The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-17
ghr saiehita Daily gaele Ehursaau eornug 4as IT, 1884

bilious to becoIhe great c@tchers Is ito
get in front of the ball" By this /
mean that every catcher should catch
the ball directly in front Of him, and
not at either side of him The idea Of
side catching is to escape the danger of
having the ball hit one In front or any
where, but it is well known by this
time to all who have paid any atten-
ton to the subject that this style Of
catching viii not do. You viii find
that the men who practise it in the
league to-day are gradually but surely
losing caste. A catcher cannot afford
to finch, no matter how speedy the de-
livery he is catching. He wants at all
times to get right in front of the ball
and to stay there. That is his only
safety and salvation, for the man
who lodges and squirms is much more
apt to get injured than the man who
boldly faces the enemy.
/ can tell youngsters another very
bad habit for ambitious but youthful
back-stops to get into-the habit once
seen and occasionally in the big
leagues. This fault is what is called
among ball players fighting the ball."
By this I mean the man who is in too
create hurry to catch the ball. This
overeagerness seems to be due to ex-
cessive nervous energy. The man who
allows himself to become so excited
will frequently try to catch the ball
before it really gets to him. / once
1,pepv a catcher xyboea Md Lo;rol -
feverishly in tight game that have
seen him grasp ball even before the
batsDan had chance to hit at it.
Another point which ! imagine will
be of service to young folks, if they
only knew it, is the proper manner in
which to hold the hands. Very few
beginners understand how their
fingers should be managed when they
are in the act of catching. Those
familiar with baseball will remark at
times what nice-shaped hands one
catcher will have while the hands of
other catchers will be entirely mis-
shapen and deformed by ugly corns
and hard patches. Now, in catching a
ball man should either hold his fin
gers down or up, and never, under any
out towards the ball.
Another necessary feature in catching
is for catcher to keep his fingers to-
gether. Do not spread out your fingers
in trying to catch ball, for If you do
you will likely break one or more of
them in the effort.
This advice applies to the thumb
also. In catching a speedy ball, no
matter how big and heavy the glove
may be, the man should press the
thumb against the four fingers in the
glove. Of course, there are chances of
a pitcher becoming wild and cratic
whenever a battery gets signs mixed
up. Then a catcher's position may be-
come really dangerous. When pitch
er loses his temper and fires ball
everywhere but over the plate, then q
catcher's life becomes all but unbear-
able. This is the time when the woes
of the catcher may be said to exist. A,
vicious out curve or low, sweeping
drop ball which hugs the ground are
things which catcher
must look out for. Still, in modern |
baseball as it is played to-day team
work has become SO good, the battery
each other SO thoroughly, |
that there is little real danger. Pitch |
er and catcher comprehend just what |
rate of speed will be safest.
Then, boys, if you want to catch, go |
n and do it. If You have brains and
IAN use them in all-around play, there
s no need why you should be afraid to
latch behind the bat. J. ]. DOYLE.