The San Francisco call., 1898-06-02
AS CAUGHT
 ON THE FLY Some Timely Criticism of
 Chest Work.'' ICE : CREAM SODA PLAYS BALL TEAMS MUST SETTLE
 DOWN TO BUSINESS. Pitcher Knell Let Outflow Base Running May Be Facili- tated--The Gilt Edges
 Fast Game.
BALL TEAMS MUST SETTLE
 DOWN TO BUSINESS.
BY JOE cORBETT.

It is very bad form to use a swing when the bases are occupied, as such tactics enable runner to; secure a lead which is difficult to overcome, no matter how
 good the catcher may be. There is only
 one way to pitch with runners on bases get the ball away as quickly as possible.
 Pitchers should always bear in mind that
 base steals are credited to the catcher,
 and in view of that fact; should at all times keep a runner as closely to the
 bag as circumstances will permit, at the
 same time pitching the ball without any
 unnecessary delay. A backstop cannot
 throw men out if the pitcher allows them
 10 cover half the distance between the
 bases before delivering the ball, and the
 regularity with which the Fresno play
 CTS trotted around the cushions in last .oaturoayS game against the OaklandS
 Was. que entirely to. MT. keusSeli $: SOW style of pitching. Another noticeable feat
 uTe Of MT. :Russel's work; and. Tn Iact
 ol the majority Of pitchers, is his ability 10 make palks. The rule governing this
 point IS very strict, much more so than
 those employed to enforce it. It used to
 pc that a pitcher had to make: del1ber-: ate balk before a runner could claim a
 base. Now, however, any :movement by
 the pitcher which tends 10 deceive the
 Dase runner is a balk, and: as l. said be- dGIr;a dtGGIe; nearly every pitcher in the league ulSplays some move which should be called a oalk, in justice to the baserunner.
 who nowadays must be a very fast man 20 io steal bases successfully: In the major ledsue every pitcher employs the same Styie, With men on bases They hold tha. pal against the right or left shoulder as tne l case may be, and without a second's 's
 The ,i,' pi,cn the oall from this position.
 ne swing IS done away with entirely so as to prevent runners from securinoFa start, and while holding the bali in tsnsS Hrs4 ,ss.iiiel sy .ney command perfect view of ttst, second and third bases and can tHroW to either base or the plate with
 out hardly; changing their position I TVLsu stvIa aovise the twirlers to practice this has seig, isd Tor if practical experience this one fault. Mr Russell is a1I thot ot aeSn,.t dr r" ne aeslred, having just as good am bsnd,ar s10I tirient af or deeeiving balls as any ptii pttiiiard-working, hustling, consctentiors fhlI hnell has been relea sed Tba 70 ~ t.iotis Eisen is .e,, 2y the management of the Athletics well there sG are p5dh otbsrs and If this be true bhiapq4tihg the fact that Phil has not been pledklns any records since ioinjne tba nitnba, aitilbte.LcS, yet as a fielding and batting pItcher he has few if any slperiors in thse league In my opinion, if Wol1Id la r fs. rom an unwise move for some manaear to, give him a chance in the field. His sneezed at and he surely with sufficient practice would be good player. One thing is certain-his knowledge of Ine way the game should be played adds ad N.SiOiAoA Neiiuc lO HIS worth a desirable player. If for no other reason than Tbe one mentioned above, to sign him would not De an unproftable investment What IS Iack1ng In most of the teams is some one Who knows how plays should be con summated in the proper manner. A man of this sort in the San Francisco teatn Tor instance, would undoubtedly prove Jewel. The players composing this club seem 10 have become imbued with the ldea that they can win games without playing. If this be not the case some thing else of more horrifying nature is the trouble, and, combining their fanlts with their misfortunes-calI 1t misfor- tunes, but in reality it Is something else sort of concentration of efforts in the territory known as "chest." intermingled with desire to. proportion ones self in that neighborhood, when the intoxications of continued success become unbearable- 1t will be observed that there Is a lacking of leadership, the kind that tells one to catch a ball with two hands when such a feat is possible and to refrain from per hitting runners to score simply because an opportunity has presented itself where by that "cheSt development" may be dis played.
 MT. Hammond, in Mondays game, evil dently considered 1t a waste of energy to put two hands on ball. when a runner quently run was presented to the Attn letics Bill tried to make fancy back hand catch. and Bill should know tha. such kind of work is not baseball and that runs win games. MT. Murphy, wno losses a ball as though he were handing you an .'ice cream soda." should practice throw ing balls, and study the first principle of baseball, which reads something like this: When batter hits ball fair he should run toward first base, not toward the ignorant of this rule or not cannot safe ly state, but Mir. Murphy did hit fly ball in the direction of first base, and erately walked Tn the direction of the bench, the ball dropping in fair ground, untouched. This may be. baseball accoi d. ing to Murphy's conception of the game. but if Murphy imagines that people go to Recreation Park and pay their good mor- ey to see him play tennis and give an eame he o M9rphS 9 y' is is Vefy much mis player. MT. .Hienrle" Krug. .e He essayed ssaase same game in which Messrs. Ice Cream Murphy and "Perfumed'' Hammond played such a. prominent part. When simply one swarming mass of humanity. But what did "Hienri' care? He had played good ball on several occasions, and as ebast bMphy and ba Were dong d the Little Market Man." why should not he cut in? Who mad better right? After showing Sn hoy bNs easy N it s,,, was to give pine favor of Truck" Egan who, on taking up position near the slab, smiled contempt uously on his cohorts and then proceeded to prove that he could play croquet no matter how painful and that he had just as much right to take long breath and display some of those knots which 1t took so long to develop. In word, the San Franciscos did not go to Recreation Park on Monday to play ball-they went there simply to see which had the best developed .'chest," and Murphy, Ham, mond and Krug each received a 'blue- ib- bon" The fact that Manager Bunker had bet some stage money on the game had no effect on them, for they had: alreaoy de- cided to have a parade day." and let us hope that 1t Is the last.
 The "Gilt Edges are putllng up a very fast game and. the. way things look, will just walk away with the pennant The San Franciscos started off as though they were going to walk away from every body, but the unexpected happened along. | and they are now just tearing down the toboggan. If Managers Coffroth and Bunker are equal to the emergency and can pull those insurgents" together there is yet time to continue in the pen- nant. race. but no time must be lost
 MT. Clark, who has been umpiring in the Texas League for the past three years, is now at Camp Merritt and would be pleased to see Mat Stanley. Jim Sullivan, and in fact any of the boys who have ever played in the Southern League.
 There is certainly no lack of patriotism among the officers of the Consolidated League. as they nave, through President Bert, cheerfully consented to admit free of charge to all games every uniformed soldier.