The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-07-23
PLAYERS SHINE
AS THROWERS
MAJORITY or PRESENT DAY DiA-
moND STARS SHOOT BALL
WITH UNERRiNo AIM.
is PUzzLING TO FOREIGNERS
Instances Which Show What Some OF
the Big Leaguers Can DO In This
LIne--RemarksbIe Feat Of Herman
Long--Low Throws Faster Than
High "Round House" Ones.


One thing about baseball that as
tonishes foreigners more than any
thing else is the remarkable accuracy
OF the throwing. This is especially
true of those who have played cricket.
The batting and the catching and
stopping of balls is not nearly SO i'm
presslve to them as the way the play
ers shoot the ball around the diamond
with the unerring aim of a rife shot.
The reason for this is probably be-
cause the foreigners can not get the
knack OF throwing down as the Ameri-
cans do. An incident at Philadelphia
park a few years ago will illustrate
what baseball player can do In the
throwing line.
One afternoon the Phillies were
playing the Boston Team billy"
Hamilton was in center field for Bos-
ton and Herman Long was at short
stop. During the game there came a
cry from Hamilton. who was seen ex-
citedly pointing to an object which
was dashing across the ground to-
ward the fiagpole in deep center field.
The scooting object was rat Long
was standing in his position at short
stop with the ball In his hand. Her
man heard Hamilton's cry. wheeled
around. took one glance at the rat
running across the field, gauged the
direction OF its flight without the loss
OF a second and let the ball go. The
ball hit the rat and there was one less
rodent in the world.
Longs throw was fully 200 feet, but
he hit the flying animal as il it was a
stationary object No sportsman ever
made prettier shot at bird on the
wing than Long did that afternoon.
When it is considered that shortstops
usually throw at a man standing on
base. Longs Judgment in gauging
/ Just how far ahead Of the animal he
was to throw in order to make the
sRill~ was really wonderful
Throwing at an object in the air Is
one OF the hardest feats, for looking
up at the sky when taking aim is
much harder than when player has
the grandstand or the hleachers for q
background. Last spring Jim Della
hanty gave an exhibition Of clever
throwing at Columbiz park. in Phila
delphia-
A foul ball wedged into the screen
on top Of the grands<and over the
visiting players bench Delahanry
picked up an old bali and threw il
against the screen. missing the object
aimed at by y yard This one test
though. was enough for him to gel
the gauge. On the second sttemni
DeaAhanky let the ball 80 with all his
might. and It NOT only struck the i'm
prssoned ~hcrsehide.~ but also landed
vita snch force that the latter was
driven clean through the screen
One thing about the throwing in
baseball that foreigners can't under
stand Is Why the players. In getting
the han To the plate from the outield
alnose Invariably throw II low ard
make il st-ske the Eroand = yard o.
80 in frons az the pR2te. The baseball
PLAYERS claim that sail thrown %
tie nns and made 70 -St>ak~ ca ths
rr0und viii reach the cyzteAer cwfckes
nat \ han thrown 70 him oe the ay
SuIns years aga here was 4 Gispo
sisirn tr dispute this theNrT. hut tss
general practice * Eae strcngaEu
glayerx I'M making ehe bah -sAo0K~ "a
~ grOun6 prvFss that theF beSHavs
theEr hxea 5 errrecE- -Reuaz hrnss-
tAruw& tAcse lrcp-the-t0cp GExErs
whseA weak1rmad c1E1eiEsrs hare q
resort IA. ssi11m eatcA base runner
whne rna now. ground Aszmr ring ekr5ws
a.. IN arlr,sx sxarr r.