The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-08
BRAINS COUNT
in BASEBALL
7ome Cases of Quick. ing
by WelI-Known Players
of the National
Game.

| iNioho w MS tHOuSnl VIII VIII Hu0leS
where an equally good player who
does not think will lose them.
Here Is an instance which stands
alone in all the annals OF baseball
with single exception.
In the days when the Cincinnati
Reds were at the top OF the heap they
went up to Wilmington. Ohio. TO play
an exhibition game. The Wilmington
| team was made UP entirely Of anna
| teur players. The Wilmington pitcher
was young chap named David Reese.
and the Wilmington second baseman
! was college boy named Lynne Smith.
| 1t was young Smith who turned out to
be the hero of the most sensational
play ever made in the national game.
The Reds went up to the little town
In the full flush of success, determined
| to have lot of sport with the local
| players. The Reds won the toss and
went to bat. Young Reese, the Will
mington pitcher, was first-class anna
teur, but naturally lie was badly rat
tied Mt the idea of facing the best team
in the National League. and for the
first few minutes his work was poor.
The first two of tie Reds who went
to bat hit base hits. The third man
got a base on balls. and everybody on
the Cincinnati nine began to grin
broadly at the fun ahead. All the
bases were full and there was nobody
out. 1t was huge snap-a regular
picnic.
Then old Bug" Holiday. the fourth
man on the batting list of the Reds,
picked up his club and sauntered up
to the plate. blood in his eye. The first
ball young Reese pitched Bug" struck
at. What is more, he hit it and sent
the ball flying straight over second
base-a hit that under most circum-
stances would have been good for a
couple of bases.
The minute the ball left Bugs" bat
all three of the men II bases started
at the top of their speed for the next
base. But they reckoned without their
host
Young Lynne Smith, second baseman
for Wilmington, was equal to the
emergency. He jumped straight up
into the air and made desperate
lunge at the ball with his right hand.
The ball stuck and when he came
down Smith lit with both feet fairly
on the second bag. That put two men
out-the batter and the base runner
who had Just started for third.
But young Smith was not yet salts
fed. Without the hesitation of mo-
ment-which would have been fatal
he started on the dead run for first
base, and, unassisted. caught and
touched out the base runner who had
started from first to second when
Bug made his hit. So all alone and
without assistance of any kind young
Smith made record which is unique
among ball players.
That triple play seemed TO take all
the starch out of the Reds. 1t also had
the effect Of steadyinE down the Will
mington team and giving them suhi-
cient nerve and courage to play to the
best of their ability.
Reese, the scrub pitcher. struck out a
lot Of the Reds best batters. and at
the end of the game the famous play
ers from Cincinnati had to go home
with a score OF four to two against
them.
1t is, of course. easy to say that
young Smiths wonderful catch was
only fluke. Perhaps it was. Admit.
ting that and admitting further that
his coming down squarely on second
base with both feet was q piece of
good luck. 1t must still be admitted
that it took quick and cool thinking to
lead him, the minute he struck the
ground, to start after the runner from
first, instead of throwing the ball to
home. which nine out of ten players
would have been certain to DO.
Here is the story of n bit of quick
baseball thinking, which resulted in
turning Jack Doyle, Of the old New
York team, against his best friend.
Tom Mccarthy, perhaps the surest
thrower and one of the quickest field
ers who ever played in the National
League.
Boston and New York We're playing
in the latter city and Doyle was at the
bat for New York. New York had
man on first and second. Tom Brown
was the base runner on second and he
was famous as one OF the fastest and
most daring runners in the game. Tom
Mccarthy was out in the left garden
for Boston.
Doyle lined out sharp grounder
into left field. Mccarthy ran ON il,
scoOped it with one hand. and without
stopping to look or even TO gather him
self together sent the ball sailing in TO
first base.
Ninety-nine flelders out of hundred |
would have thrown the ball to home |
In order TO cut off the runner. particu- |
larly when fast man like Tom Brown |
had been on second when the ball was |
hit. Doyle naturally figured that Nc
Carthy would follow the rule, so he |
overran first thirty feet on his way TO |
second and was caught far on the base
when he tried 10 get back. Brown |
meanwhile had stopped after overrun-
ning third in fear of the natural throw |
to home, and no run was scored. The |
next man to bat flew out and the gameI
was over, with Boston winner by one |
run.
AS Mccarthy came in from field
Doyle met him, and, in something OF a |