The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-10
Blunt and Squeeze Play Have Had
Their Day.

Their Day.
Farewell, sacrifice hit.
Goodbye, squeeze play.
To the discard with hunts. too. as
far as systematized bunting is con-
cerned.
"Hit the ball out with a good.
healthy swipe," will be the orders that
managers of baseball teams will give
their players hereafter.
The sluggers will be told to slug, and
II nome runs, triples, doubles or sin
giles do not result. it will be a case of
'hop 'em off their shins," anyhow. So
it will not be surprising to see infield-
ers wearing cricket pads next season,
as well as catchers. Outfelders may
wish they had shin pads. also. for
there is going to be some swatting
from now on, and then some.
That the old stereotyped play of
"laying the ball down to advance a
runner who may be on first base with
none out is back number and not up
to-date baseball, has gained many firm
believers among those people who
make the game a study.
That base running and free batting
will supersede the INSIDE business,
so-called, of having a batsman pur-
posely sacrifice himself for prob
lematieal run, and thus throw all
chances but a very slim one away Of
making base hit, is the TRANSFORMED
ton the game of baseball will see next
year is what predict.
Sacrifice hitting is all right If it can
be done Unexpectedly, so as to catch
the other fellows mapping; but that the
play has been carried altogether too
far and taken away not little interest
in the sport is a fact. The play has in
consequence outlived its usefulness to
a large extent
Defense Next" to Play.
The mere fact that the defense is
iJ1UQ a hIV tfyViSa'' n nd
thereby perfectly scheme to make it
comparatively resultless is sufficient to
taboo it from the plans of campaign of
those leaders who have brains enough
to be progressive. Managers and cap
tains who look ahead a bit further
than their own noses can see, or they
should, anyhow, that any play that the
opposing players are hep 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 fellows know what is coming off.
Bunting will never die out as long
as baseball is on the boards unless it
is ruled out, and that will never be-
think about as pretty a feature of
a game shown is to see speedy run
ner like Josh Devore, for instance,
beat out to first a perfectly placed
bunt. Josh can do that, too, and
Telegraph lneL ne Is going TO Dutil
But all runners are not Devore in get
ting down to the initial sack.
The Sacrifice" however, that every
player as well as spectator knows is to
come off. as we'll as the batter himself.
will be done away with to large ex-
tent, and then only when the infielders
are not laying for that particular play.
The sacrifice has become so COM
mon, so mechanical, that it has long
passed out of what is known as Gin
side business 1t is all so plain that
| it is entirely on the outside. Every
body knows it. The boys on the open
| lots play it, and the squeeze" which
was a good and scientific point of play
| just so long as it was unexpected, is
| bound to be discarded, along with the
'sacrifice .''-Sporting Life.