Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29
MANY AGREE THAT GAME IS
FASTER
Question Is Frequently Heard and Is
Productive of Argument Among
Veterans and Newer Gen.
Grafton Of Fans

Has baseball improved as much as
other lines of sport, and Is the present
day game any faster than the one
played in years gone by?
That is question frequently heard
and one that is more productive of ar
gument among the veterans and the
newer generation of fans than any
other.
The old timers refer back to the days
when Pop" Anson, Tip O'Neill, Dan
Brouthers Bobby Caruthers and others
were the heroes of the game, and they
are firmly convinced that these old
timers were more than the equals OF
the present day players.
AS there is no practical way of try
ing out the older men against the new
ones, the matter will always remain to
certain extent an unsolved problem.
The only real line to be obtained Is
through the old time players who still
remain in the game, such as Jack
O'Connor of the Browns, Kid Gleason
of the Philadelphia Nationals, Jim Nc
Guire of the Highlanders and Cy Young
of the Boston Americans.
They have all been in the game. any
where from fifteen to twenty years, and
know both the old and the new game
and the old and new players.
Hence they are in good position 10
! been made and how the old players
compare with the new
Game Is-Faster
Without exception, they think the
game as played today is faster ana
closer played one than 1t was in the
old days, but that, on the other hand
| the old game was more aggressive one
and harder fought.
/ Tho it1our0Naunant that has been made
in the game is more in the way of bet
ter team work than anything else.
In the old days it was to mo- small
extent individual work that success
depended upon, and most of the team
play was by players who happened to
| fit together naturally.
Individual work counted for more in
| those days as a result than 1t does
now, and there were more baseDall
idols then than now.
The Individual play naturally inter-
fered with team play to certain ex-
| tent, and 1t was impossible to secure
| the results from team work that is eX-
pected of the mines at the present
time.
Now there is much of what may be
called safety play" with one helder
backing the other, and frequently when
| one player misses out on a chance au-
other will save him from an error,
lwhile under the old system each
player was expected to take care of
himself and take the consequences II
he missed
Show Big Improvement -
Outside of individual instances the
veterans agree that the defensive work
! of the teams has shown a big improve
ment. 1t has not been so many years
ago that the fielders had their regular
positions and never changed them for
any one.
Now a player who did this would
draw his release in less than p week.
Not only does the outfield shift around
for different batters, but the infteiders
do the same to minor extent, ana
the latter shift for different plays:
one intielder backs another up when-
ever this is possible, and the outfielders
are expected TO back up infield plays.
In addition to this, the pitcher Is sup
posed to work with his fielders and
force the batter to do what his nelders
expect. II possible.
Gloves, spiked shoes and other imple-
ments used in the game helped the
defensive wonderfully, and this has
helped the defensive part of the game
more than 1t has the offense.
When IL comes to batting, the veter-
ans are not so positive that the game
has been improved as they are that 1t
has in fielding.
There is good reason TO doubt that
the old time system OF free hitting
would succeed as we'll against modern
pitching, but proof positive Is lacking.
The veterans agree that. leaving out