Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-04
THE BACKSTOP HELPS.
Good Catchers Are Essential in the
Landing of remnants.

Crack pitchers are all right-a base
ball team has to have them to win
pennant.
Nevertheless teams that have won
pennants and have not had capable.
brainy catchers are as scarce as hens
teeth
The catcher stands there behind the
bat inning after inning and game after
game taking a pounding and filling a
less spectacular role than any other
member of the nine. His work is not
as SNOWY. Specifically viewed. he is
more of a dray horse than any of his
fellows. but in reality he is a great
power in teams success, though
often he doesn't come in for as much
credit as the players who work more
in the open, so to speak.
IN the old National league days of
'7e the Cnicagos won the pennant. and
they had for chief catcher Jim White.
backStOp who used his head. Lew
Brown, who caught for the champion
BoStonS Of 1871. was another thinking
catcher. as was Charlie Snyder. who
caught for the Bostons when they won
the pennant in 1878.
Here is a list of the pennant winners
from that day down to the present. to-
gether with the principal catchers, and
there isn't a backstop in the list who
did not use his head as well as his
hands.
1879. Providence. Lew Brown; 80 and
81. Chicago. Silver Flint: 'S3. Boston.
Myrtle IIackett and Mike Hines: "a,
Providence. Gilligan and Nava; SIS and
|
Kelly; 81. Detroit, Bennett and Gan
eel; SIS and 80. New York, Buck
Ewing; 80, Brooklyn. Doc Bushong
and Tom DAILY; 81. 80 and '93. Boston.
Bennett. Camel and Kelley: 81 '95 and
90. Baltimore. Robinson; '99 and 1900,
Brooklyn. Charlie Farrell and Jim
Mcguire; 'O1. %, and 'o3. Pittsburg,
thinner; '0i and '05. New York. Bres-
nanan; '03. Chicago, King.
Great catchers were Bennett, Ewing,
Bushong. Kelly. Gilligan. Hackett.
Martin Bergen. Robinson and Farrell.
And great present-day catchers are
George Bresnahan and Johnny Killing.
both identified strongly with pennant
winners and pronounced factors in the
success of the New York and Chicago
teams.
Mike Kelly caught for the Boston
brotherhood team. which team won the
penn1nt of that organization in 1890,
the only year of its existence. AprOpoS
Of Flint. there is in one Of the old
guides the interesting statement that
in period of thirteen years he caught
S35 games of the 1926 that his team
played. Jim Mcclure must have still
more extended record of service.
Doc Bushong was with the st. Louis
American Association team when it
won the pennant under Comiskey in
1885. and Charles Snyder. with the Gin
cinnatis. when they won the American
Association flag in 1882. Not all the
great catchers have been confined to
championship teams. but a material
snare OF the success of the various
pennant winners was due to the pres
ence behind the bat of such masters
as Bennett. Ewing, DAILY, Bushong,
Killing. BreSnahan. Snyder. Kelly, Gil
ligan. Farrell. Robinson and other ex-
perts with whom the mere physical
duties Of their position was a matter
OF secondary import. They were gem
erals. thinkers. planners. originators.
American League successes. too.
nave been made by teams that pos
sessed this same shrewd, capable tyne
OF backstop. A star in every DEPART
ment is Billy Sullivan Of the worlds
champion White Sox The Chicagos
won the American League pennant in
1900. 1901 and 1906. Sullivan being with
them in all of those years
The catchers of the Athletics. who
Won the American League pennant in
1907 and 1905, are Schreck and Powers
the latter being a good general The
peerless Lou Criger was Boston's
mainstay behind the League remnant
in 1903 and 1904.
The worlds championship teams
since the American National series
began have been the Bostons of the
american League, the New Yorks of
me National League and the Chicagos
OF the American League. Sullivan.
bresnahan and Criger are the respec-
i've ca:chers for these teams. and the
value of each in helping to win the
highest honors in baseball is q mattar
of record.