The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-05
TIPS FOR A RRlTIsHER.
The Gam of Baseball as Explained by
 Young American.

From the New York Sun.
 He was an Englishman and he had been sent with a young American to the baseball grounds to learn the national game.
 ''Just listen to the younester," was the advice he got when they started for the grounds. You'll soon catch on"
 Say" began Jimmy when they had got settled on the bleachers and Jimmy had made a successful long distance connec- tion with the peanut man, the Giants are putting Up great game and were likely to see something doing every min ute. Wonder who's going to be on the slab today? (Aside to the man with the score card on the left) Who's down to the twirling? McGinnity? Thanks"
 What do you nean?" asked the Brit ish visitor
 oh" replied Jimmy, T was finding out who was going to put 'en over the plate Oh, forgot you weren't on. was ask ing who was going to pitch.
 Yes the pitcher, he's something like the bowler, I guess. You see, he's the fellow who slams the ball up to the bat ter and the batter he tries to punch the sphere out of the lot so as to make the circuit-the round trip-get a run in, I mean.
 "Oh, yes. the batter doent always con- meet. But McGinnity is the boy that can make the best of 'em fan--strike em out. Strike out? That's putting three good ones over the plate without the bat ter doing any business.
 'Id rather be a pitcher than anybody else. It's great fun to do the twirling and put the benders around the batter and then toss up easy pills that fool the sluggers, and then when the scorer is putting up the goose egg walk up to the o,,H ofo nd faIr a f,4u at r, as if you didn't care about any applause. Its great thing to be a curve artist, I tell you. Just let me operate from the middle and I'm all right.
 Pitching isn't easy though I've seen many dewdrop operator hypnotize em for eight innings and then go way up the air-do the balloon act and give 'em free passes and let 'em punish him with all sorts of smashes until the boss yanks him out and sends in new man to stop the slaughter.
 Every twirler gets of the trolley once in while That's where a good man with the mitt comes in He can hold a wild pitcher down steadily and stop the ascen- sion and make the twirler have confidence in his shoots and curves. Next to pitching give me job in the diamond. You can see what's going on and you get chance to stop the grass cutters and hand 'em over to the man on the initial bag. Then, too, there is noth- ing like squeezing a good scorehing liner hot from the willow and doubling them up at second in the ninth inning and with all the cushions full
 Playing out in one of the gardens isn't half bad, either. It makes you feel mighty good to make long chase after a line drive and yank 1t down or run in and grab one labeled safe and toss 1t in- to the diamond again.
 You have to keep your eyes open for anything from a daisy cutter to a screecher to the ropes and you can't have any glass in your arm or you can't hope to head the runners off at the tally cushion.
 "The Giants are pretty we'll fixed I guess. They ought to be able to put up the rag here next year. The rag? Oh. that's the pennant. When you get that you are the champs
 But the umpire's going to call order now. You just keep your eyes open and you'll see real game. You thought that was the game they were just playing? Get out! No? On the level? Oh, man. ma. they were only getting limbered up. This isn't marbles H-ii-i-i-it CT out, old man. Say, are you catching on?'