Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-08
SUBSTITUTE HAS
HARD PLACE TO FILL
Zimmerman Is Slated TO Play Second
For Eycrs III Champions
ship Series.

In way the position OF substitute
on n baseball team is the hardest OF
all The substitute gets his chance only
once in % while, and he is expected
to do as well when that chance comes
as the regular whose position he Is
called upon to take. He doesn't get
the seasoning, the benefit of every
day competition AZ does the regular:
hnt 1t Is up to him to I'LL the latter's
shoes ms well as the regular when the
occasional moment arrives Whether
as a Pinch hitter or In the field no
less Is expected from his exercise OF
mental and physical faculties Than If
he were getting the training of every
day battling and ability to adapt one
self 10 situations as they arise.
Zimmerman will find 1t hard to take
the place OF Johnny Evers ut second
base for the Cubs in the coming series
with. the Athletics. While Zimmerman
Is u good substitute and Is a splendid
batter when II comes to inside work
ing he is not In the Same class. Never
theless II was George Robe, substi-
tu,e that won the worlds series for
the White Sox in 1906.
In n way, too. the substitute must be
an all around man, capable of filling
any position In the inlicld or outiield.
and sometimes both In modern times
the ablcst substitute who has come be-
fore the public Is Artie Holman. the
Chicago Cubs star, now a regular be-
cause his exceptional ability finally
brought him the berth Tho wonder
OF the case Is that he ever was
substitute. Barring experience. he was
as good PLAYER when he was an
inderstudy as hc Is now, Yet for sew
cral seasons he filled the utility role.
and there We're men ahead of him
who weren't his equals in poin, of
value to the team. Any team In the
country even then would have heen
glad to have taken Holman off of
Chances hands ana made regular
of him. Chance knew the mans value,
however. and KEEP; him.
A base ball expert. n former manager,
recently put 1t this WAY anent Hof-
man: He can play any position in
the inficid or outncld and play II bet
ter than the regular in that position"
That may be putting it strongly, hurt
| put Holman anywhere You like out
| side of battery place and the team
won't he weakened any.
Keeping on edge by sitting on n bench
Is the hard lot of the substitute. and ono
of the interesting phases Of the game
Is that no generally does II. Some
| teams have mon who can I'll In either
| In the outfcld or incld. There's Roach
| Of the New York Highlanders, for in
stance, a regular In tile carly part of the
| season. an inficldcr naturally, but now
| filling in the outiield. Manager Nc
| Graw of the New York Giants is more
| of specialist MS to utility men. lie
| has Fletcher and Schaefer. two utility
| innelders, and In Becker, a utility out
| fielder.
McInnis of the Philadelphia Athletics,
| substitute inhelder. Is better man
right now than several regular big
league shortstops. and you'd never
know it wasn't Barry playing II you
didn't know the two men by sight Jen.
| nings of the Detroits has in LathcrS and
| Simmons a couple of extra inhelders
! whose work has all the finish of vet
| Grams. Walsh of tho Phillics plays tho
| outfeId and inheld both right up to tho
| handle In q recent contest knabe
| was hurt. Walsh was switched from
| center field to second base and COW
| cred the latter position as II to the
| manner born.
Look ut the way Hack Engle of tho
| Boston Red Sox has made good. He
went to third base to understudy one
| OF the best third basemen In the bust
| ness and day after day played clever
| hall there. Then when Harry Lord
was traded for a regular third base
| man, Purtell Fngle was shifted over
TO second base suddenly to take the
| place of Gardner VINO was hurt IL
| didn't make any difference. however.
| Isnglo made himself Mt homo at once,
| playing not only n capable but q con-
] spicuo,sly good game at the second
| bag.
Wild Conroy OF the Washingtons Is q
cross between n regular and sub
stitute He is a first class third base
man. first class shortstop and Il first
class outtieldcr Likewise he Is n good
base runner and Is apt to do his hit
| ting at opportune times. Hyatt or
the Pittsburgs made name for him
| self last season as pinch hitter.
| That's about all he hoswns used for, TO
bat in emergencies. 1t Is hard to imag-
inc "a more trying position than that of
pinch hitter. one whose batting practise
is confined chiefly to morning and pre-
limlnary practise. but whose eye and
Judgment must be keen when he is
called upon.
There are numerous others and their
berths are anything but pretty soft
Being In tho game every day Is an out
let for the feelings which the substitute
doesn't have, but mono the less Is his
responsibility when he Is called into
action.