Norwich bulletin., 1910-02-26
GET A CATCHER.
First Position to Be Filled on Winning
 Ball Team.

What is the most important position on a baseball team?
 Many. without the slightest hesita : ton, will reply third base, adding that it Is also the hardest to play. Some will advance strong arguments to show that nothing is more essential to winning team than cracking good pitchers. Others will tell you lhort-
 neI4. a.I4. second 0ase' hrs'0ase 'F out
 'I once heard a prominent critic
 ask a we'll known big league manager
 what is the first thing he would do if out pennant winning teafn," sail Umpire Bill Evans.
 Almost before the question had ben finished he replied: The very first clever catcher who could receive throw and think. wouldn't care very much about his hitting ability or his speed on the bases, but I would insist on the first three qualifications. Such a man would secure regardless of cost
 While all the positions on ball team are more or less important it would seem that this manager, who by the way has been at the head of mighty few losers, looks on the catch ing job. as the most important of all. Nh doubt there are many who will ton, but to those familiar with the conditions as they exist on the ball field there Is no denying the fact that the man behind the mask plays a prominent part in the success or fail- ure of ball club.
 Its baseball history that mighty few clubs have been pennant winners unless at least one star catcher was in the line up. Possibly some people who witnessed the different worlds series in which the Detroit team has taken part will insist that the Tigers catching staff didn't look any too for-
 Fu 41x<. Tigers in action in only the big show there are good reasons for such an opinion. However, there are, thou sands of American league fans who troit catching staff has some very high class material. Still, therc is no getting around the fact that they fall ed to show their usual form in the big show. although the reason for the fail- ure has never been apparent, It 1s fact, however, that the Detroit catch CTS have always caught far better than the average ball during the American league sea son. otherwise the Tigers would not have landed the pennant three times in succession.
 "The Chicago club is an excellent ex- ample of what a high class catcher means to ball team With K1ing do- ing the receiving. the Cubs won the National league pennant for three suc- cessive years, twice making runaway races out of the campaign in the old CT CTkaDiZdllOIsf .1dSL bcdSOls DcCduSt of some grievance, he failed to play with the Cugs. and the three time win ners were beaten out in the face for the bunting by Pittsburg. The Chica- go catchers did well enough. but the star pitchers of the team missed the brainy Kling, who had the power to steady them when they we're about to make an ascension, who could throw the fastest of base runners out With rnonotonous regularity who knew the weakness of every hitter in the organ izatfon. There are many who beli@ve that Chicaep would have copped for the fourth time had Kling been direct ing the destinies of the team.
 "Any New Yorker will tell you that the absence of Bresnahan weakened the Giants in more ways than one. Cincinnati fans realized what a really man Lary Mclean was after he- had been injured and the club de- prived of his services Every Phila- delphian knows that the tragic death of Doc Powers vas a body blow to the Athletics. All Pittsburg rooters are aware Of the fact that no one man played a more prominent part in the success of the Pittsburg team than the hard working George Gibson"