Evening star., 1898-01-29

CAPT. BROVN'SDEl PARTLY IUDORSED
PRIZES FOR THE PLAYERS

PRIZES Fok THE PLAYERS
In last Saturdays base ball story in an
article on the blunt sacrifice" it was In
timated that perhaps Messrs. Wagner and
| Brown would give up their warfare on
| the bunt, as the Senators for the coming
| season look to be very fast on their feet.
| Captain Brown dropped into The Star
| office during the past week and in CONVEX
sation with the base ball reporter stated
positively that he was as much opposed
to the bunt ever. Captain Brown does
not want the bunt stricken out of the
game altogether, but only with men on
bases. He claims that the bunt has killed
off the prettiest feature of base baIl-that
| is, the double play, piece of fast fielding
the audience always heartily enjoys. no
matter which team performs the pretty
feat In arguing his side of the case Cap
tain Brown said:
Some years back the fair foul was al
| most as much in evidence as the 'bunt sac
rtfice.' Players Ike Ross Barnes. Jim
| O. ORourke. Jim White and Captain Anson
| could cut the ball down to the ground at
| their feet and then off toward the bleach
ers, easily making first and sometimes
| three bases on the hit. The fair foul was
| legislated out of existence, yet the game
| didn't go backward.
Take another case. Keeler Lange, Bur-
kett or McGraw comes to the bat as the
first man up. If they now want to bunt,
all right. Say they make a bunt success
| fully, and either one of these players
reaches first. Now you can tell whether
| their reputation as base runners will hold
| good. If they can't steal, and the next
batter sends a screamer to third short
and 1t is handled clean, the double play
| is pulled off in scientific style, with the
| spectators on their feet yelling approval
| How many of the spectators get ON their
! feet when a runner is sacrificed to second?
Il know that a great many of the news
| papers all over the country are down on
my idea of doing away with the 'bunt sac
riffce.' but let them take the trouble of
inquiring of the players of their respect
i've clubs and I'll guarantee they will find
an overwhelming majority on my side, the
Baltimore players, of course, excepted.
My plan is to play the game for the bene-
tained and not for the advancement of
one two clubs at the expense of the
Others"
The Star recently wrote to President
Manager William H. Watkins of the Pitts
burg club to secure his opinion on the
blunt sacrifice and his reply is given be-
low. Mr.. Watkins has been ball player
in his time and Is one of the best posted
officials of the National League. 1t will be
noted that President Watkins agrees in
part with Captain Brown on the subject.
The letter is aS5folfows:
I'm reply to FourS 1 would say that l
am not in favor of abolishing the bunt,
but, on the cont8ary,I am heartily in favor
of it. AS to my opinion on the abolition of
the 'bunt sacrifice, fhxith runners on bases,
would be in favor of doing away with
that bunt sacrifice at only one time, when
there Is one man on first base and no other
bases occupied by base runners and nobody
out. In explanationlof the position which
1 take on the sacrifice in this stated in
stance 1 will say that it has got to be al
most a prescribed rule which spectators
| md nj GXDect
ried out, and for that reason the majority
! of managers and players fear to attempt
any other play excepting this prescribed
| Sacrifice knowing that II the attempted
play is not successful both player and man.
| ager will be severely criticised for not con-
| forming to the rule Of sacrificing the base
| runner to second. In following this style
of play it does away with one of the beau
ties ana one of the strong points Of base
! ball-tnat is, it gives to the people VINO are
| watching the game a certain RnoWlease
| of what is to be done and does away with
the uncertainty of the game, which 1s SO
popular with all of our patrons There are
numerous ways of getting this man, VINO
has reached first, down to second base
other than the one which the old estab-
Hshed policy of moving him down there by
the sacrificing of the batter. 1t gives no
chance whatever for team work or Tor any
thinking to be done by those directing the
games.
I'm any other instance, I hold that the
bunt should be allowed, purely because 1t
|
do not think that, in abolishing the 'bunt
| sacrifice at the time that have stated, it
would in any way injure the game, but, on
| the contrary, would add to Its popularity
| and please the people far better in remov-
ing the certainty and the giving OF
chance to use what we call headwork
THE public, to whom we cater, have for
| cC ntinual sacrifice The moment man
| reaches first base and nobody out, from
| grandstands and bleachers we hear that
cry, when a batter comes up to the plate,
| of Hit it out The people are not satis-
fed 1t becomes mopotonous, but still a
great many base ball people claim that II
| is team work. when the fact or the matter
is, it is really the only indication OF team
| work that is done by the majority OF the
clubs playing, and they would not be do
ing it were it not that they want the pub
lie to think that their team is playing to-
! gether and working systematically. sac
rifce, when it is made. as it Is under the
present legislation. In all cases, Is in my
estimation, anything but team worx
''Give us the bunt when there are two
men OIL bases or three men on bases, or
any other time in the game that a man
may think it is for the interest of the club
to make bunt, except in the one In
stance speak of, with man on FIST and
1 nobody out.
II have probably said more than you ex-
pected me to say on this subject, but &!
have got tired of seeing this continual
| bunt, when 1T Is really not needed, or some
| other play would be better, but still the
bunt is attempted by managers and play
| ers more to avoid criticism than 1t is to
bring about winning result for the club.
No manager or player likes to have the re-
port of the morning paper calling attention
to the fact that had he bunted he would
| have won the game when, in all probabili-
ty. the man he would have sacrificed to
second would never have scored But,
| still there have got to be excuses found for
the loss of games, and IL they cannot blame
it on the man who doesn't bunt they will
find some other culprit who commits just
as great crime" m
West against invest aand east against east
has always beep the fern OF the schedule
for the opening games In the National
League. This ySar there are Tumors to the
effect that the usual order OF things viii
be changed, and that three OF the western
teams will each have an eastern team for