The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-10
FREAK PLAYS OFTEN WIN
GREAT BASEBALL GAMES
Unexpected Stunts Sometimes
Take Enemy by Surprise
in Baseball.
PLAYERS WITH BRAINS COUNT

Doing the unexpected wins In base
ball. That has been proven. But with
this conclusive evidence before them,
baseball managers and ball players
persist in using the stereotyped and
tlme-worn methods of offense and de-
Tense on the diamond.
They seem simply unable to grasp
the value Of the new play. Such
masters as Frank Chance, John ].
McGraw and Hughie Jennings, men
who have been successful because
they used their brains and outwitted
the other fellows, have landed PEN
nants. Others have seen them go
to the top; they have seen them finish
in front, but they have been unable
to grasp the meaning of their sue
cess.
The trouble with most ball teams
is that they do not see through the
work of the other fellows. They do
not tumble to the fact that certain
plays are designed for one purpose
alone, and are not accidental.
Orioles An Example.
The Baltimore Orioles started in
side ball playing. 1t was this team
that made practice of using inside
plays, and il landed them champion
ships. Furthermore, the men who
were members of the orioles in those
days have been able to teach others
the same tricks with the same kind
OF success.
II is claimed that John ]. McGraw
discovered the hit-and-run play. That
was while McGraw was member
of the four-time Baltimore team John
j. was on first i'm one particular game
and Willie Keller was at bat. McGraw
started to steal second as the pitcher
delivered the ball. The second base
man ran over to cover second, and as
he did so Keeler pulled the ball
through the opening the infieder left.
The sharp wits of McGraw and
Keller Immediately saw the advan-
tage of the accidental play They
talked it over after the game and
then followed the most wonderful
series of team batting plays and in
side work the game had ever seen.
This team batting or the hit and run
play was so deftly performed that no
other manager or captain succeeded
in discovering what the Orioles were
working.
They could not see that the Balti-
more team was working with n
studied system of team batting and
team play.
Johnny Ward and Patsy Tebeau
were running teams i'm the National
league at that time. The orioles
were part of the National, but neither
Ward nor Tebeau discovered what
was being put over them.
How many teams successfully work
the hit and run and other inside plays
in these days? The game becomes
tiresome at times. The one team al
ways knows what the other is about
to pull off and can never get away
from it.
With Man On First.
With n man on first the team at
bat will, nine times out of ten, try
to sacrifice, providing there is not
more than one out. The infieders play
in and the man sacrifices. Everybody
looks for that and it is just what
happens.
The Giants last summer under Nc
Graw's direction, started something
different. With a man on base and
none out, the infelders were drawn
i'm by the batter Then he would hit
the ball with all his batting strength.
The plan was tried five times i'm
two games. Three times the ball
was a grounder which. If the fielders
had been playing back would have
resulted in an out but playing as they
did, two errors resulted and the ball
got by the other time. One trial re-
suited in n fly and the other In n
clean hit.
The next day under the same CON
ditions, instead of playing infield the
opposing infielders held their regular
positions. The result was that the
man at bat sacrificed Everybody
looked for a hard smash and before
the opposing team could recover and
reach the ball, the Giant batter had
reached first safely. 1t was the UNI
expected that won.