Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-23
NJ ALEER WASASTAR
Fred Tenney Considers Him
Games Greatest Fielder.
FIELDING is AN INSTINCT
Seemed Able to Judge Force of Ball
as Soon as It Left
the Bat.
FIELDING IS AN INSTINCT

The better the outfielder the more
quickly he judges the flight of fly ball
after it leaves the bat. So Fred Tenney
says, and not only has Tenney played
base ball long while, but he got his
sheepskin at college, and ought to know
something about the physics of base ball.
The good outfielder judges the place
where a fly ball will come down before
the ball reaches the topmost point in its
arc of flight. He Judges it before the
break or angle in the curve the ball is
describing. If he waits until the ball
reaches the zenith of its flight he is not
n good fielder. and if he cannot judge its
downward course until the ball has
passed its meridian he is still less prof.
Gent The sooner he gauges the balls
flight the more time will he have to be
there when it comes down.
Jimmy McAleer was a wonderful judge
of fly ball. says Tenney. and another
was Tom Mccarthy. With them 1t was
me that McAleer was able to judge a fly
ball the instant 1t left the bat. for l have
seen him turn at the very sound of the
bat, dust out as fast as he could go and
never look back until he was ready to put
out his hands and make the catch. |
the sound and to judge the angle of the
curve instantly or almost instantly after
the ball left the bat With most tielders
the course of a balls descent is judged
just before it reaches its highest point,
while 1t is still rising. and fielders like
McAleer and Mccarthy were able to
judge that break or angle by the time
the ball had traversed half of its ascend
ing arc. They judged force by the sound
and the trajectory by sight, and did 1t
l. >~~I
Long a Great Fielder.
Tenney says the best infielders are those
who follow the ball. Such a fielder
was Herman Long, and such a one is
AL Bridwell. That is as soon as a ground
ball as hit they get in motion to cut across
it's path. FieIders of this sort are in a
position to cover more ground than the
fielder who is not in the habit of fol-
lowing every ball hit, and even If the
former can't make a play on the groundeI
they are SO moving as to be at the right
place to make the play likely to arise
after the ball has been f1elded. For in
stance. If shortstop is moving toward
a grounder hit to right field he is nearing
second base. where. II there is runner
on first, the next play is likely to be
made. This following Of the ball isn'1
instructive like Judging fly, says Tenney
but il practiced it gets to be a habit
Sometimes, as in the case Of a thirG
baseman, following the ball may draw
him away and cause him to lose a play
at third, but the percentage Of play:
which he will be able to make by fol
lowing the ball will be greater than thai
of plays he will lose.
zone OF the secrets of fast infleld i:
being on the move.'' Tenney continued
1.-The catchers signs tell the infielder:
what ball the pitcher is going to send up
and they anticipate where the batter viii
hit the ball. One reason Herman Long
covered so much ground was because hi
not only followed the batted ball, but alst
because he was always so balanced as tt
get in motion for a ball that was likely
to be the result Of what he knew the
pitcher was giving the batter.
Il remember once Vic Willis was pitch
ing for Boston and Jesse Tannehill wa:
at the bat. Long saw as Willis WOUND
up that he was going to give Tannehill 9
low ball, and Tannehill could wallop thai
kind He was apt to paste them hare
to right field
mo, no: don't give him that" CRIED
Long, but Willis was just letting the bal
go and Long darted across the diamond
in front OF the second baseman as fas
as his legs could carry him. He knew
that Tannehill was apt to slam the bal
to right field and he wanted to head !,
off There were two strikes on Tannehill
and as luck would have it he missed this
one and struck out. Long described a
circle, came-up to Willis from the direc-
ton of first base, grabbed him by the
hand and exclaimed, That's the way to
pitch, old boy.