The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-07-08
Men Who Think are Now Called to
the National Game incidents
Recalled Which Have
Won Games
EBERFIELD AND CHASE
Both are Cited AZ Examples Of Great
Baseball stratesists-it is
said Cobb Can Spin Ball
In Bunting.

In Bunting.
That brain has superseded Drawn
/ among ball players is proved by the
fact that those who have risen to the
top are men Of active mentality. You
will notice that the men whose names
you see most in the papers are
lstrategists Quick thinking Is what
brought Ty Cobb, AL Bridwell. Kid
i Elherfeld Dutch Schafer. Hal Chase.
Johnny Evers and score of others
to the front. There are many players
who have shown themselves wonders
physically but who could not keep up
the pace by thinking quickly on the
3 base lines and had to make way for
the more fortunate youngsters. There
as ample room for the inventor in base
ball, and every season we see these
| agile-brained athletes producing some
thing in baseball that Is new.
Strategy in baseball is beautiful
z thing-when it works But when that
links of all sport called Hard Luck
hobs up and puts reverse English on
the play it inserts a kink in enthusi-
asm that is hard to straighten out for
the rest of the game. While 1t may
seem an incongruous statement, many
ball games have been lost by brilliant
plays.
] Kid Elberfeld and Hal Chase OF the
Highlanders are two OF the best known
exponents of strategy In the business,
but to illustrate how the best laid
plans gang aft aglee," let's recall
certain game with Cleveland.
Elberfeld had reached first safely
and there were none out. A couple OF
runs were badly needed. Instead of
making the sacrifice play that the
other team was expecting, Elberfeld
gave the lignal for the hit and run
i The unexpected Is always the fore
most move in baseball. The idea OF a
, hit and run is to make the second
baseman run to cover the bag and for
hole that he left.
! The other variation OF the play is
for the batter to line the ball into
i right field, il possible, so that the rum
Z ner can reach third Chase got the
i signal, all right, and with an aim as
true as rule lined the ball for what
s looked like perfect single over first.
The outfielder OF Cleveland, however.
r expecting bunt, had come in close SO
I as to back up the play at first.
It so happened, to his own surprise,
that he arrived just in time to catch
t Chase's line drive, and Elberfeld, who
r was speedily toward second, was
astonished to find himself doubled up
n before he could get back to first
n Many fans blamed the kid for leaving
the bag, but he had really made a
a beautiful play. But, unfortunately
the strategic move had worked with
a reverse English.
The other day at the polo grounds
e. Murray was on first, and he gave
O'Hara the signal for hit and run
O'Hara is naturally right field hitter
and he figured that it would be com
= paratively easy to hit the ball through
the hole that Knabe, the second base
man for Philadelphia, would Ieav,
= when he ran to cover second Murrs,
]. got away on the jump and OHars
smashed the ball. But, as luck would
4 have it, he had hit grounder direct
ly over second that would have beer
B a perfect single If no strategy had peel
attempted. 1t SO happened that tn,
forcing of Knabe to cover put hin
directly in the path OF the ball, and al
he had to do was grab it, touch secon,
and then throw to first for doubl
I play. That's one time that old fast
toned hammer and tongs baseball
would have won when. as Murray e,
pressed it, Strategy got kick in tn
shins."
Over in Detroit not long ago Dutc
Schaefer was Just about to perform
bit of brilliant strategy, when a littl
pebble no bigger than peanEt brok
up his strategy but lost the gam,
There was runner on first, with on
out. A short fly was hit so that
would fall about five feet back of tn
second base line. Dutch could hay
caught 1t with his left hand, but hi
active brain suddenly figured out
great scheme Instead of catching tn
ball ON the fy. he would let 1t strik
the ground first and make a pick u
OF 1t. This would force the runner 0
first, and then the ball could b
thrown to second and first. thereh
putting two men out instead OF one.
You can understand how fal
the baseball mind has to thin
when Schaefer figured all TIL
out while the ball was droppin
a distance of perhaps twent
five feet. Instead Of catching the ba
Schaefer suddenly stopped and put h
hands to the ground for pfcku
Just at that moment something ha
pened. The ball in striking II
ground hit little pebble and bounde
away Both runners were safe ar
the opponents eventually won II
game.
There is a general belief that I