We have very little to comment upon this year in regard to the amendments made to the playing rules of the game, alike by the special committee appointed to revise them, or by the committee of the whole who do the final work of revision. No improvement in this branch of League legislative work, too, may be looked for until a regular and permanent committee of rules be appointed, with President Young as its continuous chairman, aided by the chief of the umpire staff, Harry Wright, and one member of the League, a member like Mr. Byrne, who has done more since he has been in the League to really improve the game than any other of the several members of the rules committee since 1891. Moreover, the report sent in by this proposed permanent committee of rules should not be changed by the committee of the whole at the spring meetings except by a two-thirds vote. As it is now, the whole business would likely be spoiled by the final revision made by a simple majority vote. The changes made by the committee of 1894, in several instances did not improve the game at all. The amendment made to the bat rule, which removed the restrictions as to size, was absurd. The League did well to throw it out. The gain in the diameter of the bat, though small, will have its effect on the batting. A quarter of an inch is not much, but it will tell. The abolition of the "mitt," except for catchers and first basemen, was a good move, as was the introduction of a penalty for the failure of umpires to prevent "kicking." One change introduces a new experiment, and that is the call of a strike on every foul tip caught on the fly. The calls of strikes will be more numerous than ever, viz., the regular strikes, the strikes on foul bunts and on foul tips. As to the change made in the pitcher's plate, nothing was gained by it. The pitcher will still violate the rule requiring him to have his foot in contact with the rubber plate, as he did last year. He cannot get a firm foothold by placing his foot on the rubber. What was wanted was a hollow, oblong square, 12x36 inches, in which the pitcher could have obtained a good, firm foothold within the box, and not as now, outside of it, as he now has to, to secure a good standpoint for his pivot foot outside of the box. Not a single change was made in the badly-worded scoring rules, and in consequence the same old premium for record batting is offered to every "fungo" hitter in the ranks. Each member of the committee still walks in the same old rut in this respect.