European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 25, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Page 18 the stars and stripes a fair warning Don t walk into the stars and Stripe sports department and try to sell any ideas you might have on How to make baseball a Little More  happened to a Friend of mine the other Day and he was All but gagged and dumped into the big trash can just outside tieback door. Just ran across a great Story in a Magazine that tells you just How the game of baseball should be played began our visitor. You re wasting your time said one of the fellas we knowhow it should be  after a bit of haggling the sports department guest was finally Given a Chance to relay what he had just finished Reading. Agreeing with the writer of the Magazine article he said that baseball games Are much too Long and sadly in need of More action. He suggested some changes As he dodged a few flying pencils. John the visitor said that the game should be divided into three three inning sets. He explained that baseball s problem is that it does not mount any extraordinary tension until the ninth inning and Only then if the score is fairly close. Pointing out that a Large number of spectators depart during the Middle of a lopsided game he said he Felt that the three set game would help eliminate this and often Cut Down on the length of the game because if a team won the first two sets the game would be Over. Of i said now what do you do with All the records that Are so much a part of the game throw them out he said. Who cares about records Theydon t mean a thing nowadays what with All the expansion and different number of games being played every  needs no gimmichs9 like new York Yankee manager Ralph Houk told a write recently i also get awfully sick and tired listening to people advocating ways and Means of changing baseball. I think baseballs a great game and needs no gimmicks or changes to make it attractive to the fans. Houk said baseball has been the top game for a Long time which is Why the other sports All have been making changes try ing to catch up. Baseball is almost the same As it was Back when it started. At least it is still recognizable As the same game. Mean while you can t recognize today s football hockey and Basket Ball when compared with those sports of Only 20 years ago. The record books and statistics Are two of the big things base Ball has going for it Houk continued. What do you think the fans Are always arguing and debating about it is the things in the record Book. As a result the other sports have become very statistic conscious yet they can t generate the same fan  for Ralph and out with John but old John was t through. The three set system is merely a Concession to the White knuckle group he added. It puts a crisis into every third inning. Now if baseball really wanted to go whole hog it would be Simpleton make every inning critical by switching to match play. You know like match play in Golf. Play nine innings or less winning team is the one that wins the most out of nine innings. Total runs scored Don t mean a  borrowing a few More lines from his Magazine article John pointed out that the game could be shortened quite a bit because an inning would end As soon As the Home team scored one More run than its opponent did in the top half of the inning. I quickly pointed out that baseball is too Long Only if you Don like baseball. If you Don t like baseball you should t go to a game in the first place. Me i like baseball and i figure that three hours Worth is better than iwo hours Worth. How often have you heard the old cliche about a game never being Over until the last out How often have you seen a three run Lead go Clown the Drain in the ninth inning now if a foot Ball team has a three touchdown Lead or a hockey team has Athree goal advantage this late in the game you can figure that it is just about Over. You can t kill the clock to protect a Victory in baseball As in other sports. And that is probably Why other sports have made so Man important Rule changes Down through the years. All new rules Are designed to make the game More appealing to the fans. Base Ball should never resort to gimmicks which Are All that new rules usually amount to. Offers More thrills9 getting Back to Houk who has spent most of his 48 Yearsin some phase of baseball i like the Way he comes to the defense of our National pastime. To me says Houk baseball offers More thrills excitement and unexpected developments than any other sport. Do you realize How Many possibilities exist som which never happened before every time a Pitcher makes a pitch in contrast football Bijj easy to anticipate since it is Morein a Mold than baseball. How Many people can appreciate the finer Points of football a great Deal of the real technique of football is never seen by the average Spectator who Only watches the  i agree. And All these silly ideas about improving baseball Are for the Birds. It is a great game and the fact that it has changed so Little Down through the years proves  you like baseball or you Don t. If you Don t like it i say leave it alone. Or try something really exciting. Like game of chess. Endl is 2 with Cleveland up Dic Tracewski who hit Only four Home runs in his eight Yea major league career belted a three run Homer off Sam Mcdowell in the fourth inning to Lead the Detroit tigers to a4-1 Victory sunday after the Cleveland indians won the opener 3-0, on Luis Tiant s three hitter. The tigers Victory in the Nightcap snapped a three game losing Streak and maintained their 6 1-2-game Lead Over the second place indians. The tigers scored three unearned runs in the fifth when Tracewski hit his first Homer of the season Over the left Field Fence after shortstop Murra Brown fumbled Mickey Stan Dick Tracewski. Belts winning Homer like tint Detroit Maul life 2b Stanley c grown if Northrup it Cash in Freehan e Matchick As Wert 3b killer p Ribant p Green pm Wyatt p first game Cleveland a r h blab r h bl3000 4000 4000 4000 2000 30003010 3020 0000 20001000 0000 Alvis 3b Lbrown As Cardenal of Thorton la Azcue c Harper if shall h Vidal of Snyder it Fuller 2b Plant p 31103110 31114010 4012 0000 3000 00004010 3000 3000 total 29 0 3 0 total 30 3 6 3 Detroit 000 u o 0 0000 Cleveland 300 000 0 0 x 3 a Matluck. Do Cleveland 1 lob Detroit 4, Cleveland 8. 2bazcuo, Wert. In h r Erbb so killer l.5-2 1-3 3 Ribant 62-3 3 Wyatt i o Plant w.11-5j 9 3 t2 29. A Short hitter 3 0 0 0 Detroit Stanley of Trews Al 2b Wert 3b Freehan la Whorton if Price c Comer of Lureon pm Northrup of Oyler a Maul life 2b Sparma p Dobson p second a r h by 4100 5123 4000 3100 3000 4010 2000 game Clevela dab r h by Harris 2b Lbrown a a Smith pm Fuller 2b Snyder of Thorton la Azcue c 3000 2000 000 0 1 302 3100 0000 shall if 1000 Sims c 1100 Harper of 1011 Alvis 3b 3000 Mcdowell p 1000 Kurtz p Rohr p Maye pm Efiah or p Violal pm 1 4 3001 000 010 000 0000 0000 1000 0000 1000 total Detroit Cleveland a Alvia Cleveland 1. 2b Harper so Harris. 32 t 4 4 total 000 03 000 00 l. Brown. Do lob Detroit 7, 30 1 6 1 1 0004 1 0001 Detroit 2, Cleveland 8. Sparma w.b-7. Dobson Mcdowell l,7-j Kurtz Hohr  Obi Mcdowell a-44, 45. Price. Or Tracewski Stanley. Of Sims. In h r Erbb so 72 5 1-3 0 12-3 2 Ley s grounder with one on an two out. Joe Sparma went seven innings gave up six hits walked four and struck out five in winning his sixth game against seven losses. He needed Relief help from Pat Dobson in the eighth after Vern Fuller and Russ Snyder led off with singles. Dobson got Joe Azcue on an infield pop and Jimmy Hall banged into a double play to end the inning. Tiant struck out nine in pitching his 12th Complete game � 15 starts in a a afr gave him five losses. A have pitched 31 3sss5sinning. Max Alvis waft second on Brown s s3and scored on a a Cardenal. The Runnel As Tony Horton and both score double to right Ribant replace tired the Side. 9-o Over Senato Oakland Calif. Up the Oakland athletics set a coliseum scoring record sundays they battered four washing ton pitchers for 15 hits and a 9-0victory behind the four hit pitching of Jim  senators who have lost 10 of their last 11 games pulled triple play in the third inning but could put Only six runners Bye Clian. T2 51. Angels nip orioles on Fregosi or Anaheim a Jim fre Gosi s Lead off Homer in the ninth inning gave the California an gels a 3-2 Victory Over the Balti More orioles  lashed a 2-2 pitch by Tom Phoebus for his fifth Homer of the year. The Angels tied the score at on base against Nash ,.earned run average is u among american league ters to Cleveland s Luis the a s broke open thin the first with six r seven hits and a Wal Bruce Howard 0-3a first Start for the Oakland picked up runs in the fifth on a doubles and two singles Howard who finally Gavin that inning to i  Campaneria second Mer of the year in Theoff Bob Humphreys Oakland its final  Hershberger Mil double and two singles Reggie Jackson with a pair singles drove in five Between them. Hershi two run double in the the big blow in the rally. Season High Mel the a s 15 hits equalled season  s shutout was his of the season an Complete game in 14 Start gave up singles in the fourth and sixth and a do de Stroud in the mall record now is 6-5. The nats worked their Lav after Danny Cater i and Hershberger singled second. Dave Duncan to third baseman Ken Nail Duncan. Real Nash Fella Washington a Jim Fregosi. Key blast 2-2 in the sixth inning when Vida Palillo tripled to drive in de Kirkpatrick who had delivered a Pinch single. Dava Lillo was at third base with none out when Fregosi lofted a medium deep Fly to  tried to score after the continued on Paije 22 user if Stroud if  in " who want if Ballen la Casanova c Mcmullen m Baldwin p Brunman 3. B to Vanl in Tai it a. Total Washington Oakland 0 0 4 0 2 401 4 0 0 3 0 u i o o 1 0 1000 100 300 1 0 0 000 200 000 Akland la a.iill0 crnpn"13 Sij 0 Donaldson 2b 0 monday Jobu Nosb i 0 re action 0 Cater id a 0 Herder � a 0 Duncan c  n o 0 0 0 0 Baldwin jut a 0 4 " Al Al j i1