Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24
SUCCESSFUL BALL PLAYERS
MUST DO THEIR OWN THINKING
Individual Generalship More Helpful Than
Extensive Code Of Signals-Interesting
Tales Of Some Great Players.

Every ball team has system of play,
and yet these do not differ materially,
though one team may have more signs
than another.
Up-to-date managers try to bring their
players to point where they do their
own thinking, for it is found that this
after ALL is the best system on which 10
run a team successfully.
Individual generalship-cases in which
the player, undirected by his leader
brings off a striking play-are innumer-
able. Like the plays of scienced team
work, they make a hero of the man VINO
succeeds, while the poor fellow whose
plan miscues is the butt of wild derision,
and, in short becomes 1.-The goat of the
occasion. Such individual displays of
nerve and judgment are, as rule, strik-
ingly characteristic of the man who
makes them, and are seldom equaled by
an imitator William LANCE, for exam
pie. gigantic player of the chicago
team, fleet as a deer despite his colossal
size, would often stand quietly on hrst
base till the catcher had the ball. Then
he would dart to second. trusting on the
surprise occasioned by such move to
make the throw wild or the baseman's
catch uncertain In nearly every case
LANCE succeeded in the steal.
Jimmy Callahan. a fleet-footed player
of the same period, had trick OF round
ing first at full speed and keeping on 10
second when he saw a hit go anywhere
in the outfield. Callahan held that the
fielder astounded at his daring, would
tumble or throw badly, and in nine cases
out of ten his guess was right.
Mike Kelly, Hughey Duffy and Tom
Mccarthy. brainy Irishmen of the long
ago, devised half a dozen ways of Wrls-
Cling to base and lodging the hand OF
the guardian. Bob Glenalvin. VINO left
the game to become the editor or a re-
ligious newspaper, invented way OF
pushing the bat at the ball with rlgld
arms and a sweep of only half distance,
that Melted him scores OF nlts.snort'
sharp flies that passed over the 1nheld-
ers' heads, falling just behind them. IN
dividual tricks of batting and base running
have been counted by the myriad, and all
lent their sparkle to the game
Del Won't Blunt.
Fielding or defensive plays have to be
brought into effect at every new situation
created on the bases. and here is where
many an otherwise astute manager con-
verts himself into the gaily plumaged
bird widely known as the monkey. Only
a few wears ago, when the old Philadel-
phia club had two on bases and none out.
and the regulation play in such crises
would be a sacrifice bunt. the manager OF
a hostile team ordered his third baSeman
to come in close. The batsman was Dele
hanty utterly useless as a bunter, but an
unhOly hitter of tearing drives. When the
unfortunate third baseman moved in
came in to take a hunt from man who
didn't couldn't and wouldn't bunt-Dele-
hanty crashed one at him that hit him IN
the leg, sent him over in a heap and
scored two runs.
Many old, time-honored ideas OF team
play are still faithfully observed by every
club, despite the fact that these traditions
frequently make the faithful ones utterly
ridiculous, and that a common sense
handling of the situation would be far
more profitable. For instance, when the
bases are crowded and not more than one
out the intielders step close in, with the
idea of throwing home on a grounder and
cutting off a run at the plate. l kept
statistics part of one season on the results
of this play, and the table showed that
in fifty games twenty-three men were
caught sliding home in this fashion, while
ninety-seven hit safely through the close
drawn infield, the hits in most cases be-
ing taps that would have been easily
fielded by basemen in their usual posi-
tons.
With a man on first and the batsman's
call standing two strikes and three balls,
every manager still sends the base runner
down to second on the next ball pitched,
irrespective of the runners speed or
slowness. If the next one pitched should
be the fourth ball the runner could just
as we'll walk to second; if it happens to
be strike, the runner as rule is landed
by quick hurl to second from the catch
er, and double play secured.
Watkins and His Signs.
One big league manager who was a
fiend for signals-for little while-was
vi" -In x,yhn hn fret nEo
into fast company planned out set of
signals as elaborate as a womans en-
broidery pattern. Watty had each and
every player analysed and set forth with
detail and precision. Some one once said
that there was 673. $50 combinations posi-
BILE in the average ball game. Watty had
signal for each one of those combina-
lions and expected his men to memoriZe
them all.
One of Watty's signals, so goes the
story, was for steal of second When
he tapped his own forehead the man on
first-who, of course, was supposed to
manager-was to rush for the middle sta
ton. One afternoon. with the score
sewed up and everything depending on
the last rally. Watty's team began to
opposition could pull themselves together
the bases were full, and it looked as If
nothing could prevent an avalanche of
runs. AT this critical moment a large
horsefy lit on Watty's face and har-
pooned him even as the whaler sends the
broad iron into the spouting leviathan.
With howl of anger Watty slapped him
self upon the forehead, and instantly,
with the zeal and fervor of young colt
at play, the man on first stole second
with the bases full.
After the pandemonium had subsidized.
the hostile infield had rounded up both