The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-24
Base Ball BrevitieS.

DQSS O0AA Ia SVASlSSs
THE PRETTIEST play ever saw
made In a gamer" said the short
legged base ball rooter to his
companion with De Wolf Hopper ex-
tremities. well, that's a pretty hard
question to answer off-hand. I think,
though, ii happened i'm New York some
time ago. when the team that was
justly called the Giants was playing
st. Louis. 1t was in the seventh inn-
ing, which period of the game, as you
know, has from time immemorial been
considered New York's Jonah inning.
1.-TWO men got on bases, there was
one man out and New York was one
run to the good. One of the Browns
was on third and the other on second,
ana even long fly to the outfeld was
good for one run. Big Roger Connor
stepped to the bat and waited till he
got one where he wanted it. Then he
smashed at it and, gracious heavens!
how that ball did go.
a, sailed way out into center field
and everybody thought it was good for
homer at least. Van Haltren was
playing center for New York and the
time and the moment he heard the
whack of the bat. ha turned and ran.
Vans "a pretty good sprinter. even yet.
you know, but then he seemed to fairly
fly.
He ran like the very bla2eS and at
| last came to stop by collidng with
the fence. II didn't phase him, though,
| and he jumped on the lower beam run.
| ming around the fence. just in time to
| grab that ball and rob Roger Connor
of ha hac Of hn >ba
on third had Travelled all the way home
| ON the hit and as a result it was Il
double play. You needn't grin at this
| story. because it's an actual happen
| ing"
Dear me, ] wasn't smiling in doubt
| of your story, but was just thinking of
its comparative smallness when COM
| pared to my yarn" was the response.
Just listen to this. 1t happened at
| Binghamton several years ago, when
| Billy Keeler, in '91 and '9S premier
| batsman of the National league, and
| one of the most clever little players
that ever ran the bases. was playing
| base on the Parlor City team. Billy
hadn't attained the prominence then
as an outfielder that he has since ac-
quired, but was considered an exceed
lHSiy cleNeF little lnleluer.
We'll. to resume, in this game.
| think it was with Elmira, Keeler was
playing pretty far off his bag when
one of the opposing batsmen was up
| and was looking out for bunt. Con-
trary to his expectations. however, the
! batter banged away at the leather and
raised very high foul.
1T was the catcher's ball and he
| snatched off his mask and tloundered
around with the sun in his eyes trying
| to locate the ball. Keeler, however,
rushed down to the spot, and just as
the ball was descending stood behind
the catcher. All this, OF course. was
done twice as fast as l can tell YOU
| and only took up a few seconds. Some
how or other Keeler must have GOT it
| into his head that the catcher was GO
| ing to drop that ball and sure enough
| i.e did.
ut was a critical iuncture and the
big crowd of spectators gave the OPEN
| ing notes of a howl of dismav that
was turned into one of rapture for lit
tie Keeler reached down and grabbed
that ball as it slid through the CATCH
ers NIT, when it was about half foot
from the ground.
| ut was the pettiest play ever seen on
those grounds and l believe as fancy q
one as ever occurred on any diamond.
the crowd fairly went wild and Keeler
owned Binghamton from that day on.
Now, what do you think of that
story?"
| "The drinks are on me-" answered
the short-legged crank, simply.
| President Dreyfuss, Of the re-organ-
lied Pittsburg Base Ball team. Is like
the old wman who "lived in the shoe
and had so many children" etc. in that
he has so many sterling base ball play
ers on hand that he doesn't know just
how to utilize them. For first base he
has Kelly. who put up such an excel
lent game at Louisville last season, and
Frank Dillon, who wound up the sea-
son with last years Pirates in a blaze
OF glory. and who played the earlier
part of the season in Scranton with
the late lamented Scranton Atlantic
league team. 1t is likely, however,
that neither of these men will be To-
Gated at the first bag, as efforts are
being made to land big Dan McC;ann,
last year the Senator's first baseman.
| The Philadelphia management is
also trying to secure the eX-Toronto
player, as he is badly needed in the
| Phillies' infield. With McGann on
first, Lajoie on second, Cross at short
| and Lauder on third, prospects look
bright for the Quaker City making a
good bid for the pennant, and, in fact,
| there are few reasons as to why they
should not come in Well in the lead.
Every man on the team, with the pos
sible exception of Cross, is terrific
batter, even the catchers banging the
| ball out way over the 300 mark The
| men run the bases well and are the
most gentlemanly crowd OF players in
the league.
| A novel base ball game was played
at Duquesne Garden, Pittsburg, Thurs
day night between two local amateur
teams, the diamond used being the icy
| skating rink of the place. The game
was a modification of indoor base ball,
a large ball and small bat being used.
The players wore shoes somewhat
| like the foot-gear worn by foot ball
players, not being spiked, but having
cleats on them. The referee of the con-
test was Rube Maddell one OF Pitts
burg's pitchers, who last year twrled
such a phenomenal game for Louis
| vile. He won nearly all the games he
| pitched and in one contest made the
strike-out record of the season for the
National league.
| Base ball leaders at Harvard are al
ready booming the national game ami
prospects look bright for strong team
to represent the crimson this year.
Great confidence is felt in "Bill" Reid,
the hard hitting catcher, who, captains
this years nine and both his base bail
and foot ball prowess have made him
one of the most popular athletes that
] ever played at Harvard. The team will