The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-12
Talk Wlth Lew WhlstIer.

outright to Shreveport and will cover second this season for Manager Gilkss 1 outflt."
 Talk With Lew whistler.
 Lew Whistler must have had very feeling recollections of the agonizing ! days in 1903 when Bill Spratt was wont to make some of his wlerd throws to first when he write the following in
 since I have been in the Southern League" said Manager Whistler the I other day, there has been a marked improvement in the throwing ability of the infielders and a decided falling off in the ability of tn outfielders to throw. This evolution in. throwing ability began long before the days of the present Southern League. but it has been noticeable even in the last three or four years.
 There was a time when the infield- CTS used to do all kinds of fancy stunts with the ball. The third basemen used regularly to chuck two or three balls over the head of the first baseman and they generally had some fine chewing matches about whose fault 1t was. Beecher was about as quick and &C., curate thrower as the league had on third base last year. He used to cut the ball loose Iand sail it over to first and the first baseman could get 1t without stepping out of his tracks. Schaub of Shreveport was a good ball player and his throwing was considerably above par. There was no throwing for the sky or for China with these men. No matter how they got the ball, they threw it to first with considerable ac- curacy.
 Among the shortstops Tamsett was about the best thrower in the league last year. Atz was fairly good. too, while Granville, Doc Lowney and Dow-t ney were not so good.
 "On the throw Demont was about the best of last years crop of second base men. Walters was another who did not make mistakes after he once had the ball In his hands.
 Long throws from the outfield are distinctly on the wane. There was used to nip the runners at home plate and right fielders used to work over l time trying to catch men at first on short files out their way.
 Nowadays things are different. How many helders do you suppose there were in the Southern League last year who could throw from the outfield with any sort of accuracy2 Of course there IS possibility that base runners of today do not take the long chances which they used to and so long and accurate throws from the outfieId may not be so necessary.
 Efforts of some of the outfieiders in the last year were ridiculous. Norcum, for example. seldom got the ball over half way from the outfield to the catch CT In one throw. Lauzon was another
 
 too bad to last. Neither Miller nor Dungan were especially strong throw CTS. but they made up for this by being sure fielders and hard hitters.
 The good throwers in the outfield last year you could count on the fingers of one hand Stanley oF New Orleans could chuck them home in pretty good style and so could Gennins of the same team. Butler. who finished with Mem phis, used to make some great throws. He had good judgment and knew just about where 10 put the ball. Tn the closing games of last season Butler made some throws from the outfeld that the fans of Memphis will long re- member.
 "Rickert was a spectacular thrower. put he was wild as hawk. He would turn loose and hook the ball from his held right to the catcher-sometimes. Then, at other times, he would send the stand
 '"rhe secret of throwing in from the outheld Is 70 get the ball to the catch CT, or whenever man you are throwing to, on first bound. The public likes to see the ball come in on the fly but that is poor baseball. If the ball is bounded once it Is pretty likely to land somewhere so that it can be reached.
 Little Doc Wiseman of Nashville was one Of the best in the league at this. He could throw the ball so that 1t would bound just right and all the catcher had to do was to stand still and let 1t bound right into his hands.
 Henry vaugn has rented a house in Birmingham. where he will fix up quarters for his men, keeping them together He has signed Stagger Selee, a 19year-oId wonder from Hig- ginsport, Ohio, who is feet inches tall, has freakishly long arm and can pitch ball like a shot. The former is going East to be on hand when the big league clubs discard, so as to pick up some stars.
 The New York Mail says: It looks as If August Belmont was about tO back down from his decision refusing the Empire City Club dates for a run ming meeting. The legal rights of the club and President James Buffers fixed determination to fight for them seem to have Occasioned this change of front. Mir. Belmont's secretary said for him today that he would not be quoted, but he went on to say:
 The Empire City Club is in the posi- injuries not yet received in a wreck which had not occurred. The schedule of dates has not yet been issued. It is no more fair to propose that the Elm pire City Club has been turned down than that any of the other clubs have. as none of them have yet received dates
 This statement is misleading. The Jockey Club has denied in writing the application of the Empire track. It now seems as If this denial was a sort of feeler to try out whether or not President Butler and his associates would fight.
 If this was MT. Belmont's plan it has succeeded admirably. Mir. Butler will fight, and nlegal grounds that look so good to Mir. Belmont that he has held back the announcement of the date schedule an unprecedented time The Empire City Club has declined to be bluffed out of recognition. Mir. Belmont not having publicly announced his refusal to grant them dates, has clearly left himself in position where he can, gracefully back down and admit the Empire City Club, now that it seems to be a good policy to do so,
 Claude. the rightful successor of a long lien, including Blitzen, Barnum, Logan and Robert Waddell, to the title of iron horse, scored another bull's- eye with his admirers by his race in the Burns Handicap, even if he did not get first money But W. R. Condon was the fly in the ointment Even conceding that Claude was carrying a "ton," the fact that such an ordinary sprinter as W. R. Condon beat him at one mile and a quarter takes much of the shine out of Claudes perform. ance, 137 pounds and all. w. R. Con- don was never anything but q third rate sprinter in these parts, and 1t is impossible that even the saIubrious climate of California could make any tbIpor good at