The Washington herald., 1907-09-29

nave heW Iue lletfs IN the race.
/ If the players themselves are not apt pu-
pills II was not the perfection Of field
/ ing or batting that made the Orioles IA
nous as the seasons rolled by. II was
the fact that they made a study Of base
/ ball They became each a specialist in
his particular line. They thought during
/ the day. They laid awake nights still
/ thinking. and when the afternoon came
( they astOnlshed those who saw them.
/ Other teams have been good fielders and
good batteTs. Other men had performed
/ miracles OF fielding at their positions,
/ but there has only been one set Of men
in baseball who became a perfect, sim
| gle machine. actuated by human intel
/ ligence.
The Orioles may be said TO have revo-
/ lutionized baseball and 10 have intro
/ duced the modern scientific game Other
/ teams sent their players 20 the bat and
| they swung at the bali with the best
! strength of which they were possessed.
1 II it was a hit. well and good If it was
/ an out IL was hard luck, and they
/ sat down. The Orioles thought out ways
| 20 make a larger proportion or hits go
/ safe. and so get the start on their Jour
ney To make runs. Other teams covered
/ positions in fine style. mechanically
/ which means that they knew where a
! second baseman or a shOrtstOp Is sup
/ posed to play. and they played there II
/ the ball came 20 them, well and good;
II Il didn't, it was hard luck. and the
other side got the advantage The Orioles
/ thought out as nearly as human inteu-
/ gence could forecast what the batter
would be likely 70 do, and prepared the
/ defense to keep him from doing Il.
= An excellent Illustration Of the art Just
mentioned in a little scientific work Nc
Graw and Reitz used TO pull OF when
/ occasion offered, and Il must be under
stood that on the baseball field there is
no time 10 ponder over what ought to be
done and how TO make your side part
ner understand what you are going 20
. do. You must know as quickly as the
/ llghtning's flash, and your partner must
I comprehend even as your own brain Is
working. In the old days. suppose a
batter made n safe bunt that the batter
would beat out the most perfect hand
! ling was certain. In flash NcGraw
would hurl the ball over the frst-base-
mans head Wild throw? Not a bit OF
IT, ReitZ would have sized up the situa-
ton, darted 20 the rear OF first base. and
/ the throw would be really a true one.
1 straight TO Reitz's hands. The first
/ baseman clawing wildly for the ball out
Of his reach would be merely a bIuff.
and the deceived runner believing that
/ the opportunity was at hand 10 gain an
additional base, would scOOt around first
and be on his way TO second In a hurry.
/ only to find that ne was hopelessly caught
/ between bases. Reitz would throw either
to Jennings or the first baseman, as the
case required, and the little byplay
I would ba over.
Ratified other Teams.
This is only one of the many ways in
which the Orioles distinguished them
selves as specialists. Doing the unex-
pected' was their motto at their posi-
tions, at the bat. and on the bases. Soon
4 they had their poor opponents so badly
! up In the air that the rest of the game
became a mere matter OF form II is
disputed whether the Orioles originated
the bunt Certain IT is that if perchance
some other player had first conceived
the idea Of laying down the bali too
4 far out for the catcher and too far in for
either pitcher, third basemap. or first
baseman to handle IN time, the Orioles
systematized that style OF play and re-
| duced it to the place in baseball team
work that it has held ever since.
They were the bunters par excellence,
and il was entirely 10 penalize the Orioles
that in 1896 and 1897 there was serious
talk Of making the bunt Illegal The
chop hit-smashing the ball down hard
I on the ground so that Il hangs In the
| air before It comes down to either the
I pitcher or one OF the inf1elders until the
IrrFg sc 20
only originated by the old Oriole team,
but named in this city. The hit-and-run.
where the runner on first base steals.
| drawing the shortstop or second base
man from his position. having ascertain
| ed which by previous feints. and the bat
ter smashes the ball through the hole
| thus left by the covering infeIder was
/ also originated by the old Orioles.
Did the Unexpected.
Doing the Unexpected What a world
Of enjoyment present-day players could
give rooters If they would follow the
same motto! There was no need to Sig
nal the old Oriole from the bench what
10 do before each ball was pitched. The
batter might go to the bat with every
| indication that a bunt would be the
proper thing. 1t might be that the posi-
| tons OF the opponents would be such
| for a moment that this would be advis-
able, or might indicate that they were
prepared only for a bunt Immediately
| the Orioles brain would fit itself to the
! situation and he would do the unex-
! pected.
! II third baseman was running IN for
an expected bunt, the ball would be neat
/ ly placed over his head by quick, short
arm snap, or he might have it driven hard
at him like cannon ball Those light
ning-like changes of intention struck terror
into the hearts Of opponents, for they
! never knew where to find the Birds or
/ how to play for them
| The Orioles were not a team of hard
hitteTs. Singles were the motto. Mean
/ pushes over the infelders' heads were
/ the rule, and. besides. Keeler and Nc
Graw particularly could beat out by fast
running many a ball that went to the
infield and was handled perfectly,