The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-21
remnants WON BY
T. FAMOUS SHIFTS
Baseball Generalship Always
a Factor in Winning
the Bunting.

Philadelphia. March 21.-"Let we'll
enough alone" is an axiom that the
big league managers must
sometimes avoid. The secret of MANY
pennant successes has been the direct
result of a shrewd shift in the teams
lineup without the club having to get
any players from the outside.
II. requires much thought and pa
tience to know exactly what position
a player fills hest. One bali tosser
may be mediocre in position and
a star in another. That is the reason
the manager must keep alert and try
to discover If by moving Jones to the
outfeid and sending Smith, a man on
the bench. into the infield, he might
buttress the team.
lee was dissatisfied with his club. It
needed more life and youth. On first
base he had Tom Tucker, once a great
player, who was aging. Selee was
soon convinced that first base had to
be strengthened or Boston wouldn't
figure In the race.
No Room for Stahl.
1t was a perplexing problem for Sc
lee had no utility first baseman and
didn't know where to get one It hap
pened that he had discovered a prom
Using young outf1elder by the name Of
Stahl. Stahl showed enough stuff to
warrant his getting a trial. but the
Boston outf1eld was in good hands and
there was no room for Stahl.
Finally Selee had the rebus solved.
He shifted Fred Tenney from right
held to first base and put Stahl in Ten
neys c The ans and critics ridi-
culed Selee for making such a change.
but In a few weeks they saw the wis.
dom OF the move.
1t was not long before Tenney was
proclaimed the greatest first baseman
In Il history of baseball and Stahl
the find of the year THIS was in the
season of 1897. and as a result Of the
shift. Boston started a pennant VIM
ming streak. which last two years.
Clarke's Lucky Shifts.
Probably the next. greatest shift
made by a big league manager tool
place in 1901, when Fred Clarke took
Hans Wagner away from first base and
sent him to short in place If Bones
ELY. Then he dug up Kitty Bransficld
and placed him on first.
This move was also attacked by the
fans; who could not believe that such
On player like Wagner could
I'LL a position requiring as much speed
and alertness as shortstop.
1t was a master move on the part
OF Clarke. who soon had the best
shortstop in the National league, and
today Hans is playing high class ball.
Moreover, 1t gave the team a good first
baseman and helped the team on its
pennant-Minning areer. which lasted
from 1901 to 1903. -
Later on, Clarke made another good
nov when he took Tommy Leach off
third base and sent him to center
field. Tommy Is now on tho decline,
but for a number of years he cover
cd more ground than any other CEN
ter fielder in the country, barring nos.
sibly Fielder Jones.
Napoleon Lajoie was also involved
in a change of base that strengthen
ed his steam immensely although it
didn start my pennant. triumphs.
Larry Best at Second.
When Lsjoie first came to PhiIadel-
phia he was tried out in right field
and first base before George Stallings
discovered that he was one of the
master second basemen of the game.
Lajoie certainly was of more value to
the Phils at second that at first or
right field.
Abou the same time that Lajoie
vas shifted. Pat Tebeau, Of
Cleveland, then in the National league,
blue-penciled his lineup. with aston
ishtng results. One spring Chippy
Mc(;arr. his third baseman, reported
with a lame wing.
ecaus there was no one else
available. Tebeau ordered Rhody Wall
lace. n of his kid pitchers, 10 cover
the position during Chippy's absence.
wallace. then virtually unknown, as
ton:shed the baseball world by giving
a wonderful exhibition at the bag and
playing it much better than McGarr
did in his best days.
McGarr never played third for
Cleveland after that n Tebeau had
one OF the best inflelders in the coun-
try. Had it not been for McGarr's
sore arm and Tebeau's astuteness in
Wallace might not have made good in
baseball.
Subsequently. Wallace further DEM
orlstrated his versatility by moving
from third to short. He covered that
position for st. Louis for a number Of
Years and no other shortstop in the
American league showed any superb
GRITTY. He has lost much Of his old.
time speed. but is a competent per-
former today.
Locating Collins.
Next to the Tenney and Wagner
shifts, the change from which the
most benefit was derived was ensi-
neered by Connie Mack. 1t started
him on the road to his two worlds
championships. In 1909 Connie look
ed around to find a place of abode for
Eddie Collins. Eddie played short
and right field previously. but didn't
exactly At in either place.
Mack put a great deal of thought
on the matter and finally decided on
the master stroke of putting Collins at
second and shifting Murphy to right
field. which had not been competenfly
guarded since Seybold became passe.
The transfer strengthened both posi-
lions and put the Athletics in the
championship class. ~
Oldring's Shift Benefited.
This hasn't been the only shrewd
move made by Mack. He found that
Oldring would never do as an tnfield-
er. but. owing. to his heavy batting and
dashing base running he had to ind
a place for Oldring. So he made a
few mysterious passes over Rube's
head and said: Hereafter you are an
outfielder." In the monarch's center
field Rube has been schooled into a
winner and is now n Of the bull
warks of the team. @
made. another coup when he stunned
the fans by putting McInnis on first
base. The fans realized that Davis
would have to go. but the last person
that anybody suspected would land the
post was young McInnis. who looked
good at short. OF third. But Mack saw
possibilities in McInnb that others
were blind to. and, McInnis last season
was rated as the only rival OF Hal
Chase.
1t is predicted that Mack: will con-
tinue to make changes Of this sort.
Unless there are accidents there is no
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