Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-15

Quick Witted Plays That Have
Deceived the Umpire and
Brought Success.
BY HUGH S. FULLERTON.

Tricks, worked with such exceeding speed
as to deceive the umpire, the opposing team
and often practically every one in the
ground, have been pulled 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 a few turned such tricks or
whether all the clever tricks were attributed
to them just as all the funny stories are
attributed to notorious story tellers, no one
knows. But the greatest of the tricks are
attributed to Mike Kelly, Jimmy McAleer'
Pat Tebeau Billy Hamilton, Comiszey, Tip
O'NeiD or Tommy Mccarthy.
Tricks are pulled off almost every day
little ones often unsportsmalllike-but they
win ball games, and that, especially in pro-
fessional games, is all that counts. 1t is
boldness and quick thinking and acting that
make them possible, and however one may
feel about the sportsmanship of the payer
who turns the trick, he cannot but admire
the cerebral celebrity of the player
Dalrymple's Successful Pantomime.
Dalrymple the old Chicago star once
WOE a game by one of the cleverest tricks
ever pulled off 1t was in a game against
Philadelphia, when the pennant fortunes OF
tile team seemed waver,ng. The game was
close and went into extra innings with the
score to D. and both teams fighting for
every inch of ground. The eleventh inning
| began with darkness descending over the
| felG-With the score still tie.
Chicago scored one run and the Phliadel-
| phla crowd, which had the last bats, was
| hcwling at the umpire to call the game on
account of darkness, but he refused, ana
tn Ouakcrs were sent to bat. Two men
! were retired and then a single and double
| suddenly changed the aspect OF Things.
With men on second and third and big
Chipapn'S chances grew DIM anu
they began delaying and fighting for dark
ness Still the umpire was obdurate-aho
the ball was pitched. Inc patter s"uns-
There was a crack and the sphere went ny
ing out to left center. It was lost from slght
in an instant. The crowd did not know
whether it was home run or hlSh ny;
The PLAYERS went tearing towards the
Mate In that instant Dalrymple stood
still showed both hands above his head'
waited an instant, jeTked them down. stuch
something into his pocket and turning RAJ,
TO the clubhouse, While the crown iodleu
over Chicago's victory. 49,
But in the clubhouse Dial confessed tnat
h, hadn't seen the ball at all, hadnt the
slightest idea where 1t had fallen, ana
that his entire play of catching it was
na,tomime-whiCh fooled everybody eX-
Cent a few in the left field bleachers-who
saw the ball cross the left held renee Vi
the grounds and fall into the street
Another Good Imitation.
Johnny Fvers worked a clever trick
couple of seasons ego that resulted IN
putout He was playing second, and theFe
was a runner on first when the batter
cracked a hot bounder straight at him.
In some way the bail shot straight pe-
tween his legs and rolled on out to center
field. Without blinking an eyetasn Eeeta
went through the pantomime of throwing
the ball to second to force out runner
Tinker, covering the base, pretended TO
catch the ball-and the baserunner. com
Oh. tod wa
to the bench Before the yells of his team
mates aroused the base runner Siagle had
recovered the ball and thrown the runner
out at second.
Fred Clarke's Quickness.
Fred Clarke won a game for Pittsburg
once when Pittsburg needed games to
hold the championship, by a trick which
beat Chicago out of q deserved victory.
He was on second base-with two out In
the ninth inning and Chicago leading
wher Wagner raped terrific line drive
almost straight at Dahlen, who was play
ing short Clarke already had started for
third but seeing that Dahlen was camped
on the line of the ball, he ran up, stopped,
made bluff as If lodging, and, just pc
fore 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 reached third before the
sphere was recovered. Chicago made
strong kick on interference, but Clarke
actp3; had been so well done that 1t de-
celved even the umpire, and an instant
later a long drive beat Chicago.
Kelly Cut Two Bases and Scored.
The Only Kel was the man who copy
righted the idea of cutting bases. Kel
never tried to cut base ten feet-he want
ed to score from first by running around
the pitcher-and that is exactly what he
did In one game against New York.
He was on first when the batter raped q
grounder toward third. Without an In
stant's hesitation KEEL started straight to-
ward the pitchers box, yelling: Watch
Kelly" Watch Kelly" at the top of his
voice.
The umpire and the opposing players had
too much experience with Kelly and his
tricks to pay any attention to him, SO the
third baseman scooped the ball and shot
it to first the umpire running there to
watch the play Kel almost over the
pitcher, and then, with one fleeing glance
at the umpire, he turned and struck
through the diamond for the plate.
"Out!'' yelled the umpire on the runner
at first base and then, turning quickly, he
sought Kel--and discovered him just sliding
across the plate with yell of victory. He
had scored from first on an infield out
and although the opposing team yelled
long and loud. the umpire was forced to
admit he had not seen Kelley cut a base
so the score counted.