The Washington herald., 1910-11-29
Farewell sacrifice hit.
/. Good by snueeZe nlaN.

To the discard with hunts, too, as far
as systematized bunting is concerned.
Hit the ball out with good. healthy
swlpe" will be the orders that managers
of baseball teams will give their players
hereafter says Sam Crane. the we'll
known baseball writer.
The sluggers viii be told 10 slug. and
Il home runs, triples, doubles. or singles
do not result it will be a case Of hit
'em off their shins." anyhow. So ii will
not be surprising 10 see inhelders wear
ing cricket pads next season, as well as
eatchers. Outhelders may wish they had
shin pads also. for there is going to be
some swatting from now on. and then
some
That the old sterotyped play of laying
the ball down" 10 advance runner who
may be on hrst base with none out is a
back number and not up-to-date base
ball has gained many firm believers
among those people who make the game
q study.
That base running and free batting
Will supersede the inside business, so
called. Of having a batsman purposely
sacrifice himself for a pToblemaucal run,
slim one away OF making base hit, is
the Transformation the game of baseball
will see next year is what l predict.
Too Much Sacrificing.
Sacrifice hitting is all right If II can
be done Unexpectedly, so as 20 catch the
other fellows mapping. but that the play
has been carried altogether too far and
taken away not a little interest IN the
sport is a fact The play has in conse-
quence Outlived its usefulness TO large
extent
The mere fact that the defense is inva-
riEbly wise" 10 the play and can there
by perfect schemes to make it compare
lively resultless, is sufficient TO taboo il
from the plans of campaign of those
leaders who have brains enough 10 be
progressive. Managers and captains who
look ahead q bit further than their own
noses can see, or they should. anyhow
that any play that the opposing players
are on" TO is not the one TO carry
through in the same old mechanical way
that has been followed so many years.
The unexpected play is always a proper
caper. but none are when the other fell
lows know what is coming of.
Bunting will never die out as long as
baseball is on the boards unless it is
ruled OUT and that viii never be.
/ think about as pretty a feature Of a
game is TO see speedy runner. like
Morris Rath, for instance. beat out to
first a perfectly placed bunt, Morris can
do that, too. and telegraph" that he is
going TO hunt But all runners are not
Rath in getting down to the initial sack.
The sacrifice" however, that every
player. as well as spectator, knows is to
of har Gal
viii be done away with 10 a large extent.
end then only when the infelders are not
laying for their particular play.
Squeeze 10 lie Discarded.
The sacrifice" has become so common.
so mechanical that 1t has long passed out
OF what is known as inside business
II is all so plain that it is entirely on
the outside Every one knows it, The
boys on the open lots play II. and the
squeeze" that was a good and scientific
point OF play just so long as il was I'M
expected is bound 10 be discarded, along
with the sacrifice"
With these two ex-inside plays done
away with as regular plays of offense,
more base running and freer hitting are
bound 10 become more prominent, as they
deserve The chit and run" will be the
proper time for that play will be up to
the managers TO dope it out.
Pitchers styles OF delivery will be care
fully studied and every battery weakness
taken advantage Of Base runners and
hitters will have the call and the play
ers without the highest degree of excel
lence in those important departments will
not be considered classy. Mere fielding
ability will not carry any player very
far on the road to fame or fortune.
McGrav Gives Up Sacrifice.
John McGraw was the first manager 10
drift away from the sacrifice" As for
the Squeeze" he never did take II sert-
ously. and the Giants never once tried the
play. that I remember. MeGraw called
II sucker play not a very pretty
term, but extremely expressive. He did
not allow its use, anyhow
In the post-season series between the
Giants and the Yankees the sacrifice"
with the Giants was scarcely ever tried
IL Was case OF stealing bases or trying
10 and clOuting the ball. The inside"
work pulled OF was mostly in sizing up
the right moment 10 send the man on
base on pilfer trip and for the batter
10 do his part.
Devore and Doyle tried for hunts at
times when least expected, but the sac
rihce" was discarded.
The Yankees did little sacrificing.
In the worlds series. too, between the
Athletics and Cubs, there was a mini
mum OF sacrificing, even at times when
the first man at bat got first
The fact that hitting and more base