Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-24
DECLINE IN THE ART
OF STEALING BASES
Some of the Famous Purloiners
in By-Gone Days of the
National Game.
BY REVERE RODGERS

BY REVERE RODGERS
close observers of base ball througAe,ft
america are scratching their heads in per
, piexity and wondering just what 1isa strouz
cause IL responsible for the almost en,trs
elimination from the game OF one of it,
most pleasing and exciting features. re
Ter to base stealing. which appears 20 have
become one of the lost arts Yet up TO
decade ago game fairly sparkied witt
Daring base running and wonderful SLIDING
When Kelly. Ewing. Stovey. Mickey Welsh.
LANCE Hamilton and men of that ciass
would swat the ball and get on flryt base
inc spectators used to get real busy n.
noticing things. and their attention was
well repaid For the pitcher catcher ana
oasemen Immediately started an activ.
campaign to get the runner The runner
IN she meanwhile was as active as a Zee
as he danced about the base, stepping n,
ana out. keen witted, quick as lightning.
sliding back to first. barely beating this
pitcher or catcher's throw. and keeping the.
entire team and the crowd KEYED up t.
fever pitch all the time
FISuring that he had the runner hover
ing close to the sack after the last slide
BACK. the pitcher would take a swing and
send the ball in, but If the player on nrsa
was man like those named who cosals
time his lead to dot. no sooner had the
siabman started In on the swing than some
thing would scud down the base line like 81
streak, and there would be a quick threw
a lightning slide. sweep of the second
baSeman's arm-but too late. The runner
had slid under or around the baseman and
the bag was stolen.
Harry Stovey purloined $50 bases I'm one
season. and steals OF ninety and a hundred
were not at all unusual for the men Of
those days. And strange to say. the fastest
runners were not the greatest base stealers
Take Kelly, for instance, who was a big
fellow and anything but a fast runner: vet
he led the league one season in base steal
Ing. Sandow Mertes of the New York
Nationals Is another big man. who never
was a speedy runner, still he led the Amexf-
can League in offering the sacks when be
was in that organization. On the same
team with Mertes is George Browne one Of
the fastest runners in base ball today
This player make more bases ON a
short HIT l believe. than any player In the
major leagues. Yet he Is a poor ono at
stealing bases.
If he could time his start go that the
pitcher would not dare throw the ball to-
first base Browne would be the chamr.oa
base stealer of the National League Bnt
he usually waits until the box artist his
the ball we'll under way. and thus LOSES
the ten twelve feet that he might have
gained had he been wise in judging the
pitchers motion.
And this is the great secret OF base steal
ing that few of the modern day base
ball players possess: that of correctly tim
ing their start Any man who can get this
point down to a nicely. and knows how to
slide into the bag. is worth his weight IN
gold to his team. as championships have
been won through base stealing.
Gilbert of the New Yorks is great base
stealer and an expert in the art of sliding.
but he is poor hitter and does not get
on the bases often enough. II he did 1t
would be safe bet to make that he would
lead both leagues in the matter of stolen
bases.
And speaking of sliding. this is an art IN
itself and the only correct method is that
used by the famous base stealers that have
been connected with the game. This 10
known as the twist slide, sometimes called
the Baltimore slide. though 1t was adopted
long before the Orioles were ever thought
Of. To make this slide the player, in going
into the bag, supposing that the man on
second Is playing in front of the base.
crosses his left leg over the right, which
throws his body back toward the outfiskd
and away from the baseman. If he is play
ing back of the bag the right leg is crossed
over the left. which throws the body toward
the infeld This keeps the body entirely
away from the man with the ball and only
gives him a chance at the lower part of the
try to tag man on the foot for fear of
being spiked. Mertes Is considered one OF
the most adept of sliders. as Is Elberfeld
Dahlen was a king pin In his day and in
good yet. Dan McGann was famous for
this feat and he had all the second basemen
bluffed, as they were in deadly terror of
the big fellows spikes.
Clarke Griffith once told the writer that
the best slider he ever Bill Lanse.
with the possible exception of Dave Fultx,
he added LANCE was giant of a man.
yet in 1896 he stole three times as many
bases as any player in either of the two
leagues steals these days.
Heidrick was great base stealer and
clever at sliding,T though he had the mis-
fortune to get injured often. Bay is about
the best slider in the game today, he
no sooner hits the bag than he is his
feet again and ready to proceed. Bueiow
s a shifty man when on the bases as he
8 on his toes all the time and it takes a
sharp pitcher to keep him near bag. In
sliding he resembles Gilbert. who simply
doubles up and straightens out. When he
out he Is on his feet.
~
There are few head-foremost sliders, as
Fogarty used to be, Monte Cross being
about the only one playing today who uses
his dangerous and generally unsuccessful
means OF reaching second base. Il is
good slide at certain times. on going into
bird, and Kelley invariably adopted II
when sliding into home base. which reminds
ne of the worid-renowned play, once pulled
III by the only Mike when he was a MEM
Der of the Chicago team. This happened
n the last half of the ninth inning. when
he score stood 1 to against Chicago.
Kelley was on first base and Ed Williamson
vas on second when Arson knocked
fly ball out into right field At the In
tant the fielder caught the ball both Kelley
md Williamson made a dash for second
nd third. The ball was simply returned
o the second baseman, but Kelley slid In
md beat 1t by a hair When Kelley arose
rom the ground and saw Billy Sunday at
he bat he grabbed hold of his arm and pre-
ending to be writing In agony. he sig
aled to the umpire, Gaffney. to call time
hen he called to Ed. Williamson to conss
uiI his arm. While Ed was doing 10
,elly whispered to him as follows: Say.
I'd. when the pitcher throws the ball fn
m going to start for third. This will draw
he ball down to catch me and then you -
make a dash for the plate and I'll be rign:
ehind YOU. By the time you get near the
late the catcher will be waiting for yoa
18th the ball. but get as near as you can
D the plate then open your legs wide and
will try TO slide in"
At the appointed time Kelly dashed for
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