Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-01-23
BEST CATCH EVER
SEEN BY keller
Wee Willie Hands 1t to Jennings for
Remarkable Play.

Il Fhave seen a world of fancy
catches in the many years that have
played the game" says Willie Keller,
and it would. perhaps, be hard to
them all. In fact, I'd hate to name
any ten of the great catches I have
SEEN and say that were the greatest,
for there aren't many games that pass
without some splendid fielding feat be-
ing performed. STILL l believe the one
catch that sticks longest in my MEM
DRY and the one to which my mind al
ways turns when I want to make a
standard of comparison, was one that
Hughey Jennings made in Chicago one
summer day, long, long ago. 1t was
Fourth of July, if I remember rightly,
and the crowd was so enormous that
the fans. were damned into the field
by the thousands. Along the left side
of the arena they stood in SHOALS, a
mass that covered the players bench
and packed the space clear to the front
Of the press box. Every foul tip hit
somebody and a wild pitch would have
killed some millinery. I assure you
TT was a desperate game, for the
Colts We're pretty near the front while
Baltimore was on top and determined
to stay there. Every game counted a
lot and we played ball for all there
was in it. That game was a battle Of
giants, and the great crowd was driven
into frenzy by the doings of the aft
ernoon. Long hits were mixed with
brilliant fielding, daring base running
was checked by great throwing, and
the teams came down the home stretch
neck and neck. At last it looked as if
Baltimore was on the run. The sacks
were full of Colts, only one out, and
LANCE, if 1 remember right, was at the
plate.
Bill swung at low ball. 1t rose,
and sailed over the crowd that had
oil with nj
bench-a faraway foul, and one that
would have been almost impossible to
get. even if the crowd had been out of
the way. Usually, when try for a
foul in that neighborhood is made,
either the catcher or third baseman
races after it. Usually, did I say
Better make it always-the instances
where left fielder rushes in or a
shortstop outfoots the third baseman
are so rare as to be practically I'M
known. But there was the ball over
the heads of the crowd; fat Wflbert
Robinson, realizing that he couldn't
even reach the fringe of the crowd be-
fore the ball fell, was standing calmly
at the plate. Jimmy Donnelly, who
was on third at the time, had turned
and got the sun full in his eyes and
Joe Kelley's view was apparently cut
off by the crowd
There was a whiri of black and
yellow stockings and a dark uniform
Jennings was coming across the field
at pace I never saw any shortstor
equal before or since, and the crowd
a, decent crowd and willing to give
fair play. was trying to split out and
give him room. But they couldn't
They were massed SO thickly that they
could give him hardly space to plunge
his head. Hughey never stopped.
HE dove into the crowd like foot
ball star and seemed for an instant
| to rise high above their head. We saw
him lift his ha- DIS and then go down
| diving head first and vanishing, while
his spikes flashed for an instant as
he disappeared. And the next second
| up he came, holding the ball above
his head, while the fair-play crowd
nearest him were believing like devils
He got it. he got it, and cheered like
f1ends. The runner on third broke foI
home. Although he could hardly real
| ize the wonderful catch, he figured that
Jennings was lost in the crowd and
could not get arm room for a throw
But Hughey. somehow or other. reach
ed his forearm between two mems
| heads and sailed the ball home. beat
| Ing the runner as he slid. The double