The Washington times., 1908-09-12
BaSerunning of Nationals
Becoming Important Factor
Saved First Game With Athletics and One-Run Defeats
Not So Frequent-McBride and Connolly De
serve Credit.
By THOMAS s. RICE.
o.e game today, $3.50 +. m.
Two games Monday, z p. II.

o.as game today, $3.50 Z. m.
Two games Monday, p. II.
Instead of bowling about hard luck
in losing the second game to the Ath-
letics yesterday By 10 Q, the falr-mind-
ed fan viii have to admit that Wash
ingt5on has was lucky TO win the first game
Walter johnson had great hopes Of
4 bulglng into the spotlight by taking two
games from the Athletics IN one day.
but when he was introduced the Atfi-
] ieties evidently did not eaten his name
I and treated him as II be rad been IN
ordinary twirler. This was bad form,
/ and Connie Mack deserves reprOOf for
/ not having taught his young men to be-
! have better when away from home.
/ Johnson was touched for eight singles
ana a double, and when good major
/ league team gets that many safe sWats
/ and makes only one run Il is In hard
/ luck pure and simple. This statement Is
/ IurtheT borne out By the fact that
! Washington got but FIVE singles and q
double OF Plank, and yet scored two
/ runs. all Of which happened in an error
/ less game.
/ Washington's baserunning in the first
/ game was a notable feature Ganley
] stole second and home, and Delehauty
I second IN the first inning, Clymer stole
I second and third IN the seventh, and
/ even Charley Street stole second on a
/ double piifeT Ia the seventh. That the
/ swiped sacks of the first innings were
( the only ones that helped ia the scoring
/ makes no difference. The point was
/ mat the runners and bat1ers were WORK
lHs IN sweet harmony that would hive
made an Ohio Republican green with
I envy.
/ No cues were being missed and when
one Of the special stunts started it was
I not blocked because the other man did
not get the signal Such was quite a
comfort, and Is exactly what Cantillon
mas been aiming al ever since he took
hold Of the club. He complained, and
with reason. when be first came here
/ that there were men on the team who
could not grasp a signal play unless It
were laid before them ia a design of at
least two col0rs, and as the umpires
would not let him put up a drawing
board on the side lines he was natural
1 ly handicapped.
We doubt If a better collection OF
speed and ability as baserunners could
I be found In the American League than
| the upper part OF the Washington batting
order. when Milan, Ganley, Unglaub,
Delehanty, aud Clymer are acting in
cahOOJs- II i cinch bet that every
now and tho they are going 10 be
caught fiatfOof ed and be made 20 look
foolish for the time being, but such mis-
/ fortunes must be thrown out Of the
reckoning when estimating Their value.
They viii go right oftener than they
VIII 90 wrong. and when they do 80
right they produce important results
The cleverness Of the first FIVE men
IN baserunning, 10 say nothing Of the
I fact that Mcbride, Freeman, and evsn
Street. although he is a slow runner,
acts as a constant irritant to the Op-
posing side, especially the battery.
Knowing them all 10 be fast, heady, and
good sllders, catcher who tries 10
nail one Of them Is handicapped by the
fact that he must make an unusually
quick throw. That causes a feeling Of
alarm and tTepidatiOn that must result
IN nervousness, and a nervous man Is
not likely TO break any worlds record
for accuracy.
We drew attention yesterday TO the
importance of having Outfielders with
regulations for powerful throwing arm 5,
as an incentive 20 the enemy 10 nag
third on short hits and long flies, and
thereby fail to mateTiauze with many
a run that should have been counted
The matter Of having baserunneTs Of
great Tepute for swiftness and craftI-
ness is equally important, and care
ful examination Of the games Washing
1 ton has won since it struck It's great
that fact. The best evidence is that
you do not see Washington losing so
many games by ono run nowadays. on
the contrary, il is winning quite a few
BY that marrow margin.
OF course. we have to say something
about the collapse OF BCa Ungiaub at
third. II Oryille Wright ever hits tie
/ bottom as hard as Unglaub there won't
be enough left for an inquest Bob
made three errors, all bad, and not on
especially difficult chances, and all IN
the second game. 1t was a most piteous
spectacle. but the fact that errors were
on easy chances is really the brightest
ray We can throw on the gloomy inCi-
dent The man who occasionally strikes
bad streak and miscues on oppOrtuui-
ties an anna teur could handle IS not ne
cegSaTtly bad performer. The greatest
illustrations OF this theory are Mcbride
and Shipke. When that pair get around
TO the point where they have to have
an OF day they can put I'D as rank an
exhibition as any two men in the bust
ness, yet their deadliest enemies would
not have the nerve to say that they are
not two OF the very best fieldeTs in
either big leagues. Unglaub fell like a
ton of bricks yesterday. but he has been
playing a good third base, using ais
head and getting the ball 20 the right
spot IN emergencies with surprising con-
sistency.
Unglaub is not as great a fielding
third baseman as Shipke and probably
never will be. out, keeping his batting
him right on the bat because he made
three punk errors yesterday. A long
series Of games at third will be re-
= III L Z Il