Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-04

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, April 1T VIII
soon be time to accuse the Athletics Of
stealing signals. The Athletics do not
stand alone in being charged with sign
theft. The Tigers have been accused Of
doing the same thing, and the Athletics
were important in the list Of accusers.
AS a matter of fact, there Is not club
in either big league that does not secure
the playing signs of the opposing team
Some clubs secure more than others be-
cause they have players with better de-
velOped instinct for appropriating them.
Any club could get Charlie Schmidt's
signals. Charlie never hid them. And.
besides, they were all simple combina-
tons that could easily be translated.
Oscar Stanage not alone hides his sig
mails perfectly, but he uses system that
is beyond the opposing players. Oscar
can switch his signals as fast as he gives
them. change his entire system, and he
has perfected it to such a degree That II
would be impossible for any team to lind
out what set of signals Stanage 1s using
and employ them to advantage on more
than two or three batters.
The Athletics have reaped a rich har-
vest in these signal-tipping scandals Ine
signals they really secure. but from the
effect 1t has on the pitcher.
Philadelphia has a number OF good MT
ters more real pinch batsmen than any
to start batting rally any time against
any kind of pitching. The Athletics hit In
streaks. Whenever they make two or
three hits in q row off an average pitcher
clusion that the Philadelphias are getting
his signals. He loses his control and
beating him is an easy matter.
Connie Mack's men have won few
games on actual signal grabbing. but they
have landed many contests because two
or three Of them happened to hit in sue
cession and the opposing pitcher immed1-
ately imagined that they were coping
his sign and lost all control.
The majority Of catchers lay themselves
open in some way or another to the
watchful eyes Of the opposing players.
There is probably no catcher in the Amer
lean League whose signs We're not caught
and interpreted at some time or another.
The Athletics have few times caught
Stanages signs Stanage worked until he
had the system that came within the
slightest fraction of an inch of costing
young Amos Strunks life in one Detroit
Philadelphia game last year.
| Mack's men always try to secure the
catcher's signs from second base. When
| a runner reaches that sack he looks to
| the catcher and IL he gets the signal
| referred to Bender was on second with
Strunk at the bat. Stanage thought that
Bender had his signs. The Indian was
tipping them to Strunk. Stanage gave a
move to reverse the meaning of the signs.
He continued using the same signs, but
they called for the opposite kind of ball
| that they were meant for a few mo-
ments previously-that Is. the same sign
that called for fast ball when Strunb
came to bat meant q curve when Stan
age discovered that Bender was tipping
the batter.
| Stanage gave his old curve sign and
Bender told Strunk curve was coming
Strunk stepped In to meet the curve, but
Donovan had cut loose a fast one and
the ball Just grazed Strunks head. Strunh
yelled to Bender:
Keep 'em, keep 'em! l don't want
'sm!'
There was one catcher who worked q
Hong time before any one caught his sig