Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-17
CATCHERS NEEDED
Big Leagues Suffer Because of
Scarcity of Competent Men.
CONNIE MACK GIVES ADVICE
Great Opportunity for Man Willing
to Don the Mask and Protector.
Great Catchers of the Past.

Connie Mack-than whom there is no
wiser club owner. manager or observer in
base. bali. recently said:
| The best advice 1 can give a Young
man who aspires to make for himself
great name on the diamond is Practice
and study catching. Become a second
Buck Ewing. There is practically no
limit TO the salary that a man the equal
OF Lou Criger or of Roger Bresnahan,
when these two catchers were at their
BEST could command today"
Every ball player, every fan and every
club owner knows that Connie-who was
once nrst-claSs catcher himself-iS right.
Inc demand for backstops of the King
breshahan Gibson ger-Carrigan-Sulli-
| van stamp is vastly greater than it is for
| great pitchers, hard hitters or fast field
ers; Infinitely greater, in factA than is the
supply.
Singularly enough, it is only by cycles
| or by decades, one might almost say that
| star catchers are developed. In truth, so
seldom does it occur that when a Clarke,
an Easterley or Gibson appears in the
pase pail sky the whole country sits up
and gives attention.
Major league scouts unite in saying that
only small percentage of young men as
plring TO places on the major league clubs
today are trying to get the jobs as catch
ers. This is hard to explain, inasmuch as
the great catchers of the past occupy
fully as important a place in base ball
history as do the Radbournes, the Clark
sons and the McCormicks
indeed; no names In all the annals of
base ball are more familiar than are those
OF BUCK Ewing. Charley Bennett. Jim
Mcclure Duke" Farrell. Jack Boyle,
Charley Camel, Lou Criger. Charley Tim
mer Jack O'Connor. Tom DAILY, DOC"
Bushong,' Wilbert Robinson. Dick Buck
ley, Charley Snyder "Calliope'' Miller,
John Clement. Emil Gross. Mike Kelly,
Silver" Flint. Vincent Nava. Jim White
They were among the most famous
backstops that have ever stood behind
| the plate. Those who saw them in action
| cling tenaciously to the belief that no
better catchers will ever be seen on the
diamond.
III the major league club owners are
| asking. these old backstops. many of
them bare-handed. could afford to take
the risk in the days when the pitchers
came at them on the hop skip and jump
and let the ball go at top speed at
distance of only forty-five feet. why
shouldn't the ambitious young players of
today protected by gloves as broad as
the pitchers are fifteen feet farther away
and are forced to keep one foot on the
slab when letting the ball go?''
The question may never be answered.
the reason may be found in the fact that
| the old catchers were proverbially modest
and when the bell rang for their retire
ment quietly slipped out Of the spotlight
| and kept STILL There are none to sing
| their praises today but the fans who saw
/ them in action.
Charley Bennett was on the crest of
| the highest wave Of popularity when he
him to retire. In his day he handled
such pitchers as Staley. Nichols. Stivetts.
Clarkson, Shaw, Conway. Getzein and
Baldwin. and in 1881, 1883. 1885. 1856.
1887. 1855, 1889, 1880 and 1893 he led the
| old league.
! Barney Gilligan and Vincent Nava
| were small men. but how grandly and
gamely they faced the hurricane pitching
of "Old Hoss" Radbournei
! Silver Flint kept on catching until he
had no more unbroken fingers. He caught
Larry Corcoran. Fred Goldsmith. Jim Nc
| Cormick and John Clarkson when they
were at their best: He was Anson's MAIN
stay when the old White Sox won the
| pennant In 1850, 1881. 1882, 1885 and 1885,
Mike Kelley gave him great assistance in
| the last two seasons
Ewing's best work was done behind
| such superb pitchers as Tim Keefe, Hank
| O'Day, Mickey WEIGH, Amos Rusie
| Cannon Ball. Crane and men Of that
| stamp
"Chief" thinner caught SO games for
Cleveland in 1894. with the wonderful
fielding average of 1885. and came back
again in 1901 with Pittsburg with an
average Of .9o2 for 81, games.
| DICK Buckley was known In the ninetteS
| as the man who made Rusie."
| Charley Snyder's work in Boston when
| he virtually brought out Tommy Bond
will never be forgotten. Years afterward
in Cleveland he was still one of the
| grandest men behind the bat
| Duke" Farrell caught the pitching Of
| such whirlwinds Of speed as Rusie and
Meekin with as much grace as is shown
by Lajoie in handling an ugly bounder.
| Hughey Jennings declares that Will
bert Robinson was the best catcher that
ever lived, and the Tigers leader is
pretty good authority. Robbie" of the
| Orioles and John Clement of the old
Phillies. afterward with Cleveland, tied
| for top-notch honors in 1895, the former
with 70 games and the latter with IS.
| Deacon" Mcclure was the bright shin
| ing star in 1898. with the superb average
| of 1852 in 50 games
| With such heroes to inspire them, It Is
| indeed wonder that more of the am
bilious young men of today do not put on
| the mask and protector and go out for
| the records they might never be able to
| obtain in other departments Of the game
overrun as they are by thousands of re-
| cruitS.