Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 232, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1916 — KNOTTY POINT AMUSES [ARTICLE]

KNOTTY POINT AMUSES

Very Serious Situation to Australian Baseball Fans.

Clipping From Sydney Paper Published for Benefit of American Bugs—Somebody Pulled an Awful Bone Play. Doubtless this will be amusing to fans in America, but it seems to be a very serious situation to the fans of Australia It is what a correspondent from Sydney, Australia, terms a “knotty point” and he asks what the decision would be In “the American game.” He furnisheaa., clipping from a Sydney new-spaper in order that the problem may be clearly understood just as It appeared in the Sydney paper, for the benefit of American fans, says Sporting News. Whatever the meeting of umpires decides, the decision of fans in this country will be that Sellars pulled an awful bone When he left his base just because somebody cried “foul.” But who would have believed the Australians were up to such tricks —perhaps it was a stray American in the game that did It. But to the “knotty point.” Here It is as outlined In the Sydney clipping: “A mild sensation was caused at the Richmond-Hawthorn (Victoria) game, arising out of the decision of the umpire (Mr. W. Bowes) in giving Sellars (Hawthorn) out. It appears that the Hawthorn batsman hit tho bull into the left field —a runner scoring. Sellars crossed first base, “While he’was midway between first and second base one of the fieldsmen called ‘foul,’ whereupon Sellars immediately returned home to the batter’s box. “The ball was returned to the pitcher, and Mackay (captain of Richmond), running to first base, appealed to the umpire. . . “Though the Hawthorn batter dissented with the decision, he had no option but to retire. However, he asked: ‘How was I given out?’ and there the trouble starts, for the umpire expressed a certain amount of diffidence, as he was unable to particularize the rule, remarking: ‘You are out; but at the moment I cannot point out the rule to you.’ “Sellars, in support of his arguments, states that the call of foul’ was unfair, inasmuch as the ball was not outside the recognized territory; that he- was not advised by the umpire or his coaches us to whether the ball was ‘foul’ or not, and that It cannot be shown under what rule he was given out. “There is, however, a diversity of opinion on this jnatter, und the views advanced by Sellars are by no means shared by the general body of players, who are of the opinion that the Hawthorn player was correctly given out. In view of the dissatisfaction expressed the question will be fully debated gt the next meeting of the Umpires’ association.”