Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-24
Bv John ("Chief") Meyers
Giants Great Catcher.)

Giants Great Catcher
~HE fighting out of a worlds
championship battle between
\ two baseball teams that have
ontclassed the competitors in their
Tssnective leagues no doubt brings
49, n the minds of the enthusiastic
levers of the game-it certainly
doas TO the members of the teams
the question;
what makes a winning ball
club?"
will try TO answer that ques-
ton as best | can.
In the first place, l believe that
the most important thing OF all is
that the members of the athletic
.ooresation which Is to represent a
citv must be a club" and a team.
As club" they must be all
friends. all good fellows together.
They must have pride in their or
ganization. There must be no Jeal-'
ors,es no dissensions. Every man
should regard every other man
whether he is a regular or a sub
stitute-as, his pal, as man he'd
stick to through thick or thin
lam mighty glad to say that the
New York National league club
men feel just that way We all
have on our visiting cards, after
our names. the words, New York
Giants" and, believe me, | don't
mind saying that every one of us
feels a little swelling of the chest
uhen he hands one of those cards
out
Giants" Means Guarantee.
The words New York Giants"
mean not only that we're members
of A baseball organization that's
the best in the country, but they're
guarantee that each of us is a
regular manor else we wouldn't
be able to sport.
As a Club" we're proud to be-
long to the Giants as society man
In New York is to say that he's a
member of the Union. or Knicker-
booker, or the Brook. We share
our troubles and joys together, and
Ike it,
That, perhaps, is the first requi-
site of a pennant- winning organi-
zation-being club"
Being team" is another mat
ter
Did you ever watch a skillful
boxer at work? His eyes work,
first of ALL watching the moves of
his adversary, With them, his arms
work to find a vital point where he
can deliver his blow or ward off
his enemy's blow. His legs carry
him forward into an aggressive at
.itude. or backward into a defen-
i've attitude.
Over all these his mind works,
,ontrolling each.
Well. a successful baseball nine
must be Just like that-just like a
lighter His physical parts are, in
an Individual way, a team" They
work together. instantly, without
waiting to size up situation.
They know, as soon as the situa-
ton arises. what they have to do,
and they do it instinctively. So
does the winning kind of ball
nine. And so does each player on
that nine.
Makes Great Play InstnctiveIy.
Here is little instance which
happened only a few days ago: A
hard hit ball was slammed at Lar
~ Doyle, who was playing a trifle
deep beyond second base, He got
IT, miraCulously almost, with one
hand. There was a runner coming
down from first who had started
with the crack of the bat. Larry
had no chance. he knew instinc-
lively, to throw to the bag, be-
cause the play had been so swift
So he made a backward dive with
the ball in his hand, trusting to
his sense of location to hit the can
vas before the runner did Larry
made it.
That was only an Individual
play, of course; but it showed how
the team instinct" runs. He knew
that his mates couldn't cover the
bag quickly enough to take his
throw. They knew it, too, and
didn't try They relied upon him
IN fact, they knew exactly what he
would try to do. And, wonderful
as the plaV looked if was eXDeCted
all around our infeld.
If ball is hit so that Merkle
mas to go out of his territory to
cover it and leave the first bag I'M
protected, the pitcher-no matter
VINO he isis over on first like a
nash He knows instinctively-jus
no" is hard to tell-that he is
needed. And he's there.
gu may think: That's simple