Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-09-26
UTILITY JOB A HARD ONE, SAYS HOWARD
DEL SAYS "FlLLiNG-IN" POSITION
MORE DIFFICULT THAN REG
ULAR BERTH.
MUST ALWAYS BE IN FORM
Utility Players Are Now Considered
Stars and Are Not Looked Upon
as Mere Substitutes to the
Regulars.

w
Ing the utility man of the country
came into the position of regular
on the Chicago National team, George
Howard, or "Del," as he is known to
his friends, succeeded him in the office
of fller.in. and has proved a most &C.
ceptable substitute.
Speaking of the work of the utility
man, Howard said recently: 1T is
very much harder to sit on the bench
ready at all times to jump in to take
the place Of some other player than 1t
ts to be In the game every day. Sit
ting and waiting, probably for week
at time, without chance to get out
and show what you can do, is, to say
the least, very irksome. You see your
fellow players out on the field running
around enjoying themselves and win
ming the plaudits of the spectators,
and you have to stay there and cool
your heels and smother your impa-
thence as best you may.
"All Of sudden, some day when
you least expect 1t, the manager calls
on you to go in and play. Your fel.
low players are rather chary Of you,
and the people in the stand look upon
you with eye askance. It is up to
you to get out and fill the other fel-
lows shoes; yes, even do better, other
wise the wrath of the enraged multi
tude will descend on your undeserving
head. Get into the game without any
chance Of warming up, and, nine times
out of ten at a critical moment, when
to make good means to win and to
slip up means to lose. Small wonder
that you are nervous.
"The slightest error draws down on
you a pile of criticism. Should the
regular player have made the same
mistake 1t would not have been no.
ticed, but with the utility man it is
set down in big black letters on the
page OF the managers blacklist
"A very short time, even five min
utes, may settle the life of man as
a ball player. In the highly nervous
state of mind and body that you are in
when you get your try out you cannot
do yourself justice. There is nothing
more CALLING than to be taken out of
the game for some little offense, when
you know deep down In your heart
that you have the markings of a good
first-class ball tosser.
: you have to be able to play both
in the diamond and the garden, and
this requires a rather variegated set
OF brains. Many a player may have
the necessary mechanical ability to-
play both infeld and outfield, but
when given chance out of their reg
ular position fail because they have
not the needed adaptability of mind.
It is hard thing indeed to be able
to put into effect the different plays
from the different positions without
an instant's hesitation.
"For instance, take man who is
playing the outfield. and put. him.
in the infield. Is 1t easy for. him to
scoop UP hot grounder and drive
the ball to first, or second, whatever
the case may be, without stopping
to think or take look around? ....
"Or. again, put man in the out
field who has been used to playing
one Of the inf1eld positions. He Is
accustomed to having balls come at
him with terrific speed. He knows
how to stop them and what to do with
them when he gets them. His throws
are short and quick, but now he has