The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-10
FIRST TO PLAY DEEP
comlskey of Chicago an Example for
Many Basemen.

Many Basemen.
The major league clubs of st. Louis
for the first time in several years, are
provided with high-class first base
men. Good first sackers rank the
same as other toI no cheers and are ex
tHemely rae, l1ys an exchange. Ii
is the first time that the owners of
the st. Louis clubs are both satisfied
with the work of the initial men.
For a time the Cardinals were well
fixed in this department, owing to
the work of "Old Eagle Eye" Jake
Beckley. Jake was a good mechani-
cal player in the field and he could
swat the ball hard, but he was slow
thinker.
But after the Cardinals lost him
they tried out a couple of men on
first every year without finding a ca
pable man until Konetchy turned up.
Since then Bresnahan has not had TO
worry about the flrst-base job. Tom
Jones furnished the Browns with
satisfactory first baseman until Tom
became so much OF a veteran that he
lost speed When Tom went to De
trot the Browns began hustle for
first sacker, and up to this season
Hedges a. Co spent a good deal OF
time wishing that Jones was back in
a Brown uniform. All kinds Of combi-
nations were tried at first until He'd
ges finally secured George Stovall
from Cleveland Now Wallace is so
we'll satisfied that he has quit worry
ing about at least one position on his
club.
In the old days the task OF getting
a first sacker would have given
Brown and Cardinal managers much
less worry. All that was wanted was
player who could whale the ball a
mile and hold thrown ball. But
modern baseman at present must be
hustler in the field and capable of
hitting and running the bases besides
And all this change started in st.
Louis
The first nan 90 pay a deep first
base was ClI. ey niskey. when he
was leading his st. Louis Browns TO
! four pennants in the old American
association of the sos. "Commy" was
the original discoverer OF the fact
that the first baseman could help his
team on the defense in some other
way than simply by handling the east
est kind of throws. He saw the pos
sibilities of ground covering on that
side of the infeld and initiated new
style of play by becoming an infelder
instead of simply handler of throws
"Commy's' play was a revelation 70
the fans, but there were few to imi
tate him for several years. The idea
still persisted that almost anyone who
could hit could play first base anG
was good enough for the position
Most of the first basemen, even after
Comiskey had shown the way, re
manned hedavy-footed Indifferent field
ers. satisfied II they could maintain {
high batting average and drive IN
enough runs to hold their jobs.
After Comiskey, the man who really
did the most toward developing tn,
high standard of firstbase play was
Fred Tenney OF Boston. Tenney wa,
a star catcher for four years at Brown
university, where he was the receiv
| ing end of the famous battery of Sex
ton and Tenney. which cut wild,
swath In eastern college circles in IN,
early sos. Pitcher Sexton never
amounted TO much as a professional
lplayer. but Tenney, after leaving col
lege, joined the Boston Nationals nj
n catcher. Being loft.handed, he wal
not a distant success as backstop il
the big league. where the base run
ners were much more daring and skill
full than he had found them amonf
the college teams he had played
against lie was soon moved out int
right field where he did fairly wei
and showed the making OF good, re
liable hitter. SO, when Tom Tucker
one OF the old.fashioned first base
men, lost out Tenney was given |
trial at the initial corner. He made
good In a hurry.
Taking advantage OF his natural!
lefthanded throwing. he soon became
a wonder at covering the inaeld oil
hunts. and showed the fans assist
to second and third base which M
other first baseman had ever attempt
cd. He played deeper first than an.
before him. with the possible exce1
: ton OF Comiskey, and made many bril-
liant catches In short right field a
| we'll as handling many ground ball
/. which ordinarily would have gon
, through for base hits. He enabled hi
, second baseman to play farther owe
toward the bag. and thus cut man
I balls close to second base.
> The four best iirstbase prospect
4 in the National league to day are KC
4 netchy OF the Cardinals. Hoblitzel q
1 the Reds, Merkle of the Giants an
Luderus OF the Phillies These me
y are all first class, each having ind
:. vidual faults but measuring up shron
A on the average In all departments q
/. firstbase play. Konetchy and Hobb
3 are young men who jumped into tn
major league with very good mine
o league experience. and made goo
o right az the start Both are big. stron
< men. who are seldom injured, an In
I. portant point in considering the Walt
q OF first baseman. for player
that position who Is In the game a
the time, day after day. is OF niue
" more use to his club than the ma