The evening times., 1896-09-17


crank, as he sat in the grand stand just
before the game yesterday at National
Park And how much or how little beef
may player safely carry around with
him and yet play his game?"
The question Of the size OF ball players
has often been discussed and never with
satisfactory solution. The only possible
conclusion to the argument seems TO he
that good han players arc OF all sizes ana
that u tall, slim man may be as good as
a snort, fat man, with some limitations
a. to positions played Tall and slender
men do not fit well at shortstop, nor TO
chunky little fellows make a howlng sue
cess on first. .-- -H. .5.
Catchers are as miXcdan varied lot
for sizes as could I've ina gined. Broad anu
becfy men, like Robinsoa and Clements, 20
splendid work and are usually especially
good throwers. Tall, slim men, like Gam
zcll and Mack, accept little discount from
anybody. Little fellows Of the kittridSe
pattern, despite their short reach, tontriNe
10 equaliZe matters by their agility, ana
there are plenty of well-kniu Inedium->iZed
backstopS, like Grady and Sugdcn. Some
men, like Ton. .Uolan, contrire to keep on
catching when they have grown too tat
10 waddle with any rapidity and others
do not seem to have enough weight 10
stand the shock a hot shot from power
ful pitcher.
BOTH SLIM AND FAT.
Charlie Farrell has been both slim and
fat. He was q ganglinG, long-legged fei-
low when he began his LeaS2e career
today he is big and burly, broad as barn
IA. h.a a
raised his average from. .71O III 1887 TO
9l4 III 1896; yet he is no better as Il
Dackstop than he used to he, and his
extra beef does not enable him to stop
any more hot ones than his light figure
used To check nine years ago.
Pitchers can he any size they wish;
they come in assorted packages. There
have been good pitchers OF all sizes, from
Madden and Kilroy to Whitney and Dave
Foutz, from little shrimp-like fellows TO
elephantne masses that puffed and painted
as they went around the hases- Jim Gal
yin looked like a hutterhdll for twenty
years Many a League pitcher has begun
as a slender boy and finished his career
a huge lump OF human beef, THANKS 10
the healthy exercise and superabun'itnt
good living. Johnny Foreman is presutn-
ably one OF the smallest pitchers ever upon
a diamond: Amos Ruse, one OF the largest.
Stivetts, Young, and several other twirl-
ers are marvels of bulk and strength.
McGill aud Cunningham are fat and stocky;
Gus weyhng so slender Il breath ought TO
blow him away.
First basemen have usually been tail
aud heavy, the idea prevailing that a tall
man with a long reach was necessary TO
pull down Wild throws. When Jack DOYLE
and Pat Tebeau took up first-base work,
however, this notion went glinmering,
for both these men play first for all
there is in it and neither is over medium
height.
TWO EXTREMES.
Second -basemen are usually middla-:sI2cd
men Ptefrer is about the most slender of
the lot; Childs undoubtedly the neshicst.
Yet both travel over ground at "A i..eat
pace, and Childs' beef hindcrs him in
fielding groundcrS as little as Prefers
ack of weight stops him from taking hard
throws and blocking runners.
Tbird- bascmen are Of all sizes, tail. slim,
short, fat, and mixed builds. A tall man
can play third nicely-the run and stoop to
field a glouDdcr crossing the diamond be-
tween third and short is one that seems
to suit tall man very Wen. Fat ttird-
baSeIncn cover their ground differently,
though quite as We'll. They seem TO hover
over a groundcr and sweep II up in one
motion .wiiilethe tail man has the appearance
oflcanir gforward, halting for amomentand
fishing for tie hall.
Shortstpps are nearly always short and
stocky A stortstop, bending to right or
left for groundcrS, taking throws, Garting
hithcr and thithcr for flies. has different
PLAYS to make right along from third and
second basemen. His legs would interfere
Il they were tco long, and thus it comesthat
DcMontrcville, Dahlcn. Jennings, Cor
corau, and Smith. and all the great short
stops. save Ely. are compact men of middle
or minor stature. Ely is tall but has trained
himself to play the position very well.
FIELDERs OF MINED SIZES.
Outfielders. chose adays primarily for
their batting. are of mixed sizes, but mostly
middIe-size men OF great breadth of back
and shoulder where the muscles come into
play that WELD the bat. Sam Thompson
is tall and gaunt. Lange rs gigantic in
every way, but the majority of felders
are of the pattern OF Ryan. of Chicago, and
Selbach and Abbey. of the Senators.
why don't pitchers bat?'' is another
oft-debated question. Many men consider
that a pitcher. skilled himself in deceiving
others. should be able TO solve and disen-
tangle the curves thrown by n rival pitcher.
and should therefore be the heaviest Of
hitters. .a
'If you ever pitched" says one eN-
80
stand. A pitcher comes in from the slab
with his arm tired. Ills heart throbbing and
his head wearied. and goes to bat. He is
the least fitted of any man in the game to
face another pitcher at that moment. and
that's the whole story. Almost any pitcher,
layed off from pitching and played in the
field will soon begin TO hit the ball.