Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-08-08
UTILITY MAN HAS :
HARDEST POSITION
HE Is $coMPELLED& TO WORK
WHILE REGULAR PLAYERS
e. TAKE THINGS EASY. *,
L0AFs 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. o.
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 week and when they do 60
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 pause in the proceedings, Mer-
kle was called to the bat to take the
place of 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
Fred Merkle had not been in a game
for three weeks, but he walked up to
the bat with his eye as we'll trained
as those who had. been playing regu-
larly. In fact, he was called upon to
do what regular couldn't do. And,
moreover, he did it.
The. fan who had thought the util-
ity man held 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. IT,. /
4: We've got to be at work by one
O'clock" they explained to the man.
sager of the concern. who was as.
founded.
j;$ 'tWhy, the game isn't called until
-four O'clock" he expostulated. *You
can stay awhile, can't you?"
sSSs ssl. mot a chance" said Mccormick,
who was then a 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
5broiling sun.
III In their explanation 1t developed
that the utility men get together with
a. crowd Of boys and have regular
batting game for two hours every
morning and an hour in the afternoon.
On the road they 60 to the park at
one O'Clock and work as hard as
&c they we're playing for the champion
ship until the regulars arrive. 3,
nv Any afternoon at the Polo grounds
you can see the Giants utility men in
IA hot game at one o'clock You will
nee Wilson and Snodgrass catching,
Shafer, Merkle, Fletcher, Herzog, iSey-
mour and the extra pitchers working
like Trojans both with the bat and in
the field. They must know the sig
mails for every possible play made by:
the regulars. They must be able to
act In any capacity on minutes no
tice. Though they may not get in q
game for three months, they must be
Just as flt and ready as any man on
the dub Il. ,E,Es{t ). zlzl., .. ,
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 a hit, but We
don't have but one.''',t,s.. ~. 4&:,a,s.
ONE or MkCk,S EiEInFRS