Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-12
EVOLUTION OF WHAT MEN
TERM INSIDE BASE BALL
Great Number of Teams Now Employ
Tactics Scarcely Ever Used Fiji
teen Years Ago.

over down at second base. and smart
throw from Killing to Tinker caught him
mapping for the second out. ROsslnan
was SO affected by this double disaster
that he struck out. and the Tigers never
had another opportunity to win.
Picture what Nigh. have happened II
Cobb had known that Brown knew what
he was going to try to do, and also what
Brown was scheming to DO. 1t would
have been no easy task for the ordinary
batsman to hunt that kind Of ball
toward first base, but the versatile artist
Ty Cobb. might have succeeded. Better
still and more easily could he have hit
the ball straight back toward the slab.
but not hard enough to reach the in
fielders in time for play.
''Double-Cross'' Works.
With Brown on the jump toward the
third base line it would have been impos-
sible for him to recover in time to field
the ball himself. Every one would have
been safe, the bases full and nobody out.
The double-cross would have been COM
plete and its effect might have produced
a costly play that would have thrown the
game away right there.
Considered specifically almost the only
new things developed in the offense i'll
the squeeze play. Hardie Richardson OF
the famous Detroit Big Four" denies
that the latter play is new, and says it
was originated in his day. Probably
plenty of old-timers can be found to prove
the delayed steal was worked before
the civil war, and the indoor base ball
players can truthfully say they have
to make the delayed steal or none. In
side base ball has progressed more
markedly in the defensive end of the
plotted to meet various forms OF at
tack. Several kinds of sacrifice killers
have been worked out with more or
less success. and the system OF break
ing up the hit and run play has been
diversified and improved greatly.
Great Defense of Cubs.
No team, perhaps, has perfected its
defense to a higher point than the Cubs
in the matter Of working in unison
with the pitcher on every ball deliver
ed. but this sort of team play was
known and utilized in some measure
more than a dozen years ago. In break
ing up the hit and run, for instance,
1t is extremely difficult for the batsman
to guess whether Evers or Tinker will
cover second base when the runner
starts from first. Thereby the bats
man has less chance to hit the ball
through the position left vacant. The
catcher's signal to the pitcher, indi-
eating what kind OF a ball he wants
pitched. determines who will cover
second on that ball. hence the pitcher
and catcher. and the rest Of the in
field If they care to, know who is due
TO take the throw to second If one is
made. On the next ball pitched II may
be the same man or the other, DEPEND
ing on what the catcher calls for from
the pitcher. In former days pitchers
worked with their infields in this way.
Jimmy Callahan always knew before
he pitched ball who was covering
second on that particular pitch.
Scores Play "Inside" Ball.
The growth of inside base ball has
been rather in area than in intensity
Where one team or one set OF players on
team played the inside game ten wears
ago scores and hundreds of them use it
today. Where few men were experts
In working plays which have become ia
mlliar to every one there are thousands
OK players trying them now. Consider
the ount in all its phases. Less than ten