Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-19
VALUE Of A UTILITY
MAN TO A GOOD TEAM
Base Ball Fans Frequently
Overlook Importance of
Extra Player.

Arthur Holman. the we'll known utility
| man OF tho Chicago Cubs, has the fol-
lowing interesting article in Morse's Base
Ball Magazine:
Some people look at a utility base ball
player just as they would at a stage
door hanger-on. They consider him q
genial nuisance. which. since 1t cannot
be cured, must be endured.
| The utility man, like many worthy
workmen, is underestimated. Since he
does not have the spotlight to himself
| all the time. the critical public says that
he must not be taken seriously. But.
| with all that. he is generally an efficient
laborer in the base ball vineyard.
Many persons whose names are now in
the headlines have come up from utility.
II all the once utility men were suddenly
wiped from the base ball slate 1t would
leave ragged row Of names.
| Each player in the club thinks he has
| the hardest row to hoe. first base
man solemnly vows that the initial bag
makes a greater demand on a mans vi
tality than any other position on the
| nine: q shortstop positively knows his po-
sition is the limit Of human endurance.
But looking at 1t from an outsider
| point Of view, / know that In many re-
/ SDGCI6 the utlIlIy prayer AAdS q A03 NSA
| battle to fight than any other warrior
on the diamond.
star what he considered the hardest role
to fll in base ball. He answered with
| out a moments hesitation: Tho bench
| warmers"
| Sitting on the sidelines, waiting, wait
| ing, always waiting for something to
| happen with never chance to prove
ones self, tries ones soul. Everybody ex-
1 Il fc hing anh}av-
| ing something. He must sit there like q
clod. A fielder makes a try at a fly and
fails: the man on the bench knows that
he could have made good If he had had
from the bench: he holds his breath fol-
the third strike; his fingers knot as the
fly sails up. He suffers all the agony
of his team being defeated, with never a
chance to prove his worthiness. 1t IL
inaction that destroys.
| Day after day goes by, and still he
must sit inertly on the bench. He almost
| gives UP hope Of ever once getting q
| try-out Then one day, all OF q sudden
| the manager sends him in. The team Is
| just a bit suspicious of him: the grand
stand has critical eye on him. One OF
two actions determine his fate. He is
sent in only at the most critical moment
He is replacing a favortte who has the
| sympathies of the crowd and the conf
dence Of the manager. The slightest err
| ror on his part draws on him fire OF
criticism; the smallest tumble looms ur
| big. Should the regular have some mis-
| hap 1t goes unnoticed, but with the util-
! ity man it Is set down In the blacklist
| ink on the debtor side of the page. Five
minutes often settles his fate as base
! ball player. In such a highly wrought
| condition of mind and muscle a man
docs not always do himself justice.
There Is nothing more CALLING than to
be taken from a game for some minor
failure when one knows deep down in
his heart that he has the making of q
/ frst-rater. Whenever I see q man from
the bench sent to fill In break
always hold my breath for the first five
minutes.
| The utility man has to be versatile.
Time was when q utility man needed to
play only either infield or outfield. But
| the utility man of today must be able to
| play both with tho ability Of q regular.
Some players are good in one but weak
| in the other. This almost disqualif1es
| such q player from being q utility at all.
| Along with this he must be able to play
| first base, too
There is always one thing that a man
ager considers when he takes on q utility
player, and that is whether or not he is
safe at bat, and whether he is a good
base runner. A man in a regular posi-
ton on the team may be q little weak
| at bat but he can make up for 1t by
unusual ability in his own position, but
| with utility player 1t is different. Since
he has no stand where he is particularly
brilliant. he must make up for 1t by more
| than average dexterity with the ashen
stick.
"Christy'' Mathewson in his article in
the Base Ball Magazine says that It IL