, 1891-04-12
GOOD TEAM WORK.
A Necessity to a Well Organ
lied Club.
HONORs RARELY WON wITHOUTIT

Great Player.
THAT nine will never win the pennant.
because they do not pay the slightest at
tention to team work"
How often we hear this remark, or one
substantially like it, during the baseball
season. Men hear it and repeat it. Indeed
/ have heard the charge made against a
losing team who were noted among the
initiated for excellence in team work.
There has been so much talk about team
work that the term is common, and Is used
as an excuse to cover many a defeat that
has no connection with 1t. The term is
much misunderstood.
Team work cannot win a pennRnt. but a
club in which team work is not a prime
factor seldom wins one. About the only
instance / recall was in 1887, when Detroit
won the championship with a team that
were almost strangers to team work. They
simply ~"slugged" the ball. They began
batting terrifically at the start and kept it
up pretty much all season.
The two main principles Of team work
are absolute obedience TO the orders of the
captain and a strict attention TO the mot
to. A for one and one for all" Individ-
ual preferences must often be sacrificed for
the sake of a possible chance of victory.
There is no question but it is much easier
TO score and the men play with more coufi-
dence after they hRve made one run. A
rood captain will work hard from the start
to get that one run.
The first object is to reach first base. II
the pitcher starts in with good command
the first man up is told to hit her out" II
the pitcher is wild a signal from the cap
tain, although tits seldom needed, in
structs him to "play the limit" for no
matter how good a batsmen he may be, his
chances for a base hit are only about one
in three, and a base on balls in the early
stage Of the game, particularly to the first
batsman, who Is generally a good base
runner, is just as good as a base hit. The
following batsman should endeavor to so
hit the ball as to give the base runner an
opportunity to reach second base in safety,
even though he himself is put out. But
there must be a perfect understanding be.
tween the two men. The runner must
know when the batSmani is going to hit the
ball, and have "a move on him. in advance
of the hit, for the 'sacrifcer" may, il he
can turn the ball toward right field, make
a safe hit that will enablet the runner, II he
has a good start, to make third base.
To return to my subject. 1t is something
of an open question whether a runner
should be sacrificed to third base from sec
ond. Fielding has been reduced to such a
science nowadays that none but the ~fieetest
runners can score from second base on an
ordinary base hit, and only then when they
have a good start. Even a hit to right field
must be "a corker' to accomplish the de
sired result. OF course the play is to sac
rihce, should there be no one out. and it is
best lone by a punt which may 60 safe.
The runner should have due notice, how
ever, so as to prevent the pitcher or catcher
from cutting him of at third. There are
a good many Ifs too. Much depends on the
efficiency of the pitching. the score and the
inning, and 1t Is in deciding these questions
that the quickness and judgment of the
captain comes into play, and many a game
is lost by errors made at just UGH a stage.
With a man on third and one hand out a
sacrifice will nearly always result in a run,
and even a ''slugger" should attempt to
make It, for it is an easier thing by
far than a base hit, which ia as nothing
to a run. Over and over again in close
games l have seen a base on balls, a steal
and two sacrifices score a run, and some
times it is done without a steal by a slow
ball toward first base.
Base stealing is a distinct science almost
by itself, but it is connected most closely
with team work. No player should under
take to.steal without orders, and when he
starts, II possible, the batsman must hit at
the ball Ewing is remarkable in this re-
speot by poking high bad balls into right
field. OF course in all cases the players
Dt dAtAA ~ AdhG oil GhhhGG5 lAdl CAL
not be known in advance. One desperate
case Of base running and team work was
in 1889, when John Ward and Roger Con-
ner practically saved the worlds champion
ship to New York. The score was Brook
lyn, l.; New York, o. Ward was at the
bat with two out in the last half of the
ninth. He made a base hit, Before the
ball had left the pitchers hand Ward was
off for second. Aided by Corners bluff at
tho hall t-htch ballad puglanr ,rhn hal
sore hands, and a great slide, Ward sue.
ceeded. On the next ball he stole third in
the same way and tied the game on Con-
ner's single. Come also stole two bases
under the excitenent, but was left. In the
eleventh a base on balls, a poor throw and
a scratch hit won the game.
An understanding between the captain
and his men, and the men with each other,
when in the field, Is quite as necessary as
when the nine are at the bat, The second
baseman and shortstop signal each other
when to cover second base, and in doHble
plays this understanding must be abso-
lutely complete, for a delay of a second or
two is often fatal. Every infelder and out
fielder, too, must know when a ball is to
be thrown his way. This information or
warning is communicated by the catcher
to the infielder, and by him to the out
fielder. All the players must be familiar
1880 NHS UAANAEAA1ANN vi sAkhH NECESSARILY,
and hat is more, they must also make
what may be called a baseball understudy.
In other words there are often several signs
meaning the same thing. The necessity
for this is that your opponents quite fire.
quently discover the signs, particularly
those used by catcher and pitcher, and on
a suspicion of this the signs are changed
at once. Some pitchers change their signs
every few games, and nearly always after
q game when their fast or slow straight
balls are pounded with ease. a book can
be written about team work and not ex.
haust the subject, but the limits of this
article only permit something of a super
fetal survey of it.
1t will be seen that baseball has become
so scientific that the heavy batsman and
great fielder per record are not to be ac-
counted the best players by any manner Of
means. Indeed it frequently happens thai
two or three players of tail end clubs will
lead In their positions when the records are
given out. Often one of them, as in the
case Of Browning last year, will lead the
batsmen Of his league when his own team
was never in the race at any stage of the
game. W. |. HARRIS.
To Soften the kin INT Remove
Sun and wind tan, chatting and all rough
ness, we highly recommend Arnicated
Eureka Cream as the best soothing and
healing lotion. Nothing finer made. 25
cent bottles, druggists.
Passengers destined to the prominent
cities east of the Mississippi river should
patronize the Chicago, Union Pacific &
Northwestern line. Magnificent Pullman
and Wagner sleeping cars, elegant Pull
man md NNrtkrrax- l..- L.