Norwich bulletin., 1910-03-18

of Ned Hanlon. first won n National
 league pennant, the subject of doing away with the spike was first agitat-
 ed. It is said that before the games fin those days McGraw, Jennings, Brou-
 thers Joe Kelley, Brodie and Willie Keeler would gather in the club housa and in the hearing of the opposing team talk about shapening their spikes. As consequence there were few basemen willing to stand in the
 way of any of these players when the latter were sliding into the base While the sharpening was merely d. ruHo to scare the opposing team, the Orioles were absolutely fearless in their base running and took all kinds of chances.
 While it might seem that one the basemen and catcher are subject to the danger. every man fin the game is really liable to injury. 1t is, however, the men on the sacks who undergo tho greatest liability to Injury. While tho base runner runs a small chance every time he tries to steal a base or slide into or back to bag, it is the man who is playing the sack that takes the chances every time player attempts to pilfer a base.
 The second baseman is in the most danger. Not because a man will take as many chances stealing that bag as to get home, but because stealing homo is more or less uncommon. The sec ond baseman must keep his foot on tho bag or be in a position to touch the runner from whichever position the ball is thrown to. On the other hand, the man who is stealing thinks of nothing except getting to the base be- fore the ball Spikes are forgotten, and as result many players are in jured. While the runner takes a cer- tain chance, it cannot be compared with that of the baseman. He is standing still, while the man who iS stealing ham the impetus through run ming to sink his cieats into the man waiting for him at the bag.
 While cieats are dangerous on ehe shoes of any player, it IS with such men as Wagner Cobb, Collins and Ma gee, who are absolutely fearless and go into the bag as if shot from a cam non, that the basemen take the most chances. These men think of nothing except stealing, and they know no fear. In the same way as at second does tho third baseman run a chance of being spiked. In stealing home is really where the base runner exhibits rhs least fear. He has but one aim. and that to get to the plate with possibly the winning run. While many players attain greater speed fin sliding hande first. many slide feet foremost and here chance of being injured.
 Again, stealing home is entirely diff ferent from any other bag. Unlike the other bases, home plate is euni<en in the ground The man stealing can, not slide around the bag. He must slide straight fin. While the base runner is taking some chaEsc9s, it is the catcher who is liable to serf- ous injuries. He not only may be badly spiked, but if the man sliding comes into the plate high, he is liable to be struck in the body and in that way more seriously injured. While the pitchers, first basemen and out feIders are not subject to being in- jured while they are on the oefensive, they rhn a chance of suffering through being spiked while on the offensive.
 While the matter of doing away with cIeats has been discussed for the Last fifteen years, there has been no one to offer a fitting substitute.