Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-26
ARMS OF BALL PLAYERS.
Throwers Do Not Compare With Those
of the Olden Times.

From the Chicago Record Herald
One of the prettiest and most important
departments of base ball play-that of
throwing-has undergone some curious and
interesting changes in the past fifteen
years. During that period infleld throwing
has improved to an extent which can only
be appreciated by first baseman who has
taken the quick passes from third and short
ever since the Brotherhood's day. At the
same time Outfie!d throwing has deteriorat-
ed and fallen off to amazing degree.
Fewer runners now circle the infield on
wild shots than in the olden day and, as a
sort of compensation. fewer runners are
nipped at the plate or between the bases
by long throws from the gardeners.
Fifteen years ago there was seldom a
game without at least one skyscrapng shot
by a shortstop or third baseman-a high
toss which sailed far above first base and
brought up somewhere near the stand,
while the runner logged giddily round sell
dom stopping short of third. Just to bal
ance this and keep the equations even there
was also at least one daisy-cutting shot
which the first baseman couldn't have Sc
cured with scoop shovel, a China-seekng
projectile which had a delightful habit of
rolling under the bench and getting lost
amid the feet and bat bags while the run
ners steamed from crag to crag like the
bounding chamois of the Alps Nowadays
those throws but seldom happen and the
fielding averages are materially improved
thereby The third basemen and short
stops seem to have acquired the knowledge
of the range and distance to a certainty
They snap up ball after ball and send them
across, true as die. right into the ex-
pectant hands. and even their widest eff
forts seldom pass the baseman's hands.
Nearly every infielder in either big league
has acquired a clean-cut and accurate
throw, and it is seldom indeed that run
rer can get as far as second on an erring
pass to first.
when 1 started in the game as first
baseman." says Charley COmiskcy 1.-The first
Sackers didn't cover near the ground they
do now. They were all big men. too, and.
pinned to one spot as they generally were,
they We're the finest kind of targets to shoot
al. Yet the wild throws used to sail over
our heads and down our toes game after
game, and the chewing matches between
the first and third basemen were hilarious
features whenever one of those rockets had
tipped by.
Nowadays. have noticed. the infielders
get them over in lovely style. I'd have
have always had folks Hike Tannehill and
Bradley chugging them at me. Tommy
Leach is about the only man I've seen who
retains any of the old-time wildness. and he
isn't half as bad as they used to be-"
The long throws from the outfields, mean
while. have been growing steadily poorer.
In former days beautiful shots from the
field. getting runners as they slid home,
while right fielders were continually trying
for base runners on short hits and were
often getting them at first. Today it is
practically an unheard-of thing for a right
fielder to head Off a batsman, while the
throws home are generally beaten with
ridiculous ease.
The great outfleid throwers of few years
ago were, as a rule left-handed men, and
the way they could wing ball to the plat
ter was a sight to tingle the blood of her
init. How often. with runner on second.
would bali go whizzing into the field! The
runner would go round the bend at third
and set sail for home; the fielder would
come in, take up the ball on a scoop or
bound, rise and throw almost with the mo-
ton of rising. Over the infield the ball
would come, straight as an arrow-a deS-
perate slide, a puff of dust-the catcher,
taking the throw full and fair. hardly step
ping from the plate, turned upon the rum
ner and the slide for life was lost!
IF I do say it myself" said Jimmy
Ryan the other day, Il had the throwers,
past and present, pretty well faded. ow-
ing to the fact that could throw without
stopping to take forward stride with
either foot before letting go the ball.
used to catch runners at the plate right
along and the only fellow / ever met
who was able to turn the same tricks was
Treadway, now doing the best he can in
the little leagues. The general grade of
throwing from the outfield, at that, was
vastly better than 1t Is today. Possibly
this may be due to the fact that the mod
ern runners don't take the long chances
they did in the older days when the
games were Fingered UP all the time by
daring fellows darling round the corners,
sometimes arriving in safety and some-
times getting nipped by splendid throws.
1t seems to me, though that the modern
outfielder doesn't make half as fast or as
accurate throws as was once the case
and hence the game is deprived of what
used to be a frequent and spirited exhi-
bition
1t is the opinion of most players that
the modern catcher throws with snap.
vissor and excellent aim. and has de-
veioped this part OF backstop work to
fine point. although growing more and
more mechanical In other ways each sea-
son. The modern pitcher has fallen of
in the keen. lightning-iike passes to first
which used to mark the oid-time box
mans work. When the pitcher had the
box to work in and the rules OF former
years to help him he developed almost
phenomenal quickness and accuracy in
shooting the sphere to first when a rum
uer had straved off the cushion. Tho slab