The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-05
SPEED|ER
ASSERTS LANCE
~.
Once Noted ,out6elder Adj
mits Players are Deeper
Students than in His Day

Is baseball faster today than i, was
hfteen years ago: Is the individual
star q speedier man on the bases?
Can the pitcher work to greater per-
lection:
Some say yes: others say no. So
IL S up to Bill Lang. who, as outfield-
err Tor the Chicago Cubs a dozen wears
ago Was rated the fastest man in the
game. to answer the question. 1t was
put straight up to Bill this week to
give the fans an answer. and LANCE
comes back with just as straightfor.
ward an answer.
IL may sound like sour grapes
said the former Chicago crack, for
me TO say that baseball has not. inn
proved on individual play. but that's
the way 1t looks to me. SO why should
Mt say SO. as long as l have. been
asked the question: don't doubt
that baseball has improved in teanl-
work and in signals. otherwise called
inside baseball a much abused term.
me standard OF the PLAYER has doubt
less improved. because baseball has
changed, but so far as the individual
Is concerned l don'i think there has
been many Improvements.
Quit Twelve Years Ago.
something like twelve years ago /
quit II game. In those days there
NS sSI dS y EdIh SHdNce ffcO
Clarke, Napoleon I.a3tie. Hans Was-
ner. Tommy Leach. Sheckard, Bobby
Wallace. B%resnahan and Bill Dahlen.
and many OF them are still landmarks
in baseball.
Look at the list of today's stars,
ana there are not more than half a
dozen who can he held up t o compare
Win them. Take Ty Cobb. iris Speak
'er; Collins. Baker, and perhaps a few
others. and you have the list. That
not indicate hat the individuals
are any stronger. better in batting
or in stealing bases.
-Oi course, in many other ways.
baseball has gone. ahead. When 1 was
in the game baseball was a sport. To-
day it Is a business. There were
mighty few Of US a dozen years ago
who saved any money. At the present
the average chap takes up baseball
Tor ten years, saves his money. and
then starts up in business. All that
come with the publicity given the
game and the bigger attendance,
which permits the payment of larger
salaries.
Deeper Students of Game.
There are more ball players TODAY
who are deeper students of the bust
ness they are following and watch the
opposing players more closely to de-
S.essA.e "iIdl are Lnelr
Also they play more for one run than
We used to do. We wanted to be
ahead four or five runs. Nowadays
the team captain is quite satisfied
when he Is a run to the good. That
makes closer scores, and probably the
spectators are all the more satisfied.
Then there is something else YOU
want to remember. The dyed-in-the-
wool fan is more numerous than he
was. and he knows more. He studies
baseball Just as the player studies, SO
ne is better able to follow what is
happening on the diamond.
"A lot Of the credit is due Ban
Johnson for the Improvement in the
sport. Every move he has made has
been to make baseball as an amuse-
ment stronger and cleaner.
Il don't know that I have pointed
nut. what I meant to show. but I want
to impress upon the younger genera
ton h class Of men who made base.
ball in my day. who built the founda.
ton for the big organizations Of tho
present time. Men like Clark Griffth
Jimmy Callahan. Frank Chance
Mack. Bobby McAleer and Jake Stah
all played with me. Today they are
managing major league clubs, and thu
fact II a they have been able to keer
apsce with the changes shows tha,
baseball hasn', stepped any too live.