Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-21
FOUL STRIKE RULE
SP0|[S TEAMWORK
Batsmen Handicapped in Of
fensive Tactics in Help
ing Base Runners.

Teamwork and individual base ball
sense make the winning combination,
says John McCloskey, the veteran man
ager. Sure they do. Any manager with
a good knowledge of the game can lay
out tactical plans for teamwork. both
in the field and at bat, but the
task comes when an attempt is made to
train players to live up to their instruc-
tons in inside work necessary for winning
team play.
That Is where the managers work
leaves off, except in SO far as selecting
players who promise to have good heads,
and showing them how the game should
be played. and where base ball genius be-
gins.
The great player Is the one who does
not stop at the routine Of team play. but
carries 1t to its greatest perfection. Even
then, he cannot do his best unless he has
other players around him who can aid
him In carrying out his plans.
Attack and Defense.
Take, for instance. the two great attack
ing and defensive plans of the game. In
attack, of course. as Manager McCloskey
agrees, the first essential Is to get man
on base. That is a battle between the
pitcher and the batsman, pure and simple.
with the pitcher relying to some extent
on the teamwork OF his f1elders to aid
him.
Once a man is on first, the real team
work begins. both on offense and defense.
The batter has the option of bunting and
trying to beat 1T out, or Of sacrificing.
working the hit-and-run play, or trying
for hit without paying any attention to
81 hos nr % ma reach
first base on called balls, or by being hit
with a pitched ball.
Silly Foul Strike Rule.
Adoption Of the silly foul strike rule has
proved a big handicap in teamwork on the
offensive. Prior to the adoption Of that
base ball hybrid a batter could pick out
better balls to hit and protect his base
runners with much greater ease and safe
ty Fouling off balls enabled him to pro-
tect his base runners in stealing. when 1t
was pretty certain they would be thrown
out because of a poor start they had
made.
Of ball he desired to bunt or place. and
choose his own time in doing so. While
bunting and place hitting are still avail
able methods of attack, 1t takes better
work to make them effective, and there
the runner and batsman. Given that. the
attack is lust as productive of results
ever.
Individual Thinking Counts.
But right here, in this latter respect,
it is that individual thinking counts.
Either the base runner or batsman can
help out by quick action. but this can
not be reduced to SIR ! mechanlcal
basis Contrary to the generally &C
cepted idea. base running and batting
cannot be dictated absolutely by code
of signals, nor by direction from the
manager on the bench.
Base running is usually signaled Tor,
but the exact time is left to the run
ner and the batsman. the former giving
the signals, and unless they have
good Understanding with each other
and work together, the attempt is al
most sure to fail.
When there is a hit-and-run play or
sacrifice, exigencies entirely out of
the control of the man who gives the
signals may crop up. and 1t Is here that
individual headwork comes in A run
ner is rarely. and never should be.
given instructions to steal on any GER
tain ball pitched, unless it Is an OPEN
and-shut play, as a lead must be OBJ
tanned to enable him to reach the next
base successfully, and this depends
upon the pitcher ana catcher ana what
effort they make to prevent 1t.
Teamwork in Fielding.
In team fielding the same is true as
in batting. Besides teamwork, there
must be an individual understanding
and good base ball sense used. The bat
ter's plan Is to find out which fielder
is going to cover second. for instance.
and the fielder must foil this. If the
batter knows which fielder is going TO
cover second on a steal. At is possible
to draw him out of his position and put
the ball through 1t with a place hit.
This causes a lot of damage, as the
runner can usually gain an extra base
on such a hit. The way to prevent it
is to have the second baseman and
understand each other SO we'll
that there is a constant shifting by
them, and the batsman is kept guessing
as to which one will cover the bag.
Players who do not keep awake and
follow team play every minute while
the game Is in progress, or who can
not think quickly enough to make good
when the opposing team solves the
plans of the attacking team, are the
bane Of a managers life, as often they
make well-planned team tactics look
silly. That is the cause which turns the
average managers hair gray, and is Il
~ 1,xy 81