Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-28

hop skip and jump: And follow that
up with illustrations OF the different
pitching rules. under each one of which
some one pitcher attained unusual dis
tnction. down to the present day with
It's offensive but effective spit ball. fade
away curve. disappearing drop and other
deceptive methods of delivery. devised
solely for the purpose of bamboozling the
oatsmen? The evolution of the rules
could not be more intelligently or more
interestingly demonstrated. for all the
radical changes made in them have CEN
'efeo IN and around the pitchers box
Always Stars.
There would he little or no opportunity
FOR comparative exhibition of infield-
ing and outielding. There never has been
stage of the game when there were
not exceptionally good infielders and out
helders The real old-timers will talk of
andy Leonard in the outfield. of Ross
sa,Sl ana George Wright in the in
| held: other old-timers-but not old
Viii Talk of Jimmy Fogarty and Curt
NeiSh In the outer garden and OF Fred
Dunlap. Fred Pfeffer. Ed Williamson and
JACK Glasscock in the inficld. They were
all Sreat men undoubtedly, and If they
could only push back the hands and re-
turn TO the game now as good as they
were when they were the idols OF the
rams they still would be stars. But there
are scores of great outfielders today and
Il
ter to convince the younger generation
of cranks that the old-timers mentioned
were In the same class as the stars of
today. just as the ld-timers of twenty
years hence will find II difficult 10 con-
vince their juniors that Lajoie and WaS-
Eer outcla ssed anything that might be
around them
But there is one old-time inffelder that
The Old Sport would like to see at the
opening of Shibe Park-Fred Pfeffer
There were great second basemen before
Prefers time. there were great second
basemen cotemporaneous with him-Bd
McPhee for instance-and there have been
great second basemen since his time: hut
In ail-around usefulness in that nimble in
telligence which enables a ball PLAYER to
intuitively conceive trick, and the ply
steal ability to pull 1t off that will inure
to the credit of his team. Pfeffer was in
class by himself. If Pfeffer could only
be induced to come here and give an ex-
hibtion-assuming that his hinges are
still in good working order-of the way
that he used to handle the long and the
short throw unaided. it would be a reve-
lation to the younger generation of cranks.
as we'll as object lesson to many of
he present day infielders who are in
clined to think that what they don't
know about the art of Unfolding was
never known or if known wasn't worth
the knowing.
Difficult Maneuver.
With runners on first and third Pfeffer
invariably handled the throw to second
alone. He ran some distance from the
bag toward the pitchers box. but never
so far that he would be unable to return
to second in time to catch the runner
| coming down from first in case the run
| ner on third concluded to stay on third,
| while If the latter elected to try to get
| home he was nailed nine times out of ten
/ by Pfeffer's throw to the plate. Other
second basemen ShortstopS may have
| tried to work this play alone. but they
never came under the notice of the writer.
| AS a rule one player takes the short
| throw If he believes the runner on third
| is going home and the other fielder takes
| the throw il it is seen that the man
| stands pat on third while the runner tries
| to come down from first. AS every ball
| fan knows. the second baseman and the
shortstop frequently get balled up In their
| signals. and either lose the ball or fail to
get either man. With Pfeffer there was
no chance for confusion. He was on the
job He knew before the ball had passed
! the pitchers box whether 1t was the man
| on first or the man on third or both that
was going to run. and guiding himself &C
cordingly he rarely lost both. What helped
Pfeffer materially in this play was the ex-
| ceptional speed he developed In running
| backward. which. combined with his I'M
| usual dexterity in pulling in the ball and
putting it on the runner, gave him an add
vantage not enjoyed by any other second
baseman of his time, of the present
for that matter. at least SO far as that
particular play is concerned.
And this is only an instance where the
inf1eld stars of today, great players
though they are, can learn something of
the great players who preceded them.