Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-18
SUBSTITUTE MUST Be GOOD
Nan Who Fills In is Expected TO Be
as Fast as Regular.
HOFFMAN A SHINING EXAMPLE
Team Managers and Fans Overlook
the Fact that subs Don't Get
Practice--some Are Classy
Men In spite OF This.

In a way the position Of substitute on a
baseball team is the hardest of all. The
substitute gets his chance only once in q
WHILE and he Is expected 20 do as well
when that chance comes as the regular
whose position he is called upon to take.
He doesn't get the seasoning, the benefit
Of everyday competition as does the reEu-
lar; but IL IL up TO him to I'M the iatter's
shoes as we'll as the regular when the oc-
casional moment arrives. whether as a
pinch hitter or In the field no less is ex-
pected from his exercise OF mental and
physical faculties as II he were getting the
training Of everyday battling and ability
to adapt oneself TO situations as they arise.
In a way, too, the substitute must be an
all around man. capable OF flung any po-
sition IN the infield or outfieid and some
times both. In modern times tina ablest
substitute who has come before the public
is Artie Holman. the Chicago Cubs star,
now a regular because his exceptional abil-
ity finally brought him the berth. The
wonder OF the case is that he ever was
substitute. Barring experience he was as
good a player when he was an understudy
as he is now. Yet for several seasons he
filled the utility role. and there were men
ahead Of him who weren't his equals on
point OF value to the team. Any team in
the country even then would have been
glad TO have taken Holman off of Chances
hands and made a regular Of him. Chance
knew the mans value. however, and kept
him.
Hoffman IL Eample.'
| A base ball expert, a former manager,
recently put it this way anent Hoffman:
He can play any position in the infield
or outfield and play 1t better than the
regular in that position" That may be
putting it strongly, but put Hoffman any
where you like outside Of battery place
and the team won't be weakened any.
Keeping on edge by sitting on bench is
! the hard lot of the substitute, and one Of
the interesting phases OF the game is that
he generally does IL. Some teams have
men who can fill in either in the outfield
or infield. There's Roach of the New York
Highlanders, for instance, regular in the
early part OF the season, an infielder
naturally, but now filling in in the out
field. Manager McGraw Of the New York
Giants is more OF specialist as to utility
men. He has Fletcher and schaefer. two
utility infielders, and in Becker. q utility
outfielder
McInnis of the Philadelphia Athletics.
substitute inflelder, is a better man right
now than several regular big league short
stops, and you'd never know 1t wasn't
Barry playing IL you didn't know the two
men by sight Jennings Of the Detroits
has in Lathers and Simmons couple Of
extra infielders whose work has all the
finish OF veterans. Walsh OF the Phillies
plays the outfield and infield both right
UP to the handle. In recent contest Knabe
was hurt, Walsh was switched from center
field to second base and covered the latter
position as If to the manner born
Boeton Man Makes Good.
Look at the way Hack Engle Of the Bos-
ton Red Sox has made good. He went to
third base to -understudy one OF the best
third basemen in the business and day
after day played clever ball there. Then
when Harry Lord was traded for a regular
third baseman, Purtell, Engle was shifted
over to second base suddenly to take the
place Of Gardner, who was hurt 1t didn't
make any difference, however, Engle made
himself at homo at once, playing not only
J capable but a conspicuously good game
at the second bag.
Wild Conroy Of the Washingtons il a cross
between q regular and a substitute. He II
a first class third baseman, first clasI
shortstop and a first class outfielder. Like
} wise he Is a good base runner and is APT
J to do his hitting at opportune times. Hyatt
of the Pittsburgs made name for him
self last season as a pinch hitter. ThatI
about all he was used for, to bat In enler'
gencies. 1t is hard to imagine a more
il. trying position than that OF pinch hitter
one whose batting practice is confined
chiefly to morning and preliminary prac
tice, but whose eye and judgment must b.
keen when he is called upon.
There are numerous others and theii
berths are anything but pretty soft" Be
ing in the game every day is an outlet fol
the feelings which the substitute doesn'
have, but none>the less ia his responsibility
when he Is called into action.
He also serves who only stands and waits