Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-22

down there with all the speed you
possess, and that whether IL Is an
outfeld fly or an inheld fly or a
ground ball. You never can tell
when the best fielder in the world
is going to drop the easiest ball
that could be hit up to him, nor
when he will let a ground ball get
away from him, nor when he will
make a wild heave OF an easy
throw. nor when the baseman will
drop a throw that is right in his
hands. II is the man who banks
always on the unusual happening
in the game and who is ready for
that unusual emergency or oppor-
tunity that makes a great player.
Besides this, 1t often rattles a
fielder to look up and find the run
ner almost down to first when he
thought he had worlds OF time and
to spare. It is disconcerting TO any
team to find that the opponents al
ways get down to first like rife
balls, and that they can't take
things easy on one OF them, no
matter what kind of ball they hit
II is true you often see the profess
SIGNALS loafing in the most disgust
ing manner when they have hit
what appears to be a sure out"
but you never saw a bunch OF pen
nant winners do that. The man
ager wouldn't stand for It.
d Ut some mon who are no faster
than others get down TO first a
lot quicker, even though the 9TH
ers seem to try as hard and TO
run as fast That's because they
get away from the plate more
quickly after hitting the ball. Some
men will swipe at II so hard that
they spin around like tops, and
every such spin just turns them
away from first base-the very
place for which they ought to be
starting. No batter ought to swing
so hard as to be swung off his bal
ance after the bat has met the ball,
for he should remember that IL will
give INN a lAAAbiANg pCOA 5AdAN AOA
first base.
And some batters will hesitate
the fractional part of a second aft
er hitting the ball, and lay the bat
down in more or less careful
manner, or they will carry the bat
with them half the way down. Why
not drop it instantly after the ball
has been met? 1t isn't an egg, and
II won't break no matter how you
drop ii. And why be impeded in
the least by carrying bat part OF
the way?
And some will stand and look at
a ball that they think is probably
going foul only to find out q sec
ond later that II is a fair ball and
that they should by this time have
been 80 feet or more on their way
TO first
With faults of this character II is
evident no man can become q real
base-ruuner, and yet they are very
common.
A MOTHER common fault is for
runners to continue on and on
beyond first base long after they
have reached the sack in safety.
They are simply too lazy to make
the exertion of quick stop and
turn after reaching there Thus
they fail to ascertain that the field
er made a punk throw to first. and
that it went through. After a while
they wake up and realize that
they have lost the chance to get
an extra base out Of that wild
heave. Immediately after getting
to first, they should have come to
stop and turned to see what was
next on tap. 1t is not the man who
is ever satisfied with the one base
when there is a possible chance of
getting another, that becomes a real
baSe-ruuner. The latter are never
satisfied and no sooner do they ne
gotiate one base in safety than they
forget all that, as dead and gone
piece of history, and at once turn