Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-09

Whether to 0utspeed or to 0utwit
Catcher is Problem Before
Base Runner.
COBB AND WAGNER DIFFER
Former GallOps Around the Bases
Like Deer.
WAGNER MAKES USE OF WITS
Never Makes Unnecessary Motions
While on Bag.
HANS FLOATS THROUGH SPACE
Art Most Spectacular Feature OF
American Game, Capable of Pro-
ducing More Thrills Than
Any other Department.

NEW YORK, Jan. s-According to the
catchers OF the big leagues. 1t is a question
as to Which Is the greater base stealer,
the man that can outspeed one. Hans
Wagner of Pittsburg and Ty Cobb Of De-
trolt furnish excellent examples of these
two distinct types of base runners. They
are the masters OF their respective styles.
More than half of the time Cobb will take
a catcher by surprise ard his speed is so
great that the most perfect throw In the
world will not catch him. on the other
hand, Wagner simply tries to outguess the
catcher and he does it on nearly every
trial. The big Dutchman glides along the
ground like a freight train and he slides so
accurately that a perfect throw will miss
him 20 per cent of the time. He uses
his head entirely, while Cobb depends on
his wonderful speed.
Cobb is Of the nervous. fidgety variety
OF players, and he gailops away Xix a deer
that has been jumped from a brush pile.
The young Georgian pays little attention
to the catcher. He simply makes up his
mind when he is going to start, and he
does not care whether the catcher knows
II or not. He has absolute confidence In
his speed and that wonderful lightning
like slide that has put so many basemen
out of business.
Wagner stands on the base and watches
a catcher intently. He waits until he
thinks the catcher is of the opinion that
he Is not going to try to steal. Then he
starts.
Cobb Steals Most.
Cobb stole a great many more bases last
season than did Wagner, but It was be-
cause he took a great many more chances
He was also in a great many more games.
But one thing you want to bear In
mind" SAYS Catcher Archer of Chicago,
'Wagner stole the bases when they
counted. Unless it was important to the
game at the time, the Dutchman would not
start. Cobb will start and time just for the
pure deviltry Of It. He ikes to see If he
can beat the catcher's throw. He figures
that with a good start he can beat any
body's throw to a base. and he is pretty
nearly right.
STILL" continued Archer, II fear Wag-
ner on a base much more than l would
Cobb. 1 know Cobb's system pretty thor
ouRhly, as l was on the Detroit team with
him for a long time, though 1 never played
against him. 1 had the time OF my life,
though, last year trying to handle thai
fellow Wagner.
Wagner never makes any unnecessary
motions while running the bases. He has
a sort of a crouch, with hands spread awaS
out, and the lower he bends the better he
a. prepared to make a sudden DASH The
only other man in the league who has the
vams motions is Hans Lobert Of the Gin
cinnati Reds. He runs bases much the
same way, and is fully as fast as the
greater Hans, but does not use the same
Judgment. Hence his success is not az
great.
Cobb, on the other hand, the finest base
stealer of the American league, is a/dif'
ferent type of base stealer. He jumps VI
and down, first motioning to the initia
base, and then making a feint for second
When he really gets going he seems to q
like a Splinter in a 1OO-yard dash, eXertinI
every muscle, whereas Wagner almos
slides along, after the fashion Of a quar-
ter-miler.
This art OF base stealing is one Of tn
greatest In base ball and Is, without
doubt. the most spectacular feature. i be
lievs that a fan likes to see a base wei
stolen about as well as anything else 4
the game. And the thrill which spread
over you when you do succeed in ad
vancing a sack in that manner is eve
greater than in lacing out a two-baggeI
For It is outguesslng the other team"