Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-18
ABOUT THE LOCAL TEAM.
A Correspondent Urges Critics to Give All
the Boys Fair Chance.

A Correspondent Urges Critics to Give All
the Boys a Fair Chance.
To the Sporting Editor of the Dispatch:
With your permission 1 will use fraction
| of your space in talk on baseball matters,
so far as they pertain to the local club be-
/ longing to the National League. have been
particularly amused of late by the quality of
the matter dished up byyour contemporaries
in their endeavors to improve the Pittsburg
team, or more properly, to ruin it.
1t would require too much space to review
all that has been said; in fact, what they
have not said would be the easiest subject; a
line would suffice. But let me refer especially
to the treatment experienced by George
Miller, that sterling all-round player who has
put few equals and no peers in the baseball
business to-day. know that in making this
assertion there will be lot of replies having
Tor their burden "what about Ewing, Kelly,
Anson, ct al?" anticipate the questions and
reply thus: All of these men are excellent
captains, that is admitted, but then it will
tentions to being a captain, and as
1t takes nine men to play game of
ball, there are at least eight men
to be accounted for who are not supposed to
do any of the directing, and the more clever
the hle, the greater the chances of winning
games. As batter, Miller does not rank
with either of the three mentioned, but can
ordinarily be depended upon to hit the ball
hard, whether it falls safe or not: many a
time long sacrifices have been the factors in
tne winning of games. If in every game
played the Pittsburgs should get one of their
men to third base before two men were out,
and man with q good eye' followed, nine
out OF 10 games would be ours. 1t is as an all
round, serviceable and reliable man, that 1
propose to push Miller's claims.
Does he catch as well as Ewing or Kelly7
FIRST, no; second, not quite, but nearly so;
put all the same, Miller can go in behind the
bat any day of the week and catch a good
game of ball, and Jimmy Calvin will bear
me out in this. Does he play infield or out
Held positions as well as Ewing or Kelly land
now we can bring in Anson?) Yes, and
great deal better from pure fielding stand
point. We have all seen the three others
tried in this city, and we know
that not one has especially distinguished
himself out of his regular position. So then,
if the club cannot be made up entirely of
captains, catchers and first basemen, it must
be admitted that men in other positions can
be as much factor in the winning of games
as either. No player that visits this city
will stop ball at short better than Miller,
and the only thing he lacks is the quick
snap to first of Glasscock Ward, Long and
Others, and as this can be acquired, who
get" will get it yet. Moses did not show the
1sraelites the Promised Land the first day of
the Exodus, and you cannot Immediately
turn a catcher into O fielder.
Honestly, Mr. Editor, you would think that
some of these baseball writers had never
seen game in their lives, from the way in
which they lay it out every time player
makes a misplay. They should display a
little more Judgment than the bleaching
board" kid, who pays homage to one player
to-day and another tomorrow, for you know
the reader expects the writer to possess
Judgment, else why does he write. If we
must place the baseball writer on the same
level with the ''kid" aforesaid, it is time to ]
quit reading the papers.
1t is rather odd, too, that these same
writers think that Captain Hanlon will go by
their Judgment and change the men about to
suit them. Again, they ape 'the bleaching
urchin," and it is pleasant to note that
neither has any effect on the powers that be.
One can imagine what the club would look
like if it was changed about to suit either
of these two quantities. 1t would not take
long to make gay affair of it. 1 will not say
that Carroll is the finest fielder in the busi-
ness, but many of his errors were not nearly
so bad as those Tiernan, Gore and O'Rourke |
made in their respective positions last |
week, and do you think that Mutrie will take |
them out or release them on that account7
Give every man chance to show what he |
can do. Respectfully, yours,
W. G. KAUFMAN.