Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28
BY HUGH s. FULLERTON.

Long time ago we were riding somewhere
on train one day, which is definite enough
for all purposes, when Dahlen, Fred Pfeffer
and l fell into a discussion as to which is
the more important position on the int1eld,
second base or shortstop. OF course there
was nothing to the argument, as the impor-
lance is equal in all things except covering
second base, and 1t depends on which man
is the better at getting the ball and touch
ing the runners. If the shortstop is better
he covers the bag, and his position becomes
the more important We were simply ar
guing to pass away the time, and kept 1t
up steadily until Arson butted in With
What's the matter with first base being
the key to the infield2"
''H-ll!" said Griffith. ga first baseman
ought to be made to pay to get into the
grounds"
Griffith wasn't SO far wrong, for you can
count on the fingers of one hand the first
basemen who have really done things in
their position, and in many cases the first
baseman is merely a stoughton bottle,
sort of pensioner kept on the list because he
can hit, Once in a while there comes along
first baseman, who turns tricks who COW
ers ground and makes combination plays
around the field. and whether he can hit or
not he usually shines for time.
Charley Comiskey was the first of the
really great first basemen He showed the
possibilities OF his position, and IL is one OF
the odd things of the game that almost
every first baseman Commy has developed
has played more base ball around the bag
than his rivals.
Commy played an extremely deep field,
covered immense territory, cut off hundreds
of right-field hits and trained his pitchers to
field Every pitcher he had covered first
base on every play, or was there ready TO
cover 1t, and 1t really was he who showed
pitchers that they could be valuable outside
of heaving the ball toward the plate
1t is another remarkable fact that almost
every year he has been In charge of a team.
no matter in what league, his pitchers have
had far more putouts than those of any
other team in the same circuit. He trains
them to work.
Fred Tenney showed the modern base ball
world new things about covering first and
playing combination ball with the rest of
the infed He astounded the old-timers by
the way he got the ball and made the plays
to- second or third especially on hunts to-
ward first, and his quickness in this line
started a fad for left-handed first basemen
Jiggers Donohue, another left handler is
the result of the teaching of Comiskey He
started as a catcher. and never was better
than second rate, although a good hitter.
The frst year he covered first base he was
fright. yet last season, coached by Comis-
key and making the plays like Tenney he
was the wonder of the American League.
Once there was big, lanky fellow named
tics, who pulled off the most remarkable
double play recorded. Whether he is the
afterward famous Sam Crane now a New
York writer, l don't remember, as | was a
kid in those days. 1t was In a game against
the old Philadelphia. and, if mistake not,
it was Meyerie, the Philadelphia third base
man, who was the batter He hit up tall.
twisting fly and there was a man on third
base. The wind was blowing the bali In
circles, and finally Crane chased II on to
fair ground, way out in right field The
wind gave 1t q sudden twist and it struck
the fielder squarely In the top of the head
The man on third tore for home but the
ball bounded high off Cranes head, he
caught 1t as 1t fell. and a double play re-
suited, although / remember there was a
long argument.
Another odd incident happened In New
York along about 1897. Arson was playing
first, of course and Ryan right, and on that
short right field, with its steep downhiu
pitch, Ryan was terror to slow runners
He would throw them out at first ON line
drives to right
On this day BLACK Bill" Clark, who was
big and slow, raped line drive to right
on the first bound and without stopping or
looking shot 1t toward first. 1t happened
that Arson had his back turned and was
looking toward the plate when the ball, ar
rlving at the base fifteen feet ahead of
Clark, raped him in the middle of the back
and set the crowd roaring.
And Arson solepnly averred that Ryan
tried to shoY him up.
Poor old Tom Tucker, one of the best In
his day. and one of the best fellows that
ever followed the game, was the victim of q
strange play that lost a game for Washing
ton during the old twelve-club league dave
Bill Eyerttt cracked out q hit and began