The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-06-29

spiking peril than any of his fellows,
for the probable reason that plays are
at the home plate more bitterly con-
tested
Here Is the final station. The base
runner has moved around to the last
stretch of the journey, but as far as
the vital question of run making goes
he might as well never have gone to
the bat unless he can cross the home
plate.
Therefore extra recklessness inspires
him when he gets to this point. The
catcher is correspondingly anxious to
ston him. This is a combination that
leads to many serious smashups at the
home station
One catcher, Roger Bresnahan, was
so often the victim of spikes that he
invented the use of a shin guard SINH
lar to the one that figures in cricket,
and his example has been followed by
other catchers, notably Schlie of New
York and Mclean of Cincinnati. Some
catchers wear protection underneath
their stockings. 1t is not in evidence
but it does the work, nevertheless
Doom of the Phillies is one of the
most skilled backstops in the country
in putting the tag on a runner, and
that in spite of the fact that he is one
of the lightest catchers in the game.
He has masered the trick of putting
the ball on a man with minimum o.
danger to himself.
Doom is a student of the game. None
of his plays is result of chance. When
he first broke into fast company he
found out that he was constantly being
knocked over and bumped around while
tagging runners at the plate.
Now he has a new system. He
chez rfully falls with the runner, but he
makes it a point to fall on top, and it
is thing virtually unknown for him
to be damaged
Men like Ty Cobb of Detroit the SEN
sational young player who in a couple
of seasons has taken a rating with the
greatest stars known to the history of
baseball are the hardest men in the
game to tag.
The Detroit cyclone has not a single
impulse of fear or caution when he is
on the bags. He is there to score, no
matter how, and regardless of sow
much he or any one who tries to stop
him may be damaged in the process.
That is why all the base guardians
have to be a little extra careful when
Tyrus is speeding around the paths.
Cobb does not mean to be rough, but
daring base running is his specially. II
has been large factor in his success
and he probably banks largely on the
fact that most of the opposition know
him to be entirely reckless, and in
stinctively prepare to give him little
Cobb slides both ways, head first and
feet first, but like most base runners,
he prefers the latter. He is a master
at arriving at base just the instant the
ball reaches there, and many tins the
force of the impact jolts the sphere out
of the basemans hands and Tyrus is
safe.
The cloud Of dust that obscures close
plays of this kind is great help to
many a bit Of sharp practice.
The great second baseman and short
stops know the fine are Of getting the
tag on a runner, and it is generally ad
mitted that the knowledge is of para
mount value in guarding second base.
Here a great number of plays come
off whore quick action is required, for
most Of them base stealing has second
base for an objective point, and in most
of the double plays second base is one
Of the stations for which the runpags
are trying.
1t is generally admitted by sharps
that the most skilled applier Of the tag
in baseball today is Bobby Wallace. the
veteran shortstop Of the st. Louis
Americans.
Wallace has it down to perfection
He times everything with such accur.
acy that is almost unheard of for
runner to get away from him. Whether
he gets the ban in ample time or is
hurried, he slips it on the runner with
a quick, easy motion. Sometimes he
fails to tag the runner, often the run
ner beats him to the bag, but Wallace
is so slick that he even fools umpires.
Wallace is not big man, he has not
the bulk of many infielders, but he sell
dox,, cote b,,rt II hainr another case Of