The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-25
TRICKY CATCHERS.
w. I. Harris Gives Interesting
Points About Famous Players.
EWING AND KELLY HEAD THE LIST

Than "Kel."
The query was made to me the other
day, "Who is the trickiest catcher IN the
baseball business2" The answer led 10
long discussion, and there was much IN IL
which may prove quite as interesting To
others as 1t did to us. Probably no two
men who meet casually will agree on the
subject of tricky catchers. l named Ewing,
and my friend stood out that Nike Kelly
was entitled to the honors. Now, both
men are pretty fast, but there are other
catchers who can do certain tricks and get
away with them easier than either Buck
or KeL For instance, they seldom get
strike by pulling in the ball, while Glenn
ents, thinner and Bennett will get lots OF
them, because they DO it slicker than the
two great stars and are not watched half
50 closely Let a catcher once get reputa-
tion as a trickster, and every umpire
watches him with keenness that quieter
men seldom experience.
Ewing will do anything to make point.
1t has frequently been said that Glasscock
is so tricky that he must be watched all
the time, but Glasscock does not need half
as much watching as Ewing and Kelly.
The difference is that Glasscock does his
tricks when carried away with excitement
and it is anything TO win, while Ewing and
Kelly are perfectly aware of what they are
doing, and they do it so slick that they sell
dom get a call down and hardly ever get a
fine, and if they do it never goes. This
may be due TO the fact that umpires fear
to fine them, but, whatever the reason, it
remains that they seldom do.
Ewing does most Of his tricks-and many
of them are very trying even to his friends
sometimes-under cover of a cloak which
appears to be good nature TO the crowd,
and it generally is, which make amends
for many shortcomings, and Kelly apes
him as far as he can. But Mike has not
got so sweet a disposition as Ewing, and is
somewhat at a disadvantage in conse-
quence. Ewing's success with his tricks
behind the bat largely depends upon his
success in getting the umpire slightly rat
tied, and in a condition where to save him
self from complete bewilderment he is apt
TO favor Buck as much as he can in order
to keep that exasperating individual as
quiet as possible. There are no catchers
in the business who are dreaded worse
than Ewing and Kelly, and when both
men are in the same game they make the
umpire's lot distinctly unhappy. Both
men are very annoying to the umpire, and
when either is in a losing game they are
querulous and go as near TO the verge Of
insulting the unfortunate who is the UNI
pire for the time being as they dare, and
frequently make no bones about doing il.
1t depends largely on who the official is
l think there are but two men in the
Empirical business who can manage Ewing
and Kelly, and both of them are hot
blooded Irishmen, and always come out of
a game where either Ewing or Kelly are
playing in high state of excitement best
described as warm under the collar"
have seen the two umpires referred TO lose
their temper to such an extent as to i'm
pair their work in a marked degree. One
would think that Ewing would, by reason
of his acts, always get the worst of it, but
he seldom does at home, and really gets
frequently better treatment away from
home than one would expect. Once in a
while a long suffering official will run
across Buck in the west and bring him up
with a round turn. Buck tries to sweeten
his cracks at the officials by excessive good
nature and a free use of blarney, and man
ages generally to keep on pretty good terms
the same kind of Establishments. but not
with the success that attends Bucks efforts
to square himself
Ewing keeps up constant fire of com
ment, generally directed at the umpire
though not always to him. Frequently
Buck takes the grand stand, or the lower
rows of the bleacheries, into his conf
dence, and by so doing manages often in
bringing storm of abuse on the poor UNI
pire by the process known as getting the
crowd onto him" Bucks foot is always
in the way Of the incoming base runner if
anything is to be gained by it, and it is his
invariable custom TO throw his mask down
on the line so as to cause the man running
home to slow up or be impeded and to dis
courage any attempt at sliding home
Ewing is probably the only catcher in the
business who can drop a ball purposely
and then throw a runner out at second
base 1t will be noticed that he seldom
does this set with any other pitchers than
Keefe or WEIGH He will be able TO do it
with little Sharrott next season, as that
rising youngster watches the bases like a
lynx.
The only man ever in the business who
could get more sore fingers or lame backs
than Buck, intended to give pitchers a
rest, was that retired veteran, SILVER"
Flint. Buck can get hurt to order on the
slightest proVocation, and he can manage
10 delay game by stubborn kicks longer
than any other captain or catcher, except
possibly AnsOn, and, as a rule, Anson's
kicks have more real basis in them than
those of Ewing. Ewing IS very successful
in making bluff plays to cover his real OBJ
ject, and in this be is greatly aided by his
ability to throw quick and hard, which Is
not excelled by any, and only equaleG By 3
few. Kelly is daring in his throws, but he
isn't in il with Ewing on that point.
Mike Kelly can do all the tricks that
Ewing does, and some of them were origi-
nally his inventions, bat he cannot get
away with the umpire SO well as Buck, and
it is that which makes me class Buck above
him. Kelly was the inventor OF the mask
trick, but he rarely resorts to il since the
great hue and cry against it made by the
press last summer, and in this respect
Ewing might learn lesson from him.
There is one kind OF trickery, however.
where Kelly leads Ewing and ths: is on
the base lines.
One reason is that Kelly IS utterly reck-
less, while Ewing, unless spurred mp 70
concert pitch, as be was in a game played
in New York some years ago, which was
won by the Giants, ! 70 Q, where Buck
stole home from third and scored the win
ming run, Is too apt 10 consider the safety
OF number one. Bennett, Cancel, thinner,
Buckley aud other stars as rule never
do any but what are known as legitimate
tricks. Clements goes little further. and
were il not that he has not been blessed
with 80 much intelligence and cunning a.
Ewing sad Kelly be would come nearer
being a rival to them in trickery than any
other catcher now IL active harness.
w. 7 HARRIS
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