The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-06-19
Willy BALL PLAYERS
HoUEER" SCHEMES THAT HAVE BEEN
WORKED ON THE DIAMOND.

The Clever Trick by Which DaIrym-
ME once Won n Game For the Chi
caEOs-The Brnzcn Manner In which
sFxinR KEEL" Cut the Bases.
Tricks worked with such exceeding
speed as TO deceive the umpire, the Cd
posing team and often practically ev-
ery one on the ground have been pull
ed off again and again by clever ball
PLAYERS. and many OF them have won
games.
1t is strange that the stories Of such
tricks are confined to so few men.
Whether that is because only q few
turned such tricks or whether all the
clever tricks were attributed to them.
lust as all the funny stories are at
! tributed to notorious story tellers, no
/ one knows, but the greatest Of the
tricks are attributed to Mike Kelly.
Jimmy McAleer, Pat Tebeau, Billy
Hamilton, Comiskey, Tip O'Neil and
Tommy Mccarthy.
Tricks are pulled of almost every
day-llttle ones, often unsportsmanlike
but they win ball games, and that,
especially in professional games, is all
that counts. 1t is boldness and quick
thinking and acting that make them
possible, and however one can feel
: about the craftsmanship Of the player
who turns the trick he cannot but ad-
mire the cerebral celebrity Of the player,
Dalrymple, the old Chicago star,
once won a game by one Of the clever.
est tricks ever pulled of. It was in q
game against Philadelphia, when the
pennant fortunes Of the team seemed
wavering. The game was close and
went into extra innings with the score
8 to 8 and both teams fighting for ev-
cry inch Of ground. The eleventh in
ming began with darkness descending
over the field, with thesscore still tie.
Chicago scored one run, and the Phil
Adelphia crowd, which had the last
bats, was bowling at the umpire to cali
the game on account Of darkness, but
he refused, and the Quakers were sent
to the bat. Two men were retired, and
then a single and a double suddenly
changed the aspect Of things.
With men on second and third and
a big hitter up, Chicago's chances grew
dim, and it began delaying and fight
ing for darkness. Still the umpire was
obdurate, and the ball was pitched.
The batter swung There was a crack,
and the sphere went flying out to left
center 1t was lost from sight in an in
slant. The crowd did not know wheth.
er 1t was home run or line hy.
Two players went tearing toward the
plate. In that instant Dalrymple stood
still, showed both hands above his head.
waited an instant, jerked them down,
stuck something into his pocket and,
turning, ran to- the clubhouse, while
the crowd roared over Chicago's vic.
tory.
/ But in the clubhouse Dial confessed
that he hadn't seen the ball at all,
hadn't the slightest idea where it had
fallen, and that his entire play of catch
ing it was pantomime, which fooled
everybody except few in the left field
bleachers, who saw the ball cross the
left field fence Of the grounds and far
into the street.
Johnny Evers once worked a clever
trick that resulted in a put-out. He was
playing second, and there was a run
ner on first when the batter cracked a
hot grounder straight at him. In some
way the ball shot straight between his
legs and rolled on out to center field.
Without blinking an eyelash Evers
went through the pantomime Of throw
ing the ball to second to force out
runner. Tinker, covering the base, pre-
tended to catch the ball, and the base
runner, completely fooled, stopped and
started to walk to the bench. Before
the yells of his team mates aroused the
base runner Slagle had recovered the
ball and thrown the runner out at
second.
Fred Clarke won a game for Pitts
burg once, when PittsbuFg needed
games to hold the championship, by
trick which beat Chicago out of a de-
served victory. He was on second base
with two out in the ninth inning and
Chicago leading-when Wagner raped
q terrific line drive almost straight at
Dahlen, who was playing short
Clarke already had started for third;
but, seeing that Dahlen was camped
on the line Of the ball, he ran I'D. stop
ped, made bluff as if lodging, and
just before the ball reached him he
dropped fiat. The ball shot past, struck
Dahlen on the side Of the neck and
felled him to the ground. Clarke reach
ed third before the sphere was recov-
cred. Chicago made a strong kick on
interference, but Clarke's acting had
been so well done that it deceived even
the umpire, and an instant later a long
drive beat Chicago,
The "Only Kel' was the man who
copyrighted the idea of cutting bases.
Kel never tried to cut a base, ten feet
he wanted to score from first by run
ming around the pitcher, and that is
exactly what he did in one gains
against New York.
He was on first when the batter rap
ped q grounder toward third. With