Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-16

done great deal of his thinking for him.
1t makes all the difference in The world
whether a pitcher has working with him q
catcher in whom he has the most Implicit
confidence or not. Doubtless the improve
ment OF the Boston nine behind the bat will
account in great measure for the improve
ment of Pitcher Clarkson's work over last
season. He no longer sfears wild throws
and passed balls, for he knows that he has
to support him players that perform their
work with almost machine like accuracy.
THE cATcHER's DUTIES.
The catcher is another player who has to
do a great deal of thinking, and who has to
keep his mind on several things at the same
time. When be is called upon to guide the
pitcher and signal for the balls to be pitched
to the batsman, his work is, of course,
greatly increased; and it often happens that
he knows more about the peculiarities OF q
hitter than the pitcher himself. When men
are on bases, he has little time to make his
throws, and they have to be made with great
accuracy; for unmerciful. is the scorer, as
a general rule, and the deviation OF a hair
is very likely to call for the scoring of an
error. It takes great deal of head work to
catch men mapping on the bases. The catcher
is supposed to signal the pitcher when to
throw to base to catch a runner as well as
to signal to a baseman when he himself in
tends to throw the ball to point It is no
place for baseball player who is not very
quick witted. On the two positions that
have been named depends the brunt of the
battle and the two players who occupy them
must work we'll together to obtain most salts
factory results. Generally the players map
out campaign and have a regular code of
signals, so that the pitcher informs the
catcher what kind of a curve he intends to
deliver. Otherwise the number of widely
pitched balls would be very large and it
would be almost impossible for the catcher
to hold any delivery.
In other Epositions, the same rule applies
as in the case of pitchers and catchers.
Brains tell every time. The player who can
think the quickest will far outstrip every
competitor. For that reason the Chicago
infeld, which has been intact for so many
seasons, has no rival. Messrs. Anson,
Pfeffer, Burns and Williamson are all men who
need no one to think or act for them. They
need no urging, but each one knows just what
is required of him, so that as long as this in
field is intact, the Chicago club will be in the
race for every championship. Their work is
the quintessence of baseball.
PERFECT DISCIPLINE.
They have made the game science, and the
manner in which they support each other is
unrivaled. There Is no quartet in the coun-
try that does such finished or such brainy work
on the ball field. The discipline of the whole
team, in fact, is perfect, and yet the players
make the easiest sort of work of ball playing.
1t will be remembered that this club sold the
releases of two of the best players In the coun-
try, Kelly, its right fielder and change catcher,
and Clarkson, considered to be one of the
finest pitchers in the land, and yet beat the
club to whom they were sold in both of the
last two seasons. This well shows that no club
can win a championship unless its team work
is superior, even with the best material in the
country in its ranks The New York club was
a star club for years before it recognized the
principle of team and hard work, and fought
the campaign of last season on that idea and
American Association. The Brooklyn club
spent over $4,000 in the endeavor to secure
players for a championship team on the Boston
basis, and thus far has got nothing. Most of
these players were secured from the St Louis
club.
After dispoSing of the cream Of its talent last
season, this ST. Louis club, with material &C.
to be so inferior that most of the
players were released at the end of the season,
went in and won the championship without any
trouble. This year the St Louis with un-
bought players, has led in the championship |
race, and has already accomplished the magni- |
fcent and unexpected exploit Of defeating the |
strong Cincinnati nine in seven games out of |
eight. There can be but little doubt that the |
Chicago club would be much nearer the top to- |
day were it not for the unfortunate accident to |
Williamson that took him out of the club and |
will prevent him from playing for some time. |
Adrian G. Anson the captain and manager of |
the Chicago club, and Charles ComiskeY, who |
holds a corresponding position in the st. Louis !
club, are the two great baseball generals on the
diamond to-day who can pick out team of
youngsters and accomplish wonders with them. |
1t is rare combination of qualities that will |
cause men to play such ball as the members of |
their clubs will play for these two great base
ball lights, and which have made them so pop
ular everywhere in this country, even in cities
where they have never played.
IN HIGH REPUTE.
The profession of the baseball player never
itood as high as it does to-day. There never
vas a time when the morals of young man
we're investigated upon his seeking an engage
nent as to-day. The drinkers are being surely
md quickly weeded from the ranks, thanks to
he severe penalties that are called for under |
he rules. The business has attracted large |
lumber of college-bred men, and it offers them |
,ongenial occupation with large salaries. Many |
)all players pursue their studies in the winter |
md play ball in the summer, thereby earning |
enough to defray all the expenses of their edu- |
alton. Sanders, oil the Philadelphia club, |
ook course in civil engineering last winter; |
Cunning, of the Athletics, was In attendance |
It the medical school of the University of |
Pennsylvania; Bingham, of Harvard, is to
from Harvard this year; Knowl-
he Harvard Medical School; Garfield |
II the Pittsburg club, is studying at Oberlin
University; Mead and Cahill, of the New Haven
cam, are graduates of Holy Cross College in
comes from Princeton, and many
ther instances could be mentioned. Nor must
he cases of Messrs. John NJ. Ward and James
/. O'Rourke, of the New York club, be for
IL
cience in Columbia College and with the latter
ttended the lectures in the Yale Law School,
Vhere they received their degrees of LII B.
nd were afterward admitted to practice before
oubtedly the most intelligent ball player in
he profession. He is most prolific writer
or the magazine and the press, and he has
7ritten a book on baseball, which is decidedly
he best and most comprehensive Of the kind
yer issued.
1t takes the brightest kind of men in the
usiness to succeed in base running and bat
ing. Some of the best base runners in the
eetfooted. Take Kelly, for instance. He is
lot even an average runner, but he watches
is points so carefully and makes the most of
very opportunity that he is regarded as one of
he best base runners in the country. A Con.
tant patron of the game can tell at glance
7hether player is brainy base runner or not
y the style of his work when on the bases.
he successful runner must be able to take in |
ood judgment often depends the game. 1t is
common saying among the players that you
annot make wooden-heads run bases.
A VALUABLE MAN.
So, too, in batting. Here the most valuable
IAN is the one who can sacrifice himself sue
essfully, if need be, for his side. The bats
han who goes to the bat and thinks of doing
othing else than letting out at ball with all
is might and strength is of little use. There
great deal more of science in batting than
lost spectators suspect. There is such thing
s a nlace hitting. and the man who can hat To |