The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-05-12

Workmen is under estimated. Since
he does not have the spotlight to him
self all the time, the critical public
says he must not be taken seriously.
But with all that he is generally an
efficient laborer in the baseball vine
yard.
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 baseball
slate. It would leave a ragged row of
names.
Each PLAYER In ~ club thinks he
has the hardest row to hoe. A first
baseman soIemnly vows that the initial
bag makes a greater demand on a
mans vitality than any other position
on the nine; a shortstop positively
knows his position is the limit OF hu-
man endurance. But looking at 1t
from an outfielder's point of view, I
know that in many respects the utility
player has a harder battle to fght
than any other on the diamond.
once asked a celebrated baseball
star what he considered the hardest
role to fill in baseball. He answered
without a moments hesitation: THE
bench warmers"
Sitting on the sidclines. waiting,
waiting, always waiting for something
to happen. with never a chance to
prove oneself tries ones soul. Every
body except himself is doing some
thing, achieving S, ---ething. He must
sit there like a clod. A fielder makes
try at fly and fails; the man on
the bench knows that he could have
made good if he had had the opportu-
nifty. He plays the game from the
bench; he holds his breath for the
third strike; his fingers knot as the
fly sails up. He suffers all the agony
Of his team being defeated, with never
chance to prove his worthiness. 1t
is inaction that destroys,
Crowds Are Critical,
Day after day goes by and still he
must sit inertly on the bench. He al
most gives up nope of ever once get
ting tryout. Then one day, all Of a
sudden, the manager sends him in.
The team is just a bit suspicious Of
him; the grandstand has a critical eye
on him. One or two actions determine
his fate. He is sent in only at the
most critical mom"nt. He is replacing
favorite who has the sympathy Of
the crowd and the confidence OF the
manager. The slightest error on his
part draws on him a fire of criticism;
the smallest tumble looms up big.
Should the regular have come mishap,
1t goes unnoticed; but with the utility
man it is set down in the blacklist ink
on the debtor side of the page. Five
minutes often settles his fate as
baseball player. IN such highly
wrought condition of mind and muscle,
man does not always do himself JUS
tice.
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 a first-rater. Whenever
see a man from the bench sent to fill
in a break, / always hold my breath
for the first five minutes.
The utility man has to be versatile.
Time was when utility man needed
to play only either infield or outfield.
But the utility man of today must be
able to play both with the ability OF
EoOhip pidgSLS dd0 SOOu Ai
one, but weak in the other This al
most disquaiifies such 9 player from
being utility at all. Along with this
he must be able to play first base, too.
Must Bat and Run Well.
There is always one thing that a
manager considers when he takes on a
utility player. and that is whether he
is a good baserunner. A man In a
regular position on the team may be
a little weak at bat, but he can make
up for it by anusuc' ability in his own
position; but with utility player, it
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 March number Of The Baseball
Magazine says that Ii is good for a
player to sit on the sideline. This is
true. The aspirant can learn whole
lot of the tricks of the game by
watching the experienced men. The
time utility man spends on the
bench is not wasted, although 1t makes
him fretful. From this coign of van