Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-09-26
Mike Kelley Was Premier
Of All Baseball Stars.
Invented Many Of The Good
Plays IN Uss Today.
Ready Of Wit, fui: of Resource and
Hard Man 10 Beat.

Joseph Quinn. the st. Louis ball play
er, who has been on nine channionshir
! base BAN teams and finished his major
league career with the local club in
1871, considers Mike Kelley, Of slide,
! kclly, Slide fame, the greatest PLAYER
the game has ever known, says the
Washington Post. Quinn played with
Kelly in the ola Boston league and
brotherhood clubs and had good
chance to study him at close range.
Since then Quinn played three seasons
with McGraw, kecler. Kelly and Jen-
nings on The Baltimore team. which
qualities him 10 draw comparisons be-
tween Mike Kelly, the champion ban
player Of decade ago, and Billy Keel
er, Joe Kelley and Johnny MGGraw.
three Of the most up-to-date men in
the game today.
Baseball has not advanced much, ex-
cvpt in one respect, since the days of
Ansons great Chicago White Stock
ingS." said Joe the other day. Teams
play together better today than they
did then-that is to say, more clubs
practice team work today, but none OF
them play together any better than
AnsOnS champions. As for individual
stars, there is no man in the game to-
day who can be said to have anything
on Mike Kelly when he was at his best.
The Baltimore club is credited with
pcrfCcting the hit-and-run play, when,
! as Il matter of fact, the Chicago White
Stockings pulled off that play as per-
fcttly as the Orioles long before Nc
Graw, Keller, Kelley and Jennings
We're heard Of. Kelly and Arlie Latham
had the bunt down to perfection in the
latter 'SGs. OF course, there are more
players proficient at this play today,
which makes third base a much more
! difficult position to play, but the old
saving that there is nothing new I'M
| der the sun fits baseball, to my way
| Of thinking.
Kelly was Il catcher and right field
OF on the Chicago team, but he could
I play any position on the diamond. He
had no equal iii his days as base
| runner ma run cettcr. Kelly always
hit between .32I and $50. He invented
the Iit-and-run play by placing the
bail when at the hat To assist the base
, runner. Like the Raltin0res. the Chi
caEn Whites would have their man on
first foint the opposing infield into
showing its hand hy having the base
runner make bluff To steal on the first
IAN PITCHED.
The Gatsman would take strike in
order To help the play along. This trick
would Show WHO was going to cover
| TN. lag. Ii it was the second base
mans duty to take the throw, Kelly
would tly to place a hit through right
| fioId. Du tic other hand, if the short
| Stun covered the bag. Kelly would aim
| 10 hit through second and third. Ell
ward Hanl"n saw that play perfected
| IN Chicago ana drilled Kelly, Keeler
ana jennings into il when he assumed
charge Of the orioles.
"Anothcr great trick Of Kelly's when
catching was 10 fool the runner on first
with fake wild throw. He would sig
nal the rightficld to come up and then
throw the ball over first base into the
rightficlder's hand. The baserunner.
thinking it was a wild throw, would
start for second. only to be mot by The
ban. Kelly pulled this play off for
quite 4 while. then everybody got onto
it and nc had to invent something new.
His noXt trick play caught many
man at second ana frequently resulted
in a double. With second and third &C.
curicd Kelly would have the pitcher
encourage the runner on third to take
Il long lead. Then he would signal for
| 4 Widn out-curve and shoot the bail
down to third like 4 shot. Billy Nash,
| who was playing for the Bostons. would
take tho hall I'M his right hand and
| Shoot II ID me al second the moment
it touched his mitt. Until the league
| cot next to this play we invariably
rot orr man at second, and sometimes
grabbed the man at third.