Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1887 — BASE-BALL. [ARTICLE]

BASE-BALL.

President Young Addresses a Letter to Jto Official Scorers of the National League. ‘ Attacking tlie Reserve Rule. The unwarranted attacks of certain papers upon President Spalding, of the Chicago Base-Ball Club, regarding the sale of the releases of players to other clubs has earned the contempt of lovers of fair play, says the Inter Ocean. The reserve rule was the salvation of the professional base-hall clubs that adopted it. The National agreement protects the smallest club in rts list, and no matter how good a player they may develop, they are protected against the desertion of the player by the offer of a big salary. But for this rule the spirit of rivalry which exists between the professional ball clubs of the country would result in the total disintegration oi every professional team at the end of each season, and the competitive bidding by clubs for ball-players’ services would finally result in extravagant salary lists that would bankrupt every club that attempted to stand up under it, and effectually kill the sport professionally. The Chicagos were the last to sell a release; all the other clubs had sold releases. President Spalding said: “The case of McCormick is peculiar. He, with Glasscock, Briody, and another, deserted from the league, and, tempted by offers of increased salaries, they all went into Lucas’ club in the Union Association. The Cleveland Club promptly expelled them for their action. The Union Association went to pieces, and these deserters found themselves blacklisted and thrown out of employment. At the personal solicitation of McCormick (who came to me with tears in his eyes, begging me for God’s sake to put him in a way to earn a living), and at the request of Mr. Lucas, I interested myself to secure the reinstatement of tne deserters. They were reinstated. McCormick went to the Providence team, and his habits were so against him that the Providence management wanted to release him to me for S6OO. I bought his release, but not until I had a talk with him, in which he 'said be wanted to come to Chicago, and promised me that we should have nothing to complain of on the score of his habits. Last year his habits were so notorious that we could not endure them, and hence the discipline against which he rebelled. We did it in his interest as well as our own. I submit whether I have not been McCormick’s friend, an d whether he has not good ground for being grateful to the management of the Chicago Club.”

Scoring. President Young, of the Base-Ball League, has addressed the following letter to the official scorers: To the official scorers of the National League : In reviewing the new code with a view to ascertaining if there are any points to which the attention of the official scorers should be drawn, 1 have come upon the provision crediting a stolen base to a runner where the same is secured through the assistance of a misnlay other than a battery error—an overthrow or fumble, for example. The philosophy df this credit is perfectly logical. The runner earns a base by making a daring attempt to secure it, and, if successful, even though assisted by an error, deserves the point. The credits will, of course, be included in your official returns of stolen bases. We now come, however, to the point which I desire to emphasize. This query has been propounded to me : Suppose a player reaches first on a hit, steals second on a fumble of the baseman, and is batted home, is the run earned ? I answer, no. The reason is obvious, but the point should be carefully borne in mind in filling out the earned-run blank in your score sheets. Earned runs, it should be remembered, are not credited to individuals, nor do they have any particular bearing upon the status of a club in making up the average which constitute the monthly and annual records. They are important factors, however, in gauging the effectiveness of a pitcher, and it is in this light alone that they should be regarded. It is then mnuifestly unfair to charge a pitcher with a run earned off his delivery when bases secured by fieldins errors are essential factors in,it. Obviously the pitcher can in no way be responsible for a muff by the basemen or an overthrow by the catcher. In computing earned runs, therefore, you will scan your scores carefully and omit tallies in which the stolen base assisted by an error is a necessary element.