The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-21
Additional
Sports
CATCHE:RSOF old
BETTER THAN NOW
Old Timers Could Play All
Around Game-StrOnger
With Bat.

New York, Dec. 20-In baseball, as
IN other sports, and as IN the case Of
history and the fame Of departed he
roes. there is the same old tendency to
magnify the bygone stars and exait
them to a pinnacle Of glory such, per
haps. as no merely human individuals
could actually gain.
Nevertheless, when one great depart
ment OF the game is under consideration
there seems to be just reason for sing
ing the praises Of the past and compar-
ing the bygOne marvels with their sac
cessors Of today, much 10 the discredit
Of the younger generation. That de-
partment is the one OF mask and pad,
OF heavy glove and shielding armor-
the department Of the catcher.
The catcher OF today, If he approaches
the standard attained by the men VINO
did the catching twenty years ago, IS
q thing OF priceless value. he Ia a
player Of such worth that any CLUB
would give three or four great Datsmen
CT two star pitchers for one catcher
OF the highest ability. Catchers such
as Killing are almost impossible TO
find anywhere around the circuits OF
the major leagues.
catcher has so diminished that hard
hitting catcher is now almost as rare as
a hard-hitting slabman.
A Rare Bird.
king, the rebellious catcher Of the
Chicago Cubs, is a rara avis among
modern catchers, inasmuch as he is
not only an absolute master Of al the
finest details of his art, but is also
crashing batsman. who can kill the ball,
and who is anything but a slowpOke
on bases. But men like Killing arc so
scarce that It seems impossible to du-
plicate him. Bresnahan. the managing
catcher OF the ST. Louis Cardinals, is
a good batsman and clever base rum
ner, a great general and, taken as
whole the next best man TO Killing
among the catchers. Archer Of Chicago
IS a superb thTOWe' and q great nat
ural catcher, but 2 light hitter. CTi-
ger, who has been IN service many
years, has always been a feeble hitter,
but has drawn big salaries for his abil-
ity TO catch and throw. Easterly,
new catcher Of the Cleveland team. is
rough and unpublished in his catching
skill, but has shown himself a surpris-
ingly heavy hitter, and so holds his
place-in fact, IS even given the honor
of catching the majority OF the CleVe-
a hard worker and a finished master
of catching perfection, but ne cannot
hit Sullivan Of the Chicago White Sex
is almost a marvel OF science and fin
ished execution and is as weak a bats
man as most pitchers.
And yet twenty years ago almost
every team was equipped with catch
ers who could not only catch, throw,
direct the mazes Of the play and do all
that the modern catcher now does, but
were an active factor IN the batting
and base running Of their clubs.
Charlie Bennett of Detroit and Bos-
ton was almost perfect as a catcher and
fine batsman, though not the equal
or Kelly or Ewing on bases or in play
ing other positions.
Charlie Farrell. who was only sec
ond or third catcher on the old Chicago
team. developed into a great backstop
and was a star for years after his ear
1ier contemporaries had left the game.
Chief thinner Of the Cleveland club
lasted a long time and was one Of the
most enduring Of all the older catchers.
One Of the foxiest catchers the game
has ever seen. a master both In his
own position and in the instruction Of
young pitchers, was Jack O'ConnOr.
who served IN fast company nearly
twenty years
-e-o-s
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