The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-12
THE PART BASE STEALING
PLAYS IN SCORING RUNS

the Dig run record that Lajoif made Of
lfs runs in 1901. Lajoie's figures OF IS look
small in comparison with Rnsh's for the
same year Of ia
LajOie and Bush COMPARED in 1901.
The figures for 1853 may wen be taken
TO illustrate the value OF stealing. for
II was Lajoie's first year OF release from
management which had interfered with
his work in two previous years. The rec
ord for LaJoie and Bush for 1903 stands
as follows:
Lajoie batted 4s9 times. made - hits.
scored IS runs. stole 13 bases, sacrificed
II times, batted IA. made g two-base
hits, three-base, and ] home run. Bush
5atied 55z times, made 145 hits, score ia
runs, stole SO bases, sacrificed 81 times,
batted -Zi5. made IS twO-b2se, and
three-base hits.
In an estimate OF the work that these
two players did, the element OF advane-
ing comes in. For purposes of argument
it may be supposed that every time
each Of these players went 10 bat there
was man on frst to be advanced.
From these figures it can be easily fig
ured out that. su9Osing there was al
. ways man on first 10 be advanced.
Lajoie forwarded men for total OF 20
bases and took 2l2 bases himself by his
~ hits. The Sssnl total OF his work
cannot exceed 426 Eases.
Bush, by his play. advanced players.
under the same siippOsition, fer a total
OF Zi9 bases, which with the bases he
took on hiss and the bases he stole makes
a grand total of 4ss bases. or I3 more
than LaJoie with his superior batting.
/ Whatever this I3 may stand for is the re-
suit OF Bushs 50 stolen bases. against Is
for Lajoie and Bush's 3 sacrifices,
against only II for Lajoie. But with such
faculty for stealing bases as Bush has
displayed, II seems a shame to make a
man ike that sacrifice
To Measure Effect of Base Stealing.
One cannot establish a just estimate
of the base stealer's contribution TO the
work of team by calculation of the per
cent of steals calculated on the times he
was at bat Ii must be based on the
times he got 10 first, for no man can
steal unless he gets to first by some
means In the case of Lajoie. who hit
l9Z times and stole % bases, the Der cent
Is .0S5. Bush, who Id 145 times and stole
IS bases, has a per cent of .S65. In gen.
eral terms it may be said that Bush stole
a base every second or third time that
he got to first, while I4ajoie stole one
every eighth or ninth time ne was SO
placed.
Qualifications of n Base SteaIer.
II man cannot run faster than the
average man. he is badly handicapped to
shine in this feature of the game. All of
the great base runners have been
sprinters. But the fastest sprinters have
not been the best stealers. There are
many men in either league who can beat
Eddie Collins in a hundred yards, vet he
leads base stealers with 81 In 1910: and
that is also true of Roy Bescher, who has
lea National League base stealers for the
past two years.
II is too much to say that the base
stealer is the brainiest man on the ball
field, because there are many men with
good heads who cannot run fast enough
TO become the best stealers. But il may
be said tbs the best stealers are the
most intelligent and best endowed men
tally of their class. Judgment in know
ing just when to start and the ability
to start quickly at the moment the
chance is seen are. essentials. In the old
days when pitchers had TO wind them
selves up before they could deliver
ball, or with the few pitchers OF that
class to-day, the base stealer has an
easy chance when the balk rule is prop
erly enforced. But there is no depart
ment among good players where the right
combination of brains and speed tell TO
such good advantage as between the
bases.
Copyright, 1910 By National Weekly Letter Bureau
Lehigh Baseball Schedule.
South Bethlehem. Dec. u.-Jeremy FISH
er. of Lewiston, Me. the captain OF the
Lehigh baseball nine. has announced the
schedule as follows:
March &-PennsylYania at PHILADELPHIA.
April S-West Point. at West Point
April l5-Cornell. at Ithaca.
Arril f9-Tufts at home.
April 22-FoTdham. at Fordham.
April 2e-Franklin and Marshall at home
May s-kutgcTs at New Brunswick
May l0-Lsfayette. at Easton.
May l3-SwsrthmoFe at SWarthmore
May D-Pratt Institute at home.
MAY 2f-penn STATE at home.
May S-Iafayette, az Eason.
June s-sisnhattan. at koms.
June lo-Iafayette al home
Milwaukee garbage men are now paid 3 day.
Always the Same.
Tharp's
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