Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-13
THROWERS OF THE INFIELD
Various Styles Of Propulsion Of Various
Big League Players,
TYPES OF DELIVERY THAT NIP RUNNERS
steinfeIdt of the POwerfuI whIp,
DahIen of the dangerous But
Get There Method, Elber-
field of the svift slam.


there are ball players-easy, graceful. awk-
ward, strong. deliberate, fast snap throw
ers, long swing throwers-but whatever
may be the styles OF the different infield-
ers in the professional ranks, they one and
all have the same purpose in view, to get
the ball to the base ahead of the runner.
Tho style doesn't matter II the get there
is accomplished. Results count not form
All there is to form is Individual That
cant expression, insofar as 1t pertains to
set or recognized standard style has
blessed base ball by its absence. The bat
ter who humps himself like camel hits
the ball as hard and often as the man with
the most graceful position and the thrower
who Is as angular as a hat rack has as
many assists as he who propels the ball
with the smoothest Of motions
Din DahIen's Awkward work.
There's Bill Dahlen, for instance. Dahlen
is not pretty thrower. He let's go with
a side arm and rather ungainly notion
but no IL one OF the most reliable throwers
In the big leagues. He doesn't seem to
care whether he gets the ball to first base
In time or not. Whether the rupner be fast
or slow, Bill never is hurried. and i'm his
ungainly way he covers a vast amount OF
ground; and whether making a deep or
short throw. whether coming straight
In on ground ball or going for it to the
right OF the left. he IL equally proficient
I in making an accurate throw. His throws
Z look like lazy lobs, but in reality Dahlen
Is beautiful Judge of distance and times
his throws with wonderful exactness.
When It comes to a thrower whose
method is treat to the eye for its grace,
speed and unerring air line flight, Harry
Stenfeldt, the third baseman of the Chi
cago Cubs, Is an accomplished actor He
n nj
his share of wild throws, there is beautl-
ful harmonizing of lift and speed to his
nings. The ball goes with a bulletlike
fervor which makes even Steinfeldt's wild
throws attractive. He is the prettest
thrower from the third corner we have had
since Billy Nashs time. Another attractive
thrower is Jimmy Collins of the Boston
Americans. His throws do not go with the
whlszing flight OF SteinfeIdts, but he is
an easier and more graceful thrower. No
body ever was Collins equal in natural
grace. From the moment he goes after
ball-up In the air or scooping a difficult
bunt-all of Collins muscles and move
ments are in perfect harmony. His poise
Is a picture.
George Davis IL UnEracefuI
A thrower of the Dahler type Is George
Davis Of the Chicago White Sox Davis
style is more useful than ornamental He,
too, is a side wheeler He suggests the
numbering rather than the nlmbIe. but
makes no false movements and is one of
the very best Judges In knowing whether
or not there Is time to retire the runner.
If he doesn't throw II is pretty good betting
that the runner couldn't have been thrown
out He is not fast thrower but timely,
because he loses so little time between
pickup and hurl, d, ... -..a.. -.. =
Hal Chase, the brilliant young first base
man OF the New York Americans. has a
marked mannerism in his throwing. It Ia
a peculiar lift of the ball to a point Just
over and close to the left shoulder. There
., Is an almost imperceptible hitch or break
In the movement of the arm just before the
ball is thrown. then. the hand SHOOTS for
ward just past the ear This forward
movement is short, but accomplishes as
much as one OF Fitzsimmons' short arm
bolts. The bali travels with great speed
particularly II II Is going home or to third
base. When necessary Chase can lob the
ball over base runner who is directly IN
the path and put IL into the awaiting
shortstops hands in time TO nip his man
There is a magnetism and unrestrained
grace In Chase's play that no, other player
quite possesses Apparently he never ii
still but loses naught by his want Of re-
pose
The only Lajoie throws, as he does every
thing else on the ball field in an indiffer
ent. careless manner. He is the personi
fcation of careless, supple grace. Their,
Is a rather wide and free sweep OF the arm
but with the movement so well attuned L
the requirement of the occasion that Il hai
the ease OF everything else Lajoie does.
ne ever is hurried he never shows II. HI
Is symmetrical In build and in movement
Quite different in build is Lajoie's grea
rival In popular opinion as to who is tn