Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-07
BASEBALL STYLE.
Attribute Which Makes
Friends for Players.
Lajoie, Chase, Collins and
Wagner Are All Fortunate. /,
A Humber Of Other Big League
TwirIeFs Also Are Graceful. y

-
pinch Of snuff in making a baseban
player any the more valuable as per-
former. il does not do him any harm,
that goes tytll with patrons Of thal
game.
1t is an ornamental VI thNr t,.an e.
;:S4ful a;trihut-, az intangible *nt DfS
q quality. but none 1ha l.ss in evt-s
dence. Thcrc are players IL the big
league ranks whose bcarIn-. W hose
! mannerisms. so to speak. attract at
tentiun and make them prominent and
afttimos popular in 4 degree secondary
only 10 their ability u play the game
Four players stand out above all
the others in the possession Of this
quality of style. They are Napoleon
La inic Of Cleveland: Hal Chase. of the
New York Americans; Jimmy Collins.
Of the Philadelphia Americans. and
John (Honus) Wagner III n" Pitts
burgs. N'2gacr is somewhat different
from the other three. He is not the
graceful player they are--inGced. grace
! is not his strong point-buI his move
| ments and methods on The f,li are
none the less pronounced. rs;
The brawny, active i'ittsb,I"cr Short
stop possesses a rough-one is tempt ,
to say uncouth-das h and cncrg:- that
is good to look upon. He is the per-
sonification of power and agility and
skill not from the smoot.lneSS of hiss
movements when in action. but for hiss
ability To sWoop hithcr AMI thIthersfns
pursuit of battcd balls AMI to dnaLs
mighty blows To the bail with his bat
in spite Of want of s;nuotiiir.; an1a
movement. His is the activity and
strength OF The gorilia-quickncss, rae
pidity in getting over ground II SEEM
ing variance with hi; bulk l>luskejf
when in rCnosH by IN appearance Of
primitive clunsln.s-
Chase is Il type Of an altogether diff
fCrent sort. He is the other extreme
Like Wagner, he is fast, but, unlike
Wagner, his every motion and position
betokcn speed. No player on the da-
mond equals him in lean. He is as
1.-the ana UnStudied in his movements
as Il panther. He combines naturalness,
SraCtfulncSS, and certain boyisi I'M
reStr;.nCdneSS. There is Il magetism
about him that brings people out to
the hall park Just to see Chase play"
This aside from his skill as a player.
He is a Zig drawing card. as are Wag-
ror and Lajoie.
Tho young first baseman of the High
landCrs is as quick as Il flash. and in
Clincd to be restless and fidgety on the
field. never makes a false move. There
is no quicker thinker in baseball than
he. 50 that his mind is in keeping with
his body. Whether he is smothering a
fly bali, sliding 10 base, fielding IL
1.,,,,t Ne,{sI
hit, he is th embodiment of uncon-
scious buoyancy and grace. He is nat
ural as n child, care free hut Vigilant
never tense or set. There is n peculiar
adjustment: of the hands when catching
4 fly that is one of his most marked
manncriSms. an attitude as natural as
for squirrel to climb a tree. and when
he is getting under a fly ball he is the
poetry of notion.
There is more finish to the graceful
movements Of Jimmy Collins than to
the wilder frecr movements Of Chase.
The word "fnished'' describes Collins
better than any other. He seems to be
in rcpose whether standing still or glid-
ing over the turf for 4 ground hit He
is not particularly graceful or q fast
runner on the bases, but on q bun O. for
instance. there is SurcneSS. speed and
admirably judged expenditure of encr-
gy i'll his movements. His poise is we'll
nigh pcrfect-musclcS and nervous
force and the brain that directs them
seems 10 be in harmonious accord. He
always has command of his physical
equipment. His style is finished, pol
iShed; his "form" proper. In throwing.
waiting for n fly ball, or making a play
on 4 ground bail he is 4 master of
technique.
Now, as to Lajoie. there is not the
dash Of the nerve in his playing that
accompanies the work of Chase and
Wagner. Larry is graceful. however.
Also he is tall. straight. and a fine fig
urc of a man. He probably has a larg-
or individual following than any PLAYER
IN the country. He and Wagner are the
most conspicuous figures en- the ball
field. with Chase close second.
The great charm Of La joio's work is ire
ease Nothing looks difficult for him. ha
seems to make all plays look easy He
Sins along tn" ground after a grass cut
ter with as little oxCrtion as an adnnt
skater. and his manner of taking n hail
on the bound is ininitable. lie has nor
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