The Washington times., 1907-03-16
Team Receiving
Special Lessons
In Signal Work
CantiIIon Spends No Little Time and Energy
Instructing Players in Secret Code---Is
Something Washington Has Needed
for Years---The Stahl Situa-
ton Again.
BY THOMAS S. RICE.

GALVESTON. Tex, March 16.-Simple
signals. perfectly understood. is Joe Can
tillon's system. and he is following it
TO the limit. He had drawn up a type
written list Of the signals. and each
man is required to be letter perfect in
them.
After the students had time to digest
this book lesson he began putting them
20 practical tests. and that is what all
that batting and base running means
IN practice these days. The man who
does the wrong thing is caled down
and made 10 do it over again. and all
tendency to become frivolous and knock
the cover of. because a nice fat one is
sent along by the pitcher. is firmly sup
pressed. Charley Hickman got his sig
mails crossed yesterday afternoon and
cracked a plank in the center-held fence
when he was. tipped TO hunt. He looked
around for the admiring throng to ap-
plaud, but instead ran into an avalanche
or criticism and Joshing.
"A Most Important Item.
This signal work is by no means a
foolish pastime, ii is real business, and
a most important item.
For three or four years the Washing
ton team has been sadly deficient in this
very thing. with the result that It was
always making stupid blunders which
could have been avoided Time and
again the men were roasted for these
errors In headwOrk, but they were hard
ly responsible as they had not besn
properly drilled I'm first principles Many
a run has failed and many a game has
been lost by Washington in the past
three or four seasons because the base
runner was not dead sure what the bat
ter was going to try TO do; and CantllIon
has an abundance Of opportunity now,
10 show his peculiar genius for getting
the best results out OF what was not
considered firs,-clas material-a line in
which ne has made his principal reputa-
ton rs q manager
AFTER he gets the base runners and
patters 10 working In harmony IL will
De up TO him and Captain Schlahv 10
sua1gnten out the tangles I'm fielding
around second, first, and short There
were as many bad exhibitions there Ia 81
year as on the bases. 1t is also to be
hopeu mat he will insist upon such ele-
Inehtary work as backing up and the
plays.
In Days Gone By.
In days gone by that indifference 10
backing up was enough TO set a IoyaI
ian crazy. There was no excuse for il
whatever and no matter how many times
the mistake was pointed out the result
Ing improvement did not last more than
a day or 50, after which all went back
70 the good old custom Of leaving every
baseman TO do the best he could and
play lone hand. Even the veriest tyros
OF amateur managers and captains know
the Importance OF having one man he
mind another in case Of accidents on long
throws and 1t IS not likely that CantilIon
detail
When the regulars play the St Louis
Cardinals In Houston tomorrow they are
apt TO think they are in the enemy
country
In Texas everybody roots for Texas
and roasts the opposition town. They
take this town rivalry seriously and are
constantly exchanging hack-handed
compliments In the newspapers. The
Galveston people expect Washington 10
Win the American League pennant be
cause Of the great brain exhibited by
Canullon in selecting Galveston as his
training ground.
For the same reason the Houston,
people can see nothing but the Card
: inals In the National League and consid-
er the Washington team an aggrega-
ton of unsophisticated tender-feet VINO
do not know enough 10 pick out n de-
cent climate. We are told here that the
roofing Tor the Cardinals in Houston to-
morrow win be as fierce as Il IL were
local team, while the crowd of Gal
weston baseball cranks who will accom-
pany our brave boys promise to stick to
us through thick and thin with money
} and with voice. 1t looks a very pleas
ant afternoon will be spent
Charley Jones First Crac....
Charley Jones had his first crack at
the ball today and began right OF by
employing his wonderful theory OF hat
ting. The theory slipped a cog and he
promptly struck out. To encourage him
he was allowed a fourth strike and
knocked what would have been a three
Dagger.
Perrine Is quick and nimble little
q fellow who is active and alert, both on