The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-05
INSIDE BASEBALL
BY CHARLES CARR.

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forms Of like exercise are no good. They
develop the wind 4 little, perhaps, and
keep down flesh but a few days of base
ball practice will do more for the player
than months OF any other kind of work.
The great trouble in training a team
especially a minor league one, is to keep
the men from going at 1t too hard the
first few days out The veterans are
wise and will loaf around ON the field
or a week or two before the season opens,
till their arms are strong and their
bodies in proper shape to stand raeking,
but the younger and less experienced
chaps want to go out the first day of
practice and play as though 1t were the
middle of summer. But from much ex-
perience I have learned how to make
them restrain themselves and not be on
the hospital list the. day the champion
ship season starts. | believe that 1t is
better 10 have a team a little under
condition when the season opens. and
let them round into form during the early
games, than it is to work them up to
top notch speed in the early spring and
run chances of them petering out be ore
tIiN summer 10 Hall oNtls
At first my men chase flies and handle
slow hit balls. l keep them at this
for three or four days and make them
wear heavy clothing in order that they
can be properly warmed up. The in
crease is slow and sure rather than fast
and uncertain. When muscles lose their
soreness I add base running and batting.
Pitchers toss the ball and the men face
them in turn. Straight balls only, no
curves. go at first The twirlers work
in turn so that they may avoid strain;
thus the hitters are given the opportun-
ity of growing used to the different de-
liveries. Batting keeps the fielders busy
and gives them the right kind of prac-
tice. I vary the work, letting them slug
and bunt alternately. When bunting ]
always make the men try to beat the
ball TO first This latter feature of the
game, the bunting. is something that to
my mind the majority of managers do
not give sufficient attention. team that
has six or seven good hunters on its ros-
ter will In the long run beat out the
aggregation that is composed of so-called
home-run hitters
couple VI weeks OF tnlS easy Work.
then comes the inside business-signals,
hit and run, base running, sliding, elab-
orately planned. tricks to catch the I'M
wary-the inesse of baseball. Batters
are coached to improve their style; pitch
ers are trained to hold the runners close
to the bases; catchers to catch men nap
ping; infielders to work with the bat
terry. The delayed steal and the fallaway
slide are drilled into the men. This slide
is something I try to teach every man,
though all of them cannot master It, It's
value consists in the fact that only an
ankle is offered the baseman to put the
ball on. instead of the entire body, as is
the case In the old method of straight
sliding. Sometimes we work two or three
hours on some one little play, that may
perhaps win one game during season.
This kind Of thing wins pennants The
day of the husky, smuggling ball player
has gone by Brain has replaced Drawn
Give me men of brains, though their
ability be mediocre, when compared with
that of some of their less intelligent fell
low players, and l will be satisfied.
When bush leaguers break in they must
be taught to walt. They swing at every
thing and they do not work the pitcher.
My team will always make the pitcher
go the limit You know, If a pitcher has
TO throw seven, or eight balls to every
batter instead of two or three, he's very
apt to weaken, especially on a hot day.
Signals between the batter and the run
ner in the hit and run must be perfect
simple. and Of such a nature that the
opponents will not be able to discover
tIA- 49, 1JI- l.
your team, The same applies to the
signs between the catcher and the in
felders. The hit and run is practiced
daily and / believe in 1t as run getter.
But I also believe that by mixing up the
plays much more can be accomplished
When you catch the defense fat-footed
is when you count. For this reason I
favor a varied attack and my team is at
home in the hit and run, the sacrifice,
the art of stealing. or any of the other
tricks that are likely to hoodwink the
enemy. / do what the other fellow Is
not looking for. Every man must 20
to first on everything, as though his life
depended on his getting there. If he loafs,
no matter how hopeless his chances may
seem, he is fined. They go toward second
II anything Is hit to the out1eld, wheth-
er they intend to try for the bag or not
If player bluffs, he forces a hurried
throw, and like as not the ball will be
sent In poorly and the runner be able to
advance. Such things count.
The indianapolis players steal third
base regularly. In fact more of them
steal third than second. If a player will
use his head and wait for the proper
moment. he can steal third at least as
easily as second. From third he can
score on a passed ball, sacrifice, or a
momentary tumble by an innelder, which
he cannot do from second. That's why
my men always try it.
OF course I cannot tell what my sig
nails are, or the many trick plays that
I have taught to my men. But I spent
the entire winter devising a new set Of
signals, and getting up schemes and tricks
whereby we might win another pennant.
Whenever one of your players goes to
another team you have to have an entire
ly new set of signs. and II you do not put
in a lot of time planning them out you
are likely to be left In a bad hole In
the middle of the campaign.
MY advice to managers Is. Get
braIny team IF they have players who
can use their heads as well as their
bodies they will soon find that In close
battles they will be coming out ahead.
The chap with the head is always gamer
than the unintelligent fellow and will
last better In a long. hard fight. II
the manager forms a system of play,
based on team work, he will get results.
And results count