harvard will retain. Gil Browne and
Sam Hoar, who got In tho last half
against Yale, will also return.
Hist to this from The Boston Her
ald: "The future of the forward pasi
worrying Western experts much
more than It Is those In the East."
When Wife Wants a Set*of Furs.
■Medford. Mats.
Jtprtugfleld, Mass. . .
Kvausvtlle, Ind. . . .
Erie, i’ll
Kllxnbetb, .N. J. . . .
Ilolvok*. Mil KM, . . .
Hagluaw, Mlr!». . . •
Lincoln. Nebr. . . ..
Binghamton, N. Y. .
Augusta, Hit
10
.viiiiustii, »*n. . .
Birmingham, Ain.
Tin* first surprise In the tntde Is the Ab
sence of any figures frotu ('himgo. While
New York let as nil the other cities, sud
« ’ommissloner Bfnghsm’s offlci
the number of motorcycles
metropolitan police, was the first
the United Ktntes to establish n wheel
squad. Ksch of the sixty officers performs
two hours of duty t day, nnd tlielr bicycle*
are fitted with speedometers which nre reg
ularly tested nnu which ate accepted as ev
idence In court.
t’hlef K. V. Creecy. of St. Isouls: Is an
enthusiast on the value of motorcycles to
prevent s<*orehlng. • He aiysf “The motor
cycle has tieen 1u urn* here for the pant six
inbiithn. and tnb department would feel
greatly handicapped if deprived of their val-
. liable services, I nut sure that I voice the
scut I incut of ail members of the depart
ment in saying that they surpass by far the
automobile In point <6f police sendee, and
are far less liable to break down or Injury
lu the pursuit of a scorcher. In actual line
of duty n machine hna made 46 miles an
hour on one of the city’s streets.”
Superintendent of Police Began, of Buf
falo, keeps his tricycle squads on duty from
Msy to November, and he considers them
n most Important auxiliary to the force.
••My motorcycle men,” be says, “ore posted
on the outskirts of the city, covering the
city, enforcing the traffic _ _
• general, such at looking after peddlers and
hucksters operating without license, cor
ner loungers, etc.