The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-07
Short Stop,s Job.

position naturally, ana fewer men be- come shortstops. after having played other positions, than go to any other place in either in, or outnelds. Outfield- CTS have been developed into third and second basemen; catchers become first basemen. and pitchers turn to the out field in their declining days. Once in a while third-baseman moves up, to short and becomes star at that position. Oc- casionally, as was the case with John M. Ward, pitcher turns to short-stop- ping, but in the great majority of in- stances once a shortstop always a short stop, unless when the shortstops arm fit of the shorter throw, says an ex- change.
 The average big league shortstop starts in that position among the minor leaguers on the grounders and his throwing accu- racy. Going into the big league, he does his best at his regular position, and, in seven cases out of ten falls fiat. A larg- shortstop fall down than even of those who essay big league pitching. The shortstop of big team should be one of the brainiest men on the club. Round him the play Is always revolving; if he
 is quick -witted as well as fast with hands and feet he is going to have something to do all the time. and half of his work will be of the kind which never shows in
 The ,shortstop has to attend to the grounders right and left, to files all around the pitcher as well as both front and back of the baseline, and to throws from all directions. He has to take care of most of the runners scooting down to l second. and four-fifths of all double plays are engineered with the shortstop in the thickest of the action. It Is obvious that the man must be unusually fast to take care of all these performances, but his usefulness doesn't end there. He must be frequent intervals, and must be ever ready to nail balls which have escaped from the other fellows. On his Judgment and speedy action stand or fall the He is a big wheel in the machinery, and there never yet was a champion club which did not have a shortstop of the grandest caliber. Anson's mighty team had Ed William son. and there were none better. Ed was a heavy block in the stonewall infield and his skill turned the tide of many and many a game John Ward cared for champions of 1888 and 1889. Wards work was superb, and New York would never have seen a flag with an inferior man at the shortfield position. The champion Bostons had Herman Long at short. and the German was a crackerJack for fair The winning Bal timores had Hughey Jennings, and who could play the game in better style than he.
 Hans Wagner, one of the few short stops who graduated from other positions. Is the king of them all at Pitsburg. Fred Parent, who shows all the skill of the top-notchers. officiates at Boston.
 The modern shortstops, taning them all in all, are not bit better than those of fifteen years ago. The highest standard in shortstop work was reached long ago. and. though often equaled, has never been improved
 A peculiar thing about shortstops is the fact that they get better as they get old CT. A star at the job is seldom really great till he has had four or five years experience, and a really A 1 shoristop is good for fifteen years of steady play.
 George Davis, who was here with the White Sox last week. Is a god sample of the veteran shortstop, and . the games that he played here showed that he could discount all the kids and new corners in the profession.