The Washington times., 1901-09-05
BASEBALL GOSSIP.


make are often at second base, when a
runner attempts to steal, and 1t is here
that he must use his best Judgment in
and know positively whether the ball is
placed on the base-runner or whether he
is missed entirely. A good base-runner
Is usually at the head of the list of base
purioiners. Many charces have 20 be
taken in trying for an additional base,
and the runner is frequently caught
when he usually has the anathemas of
the home crowd heaped upon him, or he
is called a wonderful base-runner II he
succeeds in the attempt
Sandow Mertes used to be the wicked
est base-stealer l ever knew said Pick
ering, of the Cleveland club. speaking of
base stealing the ether day. When he
ilrst broke into the old Western League
II was worth second baseman'S OF short
stops life almost to try to put him ont
when stealing second. Why. he came
tearing down to the bag and then slid
first got jar that was not soon forgot
ten. I've seen him break the straps that
hold the bag in place and then when the
Sroundkeeper got wider and stronger
straps, he'd pull up the stakes that were
driven two feet into the ground He's
improved wonderfully in the last three
or four years in the matter of base-steal-
ing, however. At first he slid with one
root IN the air. and the player covering
the bag was just as likely as not to be
spiked as he slid in, and they often were.
100. We seen their shoes, stockings and
uniforms cut all to pieces with the spikes.
He slides almost as hard now as he used
to- but he keeps his feet together, and is
not as dangerous, while at the same time
ne Is more difficult TO touch out, for he
Is not sprawled out as much"
That's one of the troubles with young
sters when they first break into fast com
pany," cut in 10 Sugden. Bones Ely,
formerly of the Pittsburg club and now
playing with Connie Macks Athletics,
used to be the same way as Mertes, and
hasn't recovered yet unless I'm mistak-
en-. He always has one foot sticking high
In the air and SO has Bill Clarke even
to this day. The lead man gets and
his slide at the other end count for ev-
erything. NO matter how perfect the throw
he can often get away from the player
covering the bag by sliding or twisting
himself cut of the way. | have tried the
system of sliding with my feet in the air
and that of humping into the man with
the ball, but I believe the most satisfac-
tory way after all is to keep out of his
reach In every respect and play as clean
ly as possible. OF course there are times
when the best way is to bump the man
with the ball. making him drop it. There
is where the judgment of the base-runner
comes in, and the better he knows what
to do the better his success will be-"
1t is said that Hanion has asked Broad
way Alec" Smith. who was dropped by
New York, for his terms. as the BROOKLYN
catching department. since McGuires in
jury, is not any too strong.
"A mistake commonly made by people
who follow the game of baseball is that
when Lajoie makes an error he is loafing
on the ball" says Connie Mack Il have
heard the fans in the grandstand many
times pass remarks when he fumbled a
ball to the effect that If he had hustled
after the ball he'd have had 1t. Any such
criticism of Lajoie is unjust. He is a
player In one respect like Bill Dahlen of
the Brooklyn club-he plays ball so nat
urally and so easily that it looks as
though he was not making any effort to
make the plays that are pulled off in a
game. Lajoie is without doubt the great
est second baseman in the business. His
reach is long and he is as fast as light
ming and to throw to at second he is
ideal. Any catcher who has worked with
him will tell you that he is the easiest
man playing ball to throw to. He is sure
of everything-high, low. or wide OF the
bag. it's all the same to him, and his arm
Is as good as any of them. Combine all
these accomplishments with his batting
powers and there isn't ball player in
the business that compares with him. If
people realized how hard he works in a
game they'd never charge him with shirk-
ing"
A Cincinnati paper prints the following
n for lou Ntsifh 10 Int