Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-04
P|LFER|NG BASES AND
THEIR BIG DECREASE
Big Catcher's Glove the Main
Reason There Are Fewer
Steals Than in Old Days.

NEW YORK, July 1.-The decline OF
base running in base ball has been much
pemoaned. Base running has been do
scriped as a rapidly vanishing art. and
ali that That bail players nowadays
don steal as many bases as they used
10 twenty years ago is plain, bald fact.
OUT mat doesn't necessarily mean that
base running has suffered to the datri-
meht OF the game. On the contrary, bass
paH is more scientific and interesting
game now than when many more bases
were stolen. The high development o.
team work-which is one reason why Sd
many bases aren't stolen-the hit-and-
run play, Tor lnstance-has improved the
game as game. even IL doing away
with some individuality and initiative ty
individual players on the bases
base runners are as fast as they ever
were there are just as many of them,
ana they run with just as good judgment.
-aren ( Cobb and Collins and Bescher
Auiiy as good as We're Hamilton. Stovey
anu fogarty! Or, to put ii in another
way wouldn't they steal just as many
BASES II the same conditions obtained?
ASIDE from the subordina ton of the in
uiVlduai TO the team there are excellent
reasons why fewer bases are stolen in the
present era of the national game They
are reasons which do not concern at all
the ability of the runners themselves.
Fer one thing, there is a big difference
IN the way stolen bases are scored once
upon time all player had toNdo was
10 start for the next base with the pitrh
ana he got credit for stealth he got
tnere-ho matter what happened to the
p!tched oaI If the ball was hit he got
fGt no
prohibit creditng man with a steal II
ne gets TO TIE next base aided by a bat
TED ball, and that in itself makes a dir
ference.
But potent influence in reducing the
NUMBER OF stolen bases and one often
overlooked in discussing the question, is
tne ADVENT OF the big catchers mitt.
Prior TO 1880 there were many more
stolen bases than later The big ulit-
began to he used first in 1883. but
was not generally adopted until later
Arthur Irwin was the man who origi-
mated il and his first experiment con-
sisted IN putting single piece of
leather over the palm of an ordinary
fieider's glove. out of this grew the
present big glove. Irwin experimental
with his glove through the medium OF
Tom DAILY, then with Washington, and
Pat Murphy. then with the Giants, and
now Il policeman in Worcester.
And what difference did the big mitt
make ON base stealing? Just this: 1t
saves valuable time in the catcher get
ting his throw away. When catchers
used the small fingered glove their
hands had to give when taking pitch.
The yield o. the hands TO swiftly
pitched balls meant that just so much
time was lost in launching the throw.
base runner Also there were more
passed balls then. But with the huge
thick padded glove there is practically
no give The big cushion held out IN
n " "a
pitched bali stops dead, and the catcher
simply picks out the ball with his other
hand and ma6es his throw. The frac-
ton of time thus saved has been ne
main reason why base stealing has
fallen off
In 1857 Ward stole III bases. Fogarty
lo2 and Kelly 81. and there were FIVE
others who stole over fifty bases. all In
fever games than now constitute sea-
son. In 1889 Stovey stole 1l5 bases.
O'Brien lo3. Hamilton III, Long 81, Melch
q. and thirteen others stole over fifty
each Records of the present show No
such wholesale quantities of steals. The
record for 1905 shows that Cobb stole il
and Con-oy and Flick Il each. In 1917
Wagner stole 3D. Chance %, Devlin &c
and Macee 81, they being the leaders.
But in 1909 there seems to have been an
Improvement in the American League at
least, Cobb stealing 16. Collins "a and
Bush 90
The 1907 guide contains this brief rule
for stolen bases: "A stolen base shall be
credited 10 the base runner whenever he
advances a base unaided by a base nit
nut out. a fielding or battery error In
Tho last two seasons the rule has been
changed to permit runner getting credlt
for steal on battery error provided he
makes his start prior 10 the battery error
1t may be that Cobb and Collins have
been alert to take advantage of that
change but there has been no cor
reepording increase in steals in the last
two years 10y National League base rum
ners One trouble always has been lack
Of uniformity i'm scoring stolen bases.
II was once the custom to give credit
for steal when a runner overran base
and was put out. The rule provided a
steal in such case. Still that play didn't
happen often and aHects the point at
issue but little. Too much latitude on
the mart of some scorers always has eN-
isted, particularly in crediting a steal
on a palpable muff by the man taking
the throw. The chief reasons, howeHci.
for fewer stolen bases are these: The
big glove the wide use of the hit anc
run play and partly in connection with
the latter not giving a steal wnen the
runlrer is aided by batted bail The
ruIe i'm vogue in 1880 allowed for a steas
even when the ball muffed by the
fielder. There was nothing n that RUS
prohibiting the scoring OF steal when
aided by batted bail The lati-
Tude allowed by that rule, more or
less laxity in scoring and the mattress
mitt have cut down stolen bases. The
rresent generation OF players could sted.
unite as many bases under the same con-
ditions. and il may be mentioned that
gin between the good and the poor base
runners as now.
Mrs Peckem-Henry. what punishment
should be melted out to a man who pro-
poses to a woman and then refuses TO