Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1887 — BASE-BALL. [ARTICLE]

BASE-BALL.

President Young Addresses n Letter to the Official Scorers of the National League. * . Attacking the Reserve Rule—President Spalding Unjustly Oensured-rNotes of the Game. Attacking the 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-ball clubs that adopted it. The National agreement protects the smallest club in its list'and no matter how good a player they may develop, they are protected against the desertion of the plaver 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 of every professional team at the end of each season, aud 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 Cbicagos 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, npd 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 seoure the reinstatement of the 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 he wanted (o come to Chicago, and promised me that we should have nothing to complain of on the score of his hubits. 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 ns our own. I submit whether I have not been McCormick’s friend, and whether be has not good ground for being grateful to the management of the Chicago Club.” .-2 Scoring. President Young, of the Base-Ball League, has addressed the following letter to the official scorers: To the official scorers at the National League Id reviewing the ijew code with a view to ascertaining if there are any points to which the attention of the official scorers should be drawn, I have come upon tho provision crediting a stolen base to a runner whero tho same is Becured through tho assistance of a misplay other than a battery error—an overthrow or fumble, for example. The philosophy of this credit Is perfectly logical. The runner earns a buse by making a daring attempt to secure it, .and, if successful, even though assisted bv an error, deserves tho point. The credits will, of course, he included in your official returns of stolen bases. Wo now come, however, to the point which I desire to emphasize. This quory has been propounded to me : Suppose a player roaches first on a hit, stools second on a fuutlde of the baseman, and is batted home, is the run earned 7 I answer, no. The reason is obvious, but the point should bo carefully borne in mind in filling out the earned-run blank in yonr score Bheets. Earned runs, it Bhould be rbmombered, are not credited to individuals, nor do • they have any particular bearing upon the status of a eftih in making up the average* which constitute the monthly and annual tec-, ords. They arc important! factors, however In gauging the effectiveness of a pitcher, and H is In this light alone that they should beregarded. It is then mmiifestly unfair to charge a pitcher with a run earned off his delivery when bases scoured by fleldinc errors ar3 essential factors in it. Obviously the pitcher can In no way bo responsible for a muff by the basemen or an overthrow by the catcher. In computing earned runs, therefore, yon will scan your scores carefully and omit tallies In which the stolen base assisted by an error is a necessary element.

Around the liases. Murphy, of the Boston team, is (he youngest catcher in the league, being but 19 years old. The new rules have the effect of keeping the catcher under tbe bat the greater port of the game. The St. Louis team got S3,SUO- for its share of the recent games, and the Chicagos took s4,ttoo for their share. The colored league seems to have come to a sudden halt, The interstate commerce bill made lailway travel too expensive for them. The American Association Captains are; St. Luuib, Comiskey; Brooklyn, Swartwood; Louisville, Heeker; Cincinnati, Fennelly; Athletic, Stovey; Metropolitan, Orr; Baltimore, Greenwood; Cleveland, Snyder. The Captains of the League teams for 1887 are: Chicago. Anson, Detroit. Hanlon; New York, Ward; Philadelphia, Irwin; Boston, rxelly; Washington, Farrell; Pittsburg, Brown; Indianapolis, Glasscock. It might be well to cut this out for reference