Clipping:Wides and called balls; the purpose of the distinction
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| Date | Saturday, January 10, 1874 |
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| Text | In reference to the penalties for an unfair delivery, we have found it absolutely necessary to introduce the cricket rule of “wide” balls. No one will for a moment argue that any ball sent in out of the reach of the bat is other than an unfairly-delivered ball; and, as such, it should be ruled out as not being a fair delivery. We have, therefore, specially provided that all such balls shall be called “wide,” and three such wides shall give a base. There are certain balls, however, which, though not out of actual reach of the bat, are nevertheless not exactly fair balls, and these come under the head of “called” balls. We divide the two classes of balls purposely to relieve the umpire from the responsibility hitherto attaching to him in calling balls. By the new rule, he must call all “wides” whenever delivered; while in regard to “called” balls he has a certain degree of option, governed by the peculiar circumstances of the case. The object of the sections inflicting penalties on the pitcher in the case of “wide” and “called” balls is to insure for the batsman as fair a delivery as possible. There can be no question as to the justice of punishing the pitcher every time he sends in a ball out of reach of the batsman; nor can there be any question as to obliging him to send in fair balls, provided that in the latter case a due latitude is allowed the pitcher for using strategy in his efforts to confuse and deceive the judgment of the batsman. In the early days of the game the batsman was punished for not striking at good balls; but there was not the slightest penalty inflicted on the pitcher for sending in wide balls, because they well knew that no squarely-pitched ball could be sent in accurately unless simply tossed to bat. In the case of the Creighton delivery, however, however, there was a degree of accuracy of aim and command of the ball that rendered it necessary to inflict the same penalty on the pitcher for unfair pitching as on the batsman for unfair play at the bat. Hence the origin of calling balls on the pitcher. |
| Source | New York Clipper |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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