The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-04-15
King Bee Of the Game.

sort. Players like Hans Wagner,
Christy Mathewson, Napoleon Lajoie
Tyrus Cobb, Mordecai Brown, Johnny
Evers, Sam Crawford, Fielder JONES'
Terry Turner, Cy Seymour, Roy Thorn
as, Miller Higgins, Bill Bradley, Fred
Clarke, etc., are as the stars in dra-
ma. The magnate is in a sense their
business manager, but the latter's pow
er. has encroached beyond its natural
sphere because of his long standing
ability to secure high class legal advice
in the drawing Of contracts. For this
reason there will probably never be
another Brotherhood war, when the
players had the magnates beaten, but
they didn't know it, and somebody
else did. And this particular somebody
worked successfully the most stable
bluff in baseball history The Brother
hood laid down it's hand
When MeGraw Gives an Order.
But the players vocation has seldom
been one that went hand in hand with
business ability. The excitement and
uncertainty Of their careers have a
marked effect on their temperaments
For this reason but few of them make
success as team managers. The sue
cessful manager must lose his heart
and cultivate his head. He must see
! that his orders are obeyed. A clew to
the managerial success Of John Nc
Graw Of the New York Nationals is
had in the following true story:
The New York team was one run be-
hind in the ninth-a man on first and
none out.
Lay it down." said "Muggsy" to the
batter.
The man stepped up to the plate
saw straight one coming over, swung
at it and lifted the ball over the fence
AS he trotted in to the bench at the
end Of his home run, proud because he
had won the day, the manager parked
at him:
you're fined fifty. When 1 say bunt
mean bunt."
treasury too. Ask Cy Seymour if it
wasn't
McGraw and Chance of Chicago and
Jennings o. Detroit want their orders
| obeyed. They themselves will take the
responsibility for the failure Of their
plan of action. They have small time
to bother with players who worry over
the wisdom of the managers advice.
Trick Plays to Be Sprung.
Every baseball season has at least
predominat;ng or distinguishing fea-
lures. Indications are that the present
campaign will prove one essentially Of
trick plays. Work at the spring train
ing camps Of the big teams showed
this. The squeeze play, essentially a
trick, has variations in application to
other bases than third, where it has
been invariably used; new base run
ming devices are claimed to have been
worked by one manager; distinctly
new curve has been originated, accord
ing to two or three well known pitch
ers, etc.
Also the ''knuckle ball." successor to
the famous 'spit ball" curve, will, it is
believed, be perfected by several Twill
ers of an experimental turn Of mind.
The knuckle ball was discovered last
year. Jack C'Tax') Neuer, the New
York American recruit of a year ago,
is said to have mastered three styles
of delivery Of the ''foolers."
One of these, which we will term the
''single knuckle'' because only the in
dex finger is bent down on the palm,
with the ball resting on the first Joint,
takes the place Of the drop. 1t floats
up much like slow splitter, hangs for
a moment and falls away abruptly
downward. One Of the others, or "dou-
BILE knuckle," is grasped by thumb and
two outside fingers Of the hand, with
the index and big fingers bent'down to
form the cushion. This gives curve
which may be controlled so as to break
either way.
The triple knuckle," or that which
rests on the knuckles Of the three in
side fingers and is grasped by little fin
ger and thumb, is the one on which
the pitcher puts the steam. It is claim
ed that with this curve one can get an
upshoot or "raise'' of several inches.