Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-22

quick throw to Merkle has him beaten
by yard
AS soon as we reach the bench the
pitcher and l sit side by side again and
go over the next lot of batters to come
up. Every single one is talked over.
He may be a high ball hitter, wide
ball hitter, a closet ball hitter low
ball hitter, He gets first, what we
think he can't hit
Here we are to the second inning.
The other clubs cleanup man. "
fourth on the list, is at bat He hasn't
any particular weakness. and he wal
lops long double to the fence. He
goes to third on short single by the
next man to left.
Now comes up play that puts gray
hairs on top of the catchers head. That
man on first is going to go. or pretend
to go, down to second where another
single will score both him and his
mate. He is going to try to draw a
throw from me to the middle bag.
which may allow his mate to come
home with a run before the throw
back reaches the plate.
1t is up to me to stop them both if |
can; at all events, to stop the run. and,
If there is one of the two to be put
out. to get the man on third
There are variations of this play. and
here I need the fastest and brainest
kind of help from my infielder who
takes the throw. | have to judge
quickly whether or not the man on
third is coming home. If he apparently
is, and If he has a fairly good lead off
the bag, | will make a bluff throw to
second, and, instead. throw to third,
trying to get him in a un-up" be-
tween Snodgrass and myself Between
us We'll probably nab him.
Different Kinds of Throws.
II | think he is bluflng or hasn't
got good start, or isn't a very fast
man, l will make a full throw to second
base. But it will be a different kind of
throw from the one l made with a
single runner on base. This will be a
high throw, which the infielder win
take coming in" and take at his
shoulder height, so he can whip it back
to me low, so | can put it on the fellow
coming home.
or, there may be a delayed steal
bluff by the man on first, in which
there may be no throw at all, and both
runners win stay Where they are.
This play provides a ticklish. excit-
ing situatioH which sI'm always glad to
get out of. We beat it oftener. | think.
than not. So. the game goes on.
The game of baseball, of course, be-
gins and ends atthe plate. The batter
starts there and tries to finish there.
And sc. the catcher sees the whole
game spread before him.
| have read many articles about in
tricate systems OF signalling. and 7
must say that most OF that sort Of talk
is foolish, / have very few signs
There is one for a fast ball one for a
curve and one for "a pitch-out Those
three are the only ones l use constant
ly, and with some OF our pitchers l can
work almost without anything but the
pitch-out sign Occasionally ! give q
sign for the pitcher TO snap-throw to
first to catch a runner far off But
mostly he works that play himself
Signals Are Never Stolen.
have never known any of our signs
to be stolen. either by a batter looking
around, by coacher. or by a runner
on second base If ever we think the
other boys are getting wise to us we
can shift signs in a second.
The easiest club for a catcher to
work against-to help his pitcher, and
that's his main Jobs a club whore
the majority of batters have the same
weakness Brooklyn, for instance. Out
Of their eight regular men. seven -al
except Daubert-are high-bal hitters