Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-16
GLEANINGS FROM
THE DIAMOND
UNCLE HENRY MARc0NIEs TO
SANTA CLAUS
New Scheme TO Increase Batting.
shortstop Has Great Chance
to Make Sensational
Plays
Plays

II there is anything the average base
ball fan likes to see in action It Is a
good, brisk shortstop one who is ON
top Of anything that comes his way
before it reaches the base line. No
player on the field has such an op-
portunity to make sensational plays. to
do brilliant and effective work and keep
eternally solid with the fans than the
man who cavorts between the key
stone cushion and third base.
The shortstop is the pivot around
which plays Of the most important ma
ture center. He has burning liners to
stop. high flies to chase and sizzling
grounders TO take
He is a factor in two-thirds of the
double plays, and q fraction of Sec
ond one way or the other means the
two put outs or only one, and a big
chance left for the enemy. Nowhere is
good head more needed than on the
shortstop's shoulders.
While the shortstop has the biggest
chance to make grandstand plays he
also has the longest distance to fall, as
in every other business. Local fans are
watching closely for the magnates to
make their announcements as to who
will fill this position in the coast league
teams, and as each has favorite some
hot arguments are I'm the air at the
various sporting resorts.
While the baseball fans are worry
ing themselves about how to get more
batting into the game Jim Morley has
discovered a plan which he does not
intend to urge, yet it would do the
trick all right
Jim says one reason for the small
amount of batting now is due to large
extent to the alertness of the fielders.
Any local fan knows that it is a
waste of energy for batter to send
almost any kind of a fly out to the
Los Angeles outfelders, for the boys
in the pastures are there every time.
Now, If the fielders were given more
ground to cover they might miss one
occasionally, just for variety, If for
nothing else, and this would make
more base hits. The scheme that Jim
evolved with the aid of few fans is
this: To leave the base lines where
they are, but to run new foul lines
out to the fences.
This new line is not to pass over the
first and third bags however, but to
run six or seven feet outside of both
of them This would add a lot more
territory to the outfield and would in
crease the infield as well. The first
and third hasemen would then be
forced to stand about on the bags, in
stead of away inside of them, as at
present.
This plan would surely make a lot
more base running, but the players
have about all they can attend to at
present and If the batters cannot hit
safely that will be their fault.
Some time before Christmas Uncle
Henry Harris wrote Santa Claus in
forming him that his stocking would
be in the correct place and that If the
old fellow with the abundance of
whiskers wanted to make him truly
happy to just leave a top notch first
baseman in it as he passed.
The letter must have miscarried, for
at last accounts no man for the initial
bag had come down the chimney, and
the report is now out that Uncle Henry
has sent a special wireless to Sanity
stating that his hosiery would be avail
able until the middle of spring.
Following is the list of Pacific Coast
league players reserved by Los An
geles, as issued from the headquarters
of the national association: Gray, Hall,
Baum, Newton, Eager, Spies, Chase.
Flood, Smith, Toman. Ross. Bernard,
Cravath and Brashear.