Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-22
By Percy H. Whiting

THERES world Of football
mixed up in a lively base
bali game. And most of the
defensive work must be performed
oy the catcher. When the players
begin to stream across the plate the
catcher is in the unenvis bic posi-
ton of the linesman in a football
game upon whom the attack is cen
tered Every play that is made
goes right across his usually pros
trate body
It is largely because the catcher
mas such a rough Job that only big
men are really successful at the
work. one thing that made sid
Smith a wonder was the fact that
he had PLAYED football As well az
baseball al college. Nothing pleased
him more than TO stand up AZ home
plate ana let some big husky run
into him. He could usually spill
the said husky all over the lot. and
the runner that could make Sid
Smith break ground would have
needed the size Of an elephant
combined with the speed Of a deer.
This may seem somewhat be
sds the point but it isn't. It
could he demonstrated that the
Cracker lost Yesterdays bail game
al east sixteen different ways.
vhich They did But II Catcher
Graham mad been busting big lad
and capable Of standing the impact
81 mug body hurled al him hard.
tho defeat might have been stalled
or
rhe hrst two runners CBuls and
Grihhensl vino scored in the fate
ful eighth inning. when the game
was lost made their runs over
Graham of course, If Bailey and
OPrien hadn't booted one each it
would not have been necessary for
Graham to play any football. Rut
the errors were made and with
men on bases the Crackers tight
ened up. Aitchison. the third man
up for the Billies. was famed for
the third successive time. Meals
ter. who batted for Stingle ground
ed to East This man threw quick
~ 10 the plate and Graham got the
ball and set himself for the shock
Of meeting the oncouning Bills. The
Montgomery player came into the
plate like a rnadman. and he caught
Graham right In his midst The
Cracker. catcher spun round. spilled
over and dropped the ball. One
run was across and the score was
tied Wares followed at bat and
the previous play was repeated to
the last wretched detail except
that Gribbers didn't hit Graham
souarelv enough TO spill him, but
nevertheless landed on him hard
enough to knock the bsll'out Of his
hands
Those TWO plays beat the Crack
ers.
THE eighth inning OF Yesterdays
game was made notable by the
fact that FIVE errors were made
before it ended. Graham had TO
have errors for dropping the ball
both times he was hit OF course,
morally he wasn't to blame. for the
players who bumped into him were
larger than he and had all the ad
vantage OF momentum. mass and
general preparedness. But under
the tuexorable scoring rules the
play had TO be explained somehow
and there was no way except to
give Graham a brace of errors.
Then, IN addition TO the hobbies of
Bailey and O'Brien. Alperman made
one. Whiteys was so entirely ex-
cusable that II was really hardly
an error Ganzig hit an awful wal
lop his way that only a miracle
could have enabled him 70 stop
After the error furry set In Tom
my Atkins, who, up TO that time,
had pitched one Of the best games
Of his career. became disguised
with the way things verc going
and eased up materially. The Rli-
lies responded with fairy Of hits