Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-08-11
UTILITY MAN HAS
HARDEST POSITION
He is COMPELLED TO WORK
WHILE REGULAR PLAYERS
TAKE THINGS EASY.
LOAFS ONLY DURING GAME
May Not Be Called upon for Weeks at
Time, but Must Be Constantly
Fit to Get into Contest at Any
Moment-Must Know Signals for
Every Play of Regulars.


Two likely looking young ball play
ers were lolling around on the far end
of the Giants bench and laughing at
spirited conversation between Arlie
Latham and Umpire KLEIN.
"That is one cinch of a job" re-
marked a fan as he looked at the two
substitutes-they were Arthur FLEET
cher and Fred Merkle. pretty soft
to get big salary for doing that.
Why, those fellows don't work one
day in a week and when they do go
in it is for about 10 minutes only"
Just at that moment New York got
two men on bases and during the
great excitement that followed there
was a pause in the proceedings, Mer-
kle was called to the bat to take the
place of a pitcher. There was a great
yell as the utility mans name was
announced and he promptly made
good by beating out a slow single to
the infield that filled the bases. New
York eventually won the game.
well, what is the answer" you
may be asking. 1t is simply this:
Fred Merkle had not been in a game
for three weeks, but he walked up to
the bat with his eye as well trained
as those who had been playing regu-
larly. In fact, he was called upon to
do what a regular couldn't do. And,
moreover, he did it.
The fan who had thought the util-
fly man held a cinch job simply don't
know whereof he spoke. His job is
the hardest on the team. The utility
player is loafing the only time the
spectator sees him, but that is the
only time he does loaf. He works
while the regular takes it easy. He
must keep in condition all the time
and he does not have the advantage
Of keeping in the game so as to train
his eye at the bat.
The following incident may serve
to illustrate the trials of the utility
man:
The Giants were at Pittsburg and
had been invited out to visit one OF
the great works around that city.
They were to take lunch with the
manager of the concern at 1880.
Twelve o'clock arrived and Fletcher,
turning to Mccormick, said: Come
on, Harry, or we will miss over an
hour of our work" They wanted to
stay to lunch, but it was out of the
question.
We've got to be at work by one
o'clock" they explained to the man.
ager of the concern, who was as
founded.
''Why, the game isn't called until
four o'clock" he expostulated. "You
can stay awhile, can't your"
mot chance" said Mccormick,
who was then utility man. "The
regulars can stay, but we will have to
60" And as the regulars leisurely
sat down to a good meal the utility
men went to work and sweat in the
broiling sun.
In their explanation it developed
a crowd of boys and have a regular
batting game for two hours every
morning and an hour in the afternoon.
On the road they go to the park at
one o'clock and work as hard as
if they were playing for the champion
ship until the regulars arrive.
Any afternoon at the Polo grounds
you can see the Giants utility men in
a hot game at one o'clock. You will
see Wilson and Snodgrass catching,
Shafer, Merkle, Fletcher, HerZog, Sey-
mour and the extra pitchers working
like Trojans both with the bat and in
the field. They must know the sig
nails for every possible play made by
the regulars They must be able to
act in any capacity on a minutes no
tice. Though they may not get in
game for three months, they must be
just as fit and ready as any man on
the club.
"You see it's this way" explained
Merkle. "We've got to keep our bat
ting eye trained to the gnat's heel.
The man on the regular team has four
or five chances to make hit, but we
don't have but one"
ONE OF MACK'S FIELDERS