The Detroit times., 1909-07-06

El-l.lOEN patrons OF the great
AmG rican game approach the
epidemic OF baseball articles in the
magazines these days with fear and
- - trembling. I i =
growing popularity
nAsEbA AL OF the pasunle
l NC ,rISrs which absorbs the
leisure time " 50
- large a proportion
OF the masses has made II OF late a.
Increasingly favored theme with the
word painters and the chrome artists,
as we'll AS the poets. ana the result
has been something appalling.
II the word-painters aud other ar
lists referred 10 would preface their
baseball actions by few visits TO
the locations OF the scenes which they
are attempting 10 portray or would
else submit their copy before pub
lioation To some intelligent offce boy
who understands the game. the result
would not come with such shock 10
the reader who scans the production.
Il MAJ De out OF order 10 call atten'
ton TO these facts when there Is so
much live stun going around. but the
spirit mas moved the writer. SO here
goes
| read q college baseball story the
other day IN current monthly IL
told " = college pitcner VINO had dis
covered by mathematical oallistlcs
how 10 start the ball FOR The hatsmaA'3
knees ana make IL break up aroauG
The CQtUners shoulders To win with
even this amount OF stun. be had 10
pull on q triple play in the n!ath. VIII
one man out.
The cover OF this magazine was
emblematic OF the contents. Ii pro
tossed TO depict a ball park. The
pitcher was the centerpiece and Was
sketched in the act OF delivering the
ball. Had he slipped he would nave
fallen squarely on the neck OF the
.hortstop who stood Immediately be-
hind him with his left foot carefully
affixed TO second base
Some little time ago ! waded
through a similar article by a Chicago
write. though this was not snpposeU-
~ fiction. but was alleged 10 be oil
expos OF the secret science OF paly.
In IL he told how. In the worlds series
the Cubs shifted with regularity their
entire outfield and infield 10 conform
10 the delivery OF the pitcher. ard
the particular brand OF ball he was
about to serve up. Shifts OF 80 feet
were prescribed for each OF the Cub
players in such circumstances. the
stance being governed by the surrCp-
titious Intention OF the pitcher IN
shooting a curve or fast one.
All this is very well. for the Cubs
got away with whatever they tried,
and therefore anyone who writes
about them has a license 10 attribute
TO them any novel headwork which he
deems fitting That no such shifts
took place is. however. certainly known
by any intelligent man who saw the
series or any games thereof The Tig
crs were somewhat mystifed. 1t is con
ceded. but they weren't at any time 50
befuddled that, II the Cubs had been
shifting around with every ball pitch
ed they wouldn't have read that SOFT
I Of sign language before IL had been
presented three times. and acted ac-
cordingly.
! Most OF the magazines are publish
Cd In New York and this accounts for
the fact that most OF the baseball
magazine stuff, both OF the intentional
or semi-hctional features the New
, York Giants. That there are other
teams in league ball is something the
magazine editors have apparently yet
70 learn and once in while they rise
10 dignity of actually licking some
thing that comes from that self-cen-
tered community, three-ffths OF which
are but recently. SO they tell us, out
of the steerage.