The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-08
Richmond Boulers Appear in Competition on Buffalo Alleys
Sideline Remarks
on Sport Topics
ny =. Il.

speaking about rising first base
men having a chance to make good
In the American League this year"
said Richmond fan, lit will be the
old timers who VIII attract all the
attention in the National League
Which observation appears to be
nearly correct.
The two veterans are Tenney and
Chance. The rest of the first sack
ers I'm the National League. with the
exception of Bransfield. are practi-
cally newcomers. yet all saving in
the case of Flynn, OF Pittsburg, have
had considerable major league ex-
perience. Daubert, Konetchy and
Hoblitzel already have made their
mark. Merkle looks better than ever.
So it will be the veterans that will
/ be In the limelight. The fans VIII be
on the watch to see IL the old-timers
can go the distance this year with
the bunch of fast youngsters who are
crowding them for honors. There was
talk at the end of last season that
Chance would retire and that Archer
would play the bag, but the peerless
leader" has announced that Archer
Will divide the work of catching with
Johnny king. Tenney set all doubts
as TO who Will play first base when
he let Al Sharpe 60. Some folks
thought that he would place Out
fielder Beck at the first cushion. but
he has passed up Beck and announc-
ed In no .unmistaken terms that he
will be on the first corner himself.
Until Hal Chase came along Ten,
ney was regarded as the greatest first
baseman who ever held down that po-
sition. OF course. old-timers will tell
you that Comiskey was the first man
who ever played the game in modern
style, but Comiskey never made the
plays around the first corner that Ten
ney introduced. Comiskey played
wide or deep first base and cut of
many hits that big men like Brouth-
ers. Arson. Orr, Common and other
! players of his day would never think
of going after hut Tenney- made
even Comiskey look slow by his work.
1t was Tenney who first made the
play of getting runner from first
at second, when the batter hit to-
ward right field. The old style was to
play Off the bag until a man reached
first. Then the first basemnn moved
up To the bag and Rugged the cush
ion until the runner had advanced
or was left Not so Mr.. Tenney. He
) had an eye to the runner. but he kept
moving all the time. In the hit and
run, when the ball was placed inside
( the first bag. too, far away for the
/ second haseman or the pitcher to
handle. Mr.. Tenney was on the job.
He fielded the ball. flashed II to Sec
| ond and was back to first to take the
( throw from the second baseman. And
. II took a mighty fast runner to es-
cape "a double play.
Hal Chase has been known 10 get a
/ hunt and nail a man coming in from
third and his circus catches with his
! back TO the ball have been tho won
der OF the fans. Yet Tenney, once
1 in a while when he was feeling frs
Ky. would perform this whiriwind
/ dervish play just TO tickle the fans.
I And he could do IL with all the grace
Of Prince Hal himself.
| AS "A batsman Tenney was always
up among the topnotchers. He was
sure. steady and a hard hitter. He
is to-day. for that matter, but IL
( seems impossible that he should re-
/ tain all his old-time speed, and the
4 long grind Is apt to tell on the vet
eran. But for all that, If he is in
anything of his old self, the first base
play on the Boston Terrier team viii
( not suffer in comparison with any
other club in the National League.
As for Chance. his ability around
| the first cushion is known from the
Gulf to Quebec and from kennebunk-
/ port to Seattle. Steady. reliable, sure,
Chance needs but to be seen in ac-
| ton to be appreciated. Chance never
displayed the pepper shown by Ten
ney and Chase. He never tried a
circus jump for ball thrown wide,
| winding up with one-hand stab and
f1x pyr0ueetss back TO the baE. But let
them come high. low or wide, Mr..
Chance was always in front and his
| big mitt and horny right hand clutch
| ed the bali. But Il is the generalship
of Chance that has been his chief
claim to fame M Tinker and Evers
have been called the wonders of the
great Cub infield. but it is to Chance
that these two players look for ad-
vice and appropriation, when all is
said and done. sssa's' 3Fs
In National League circles kopet-
chy is regarded as the best first base
man OF the newer stars, but from
present indications Daubert. OF Brook
/ lyn. Is likely to give him run for
| honors. Daubert. like Tenney and
Chase. is left-handed. He handles
himself very much like these two
great players, and he Is making his
has shown cleverly, and such author
L To- r N.