The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1913-07-04

nefn on nrst and third bases the run
ner On hrst prefends % start Tor sec
ond. About 80 feet from irst he stops
quickly and turns as II to SO back u
the catcher relaxes from the throw
Ing position. he starts for second AZ
top speed and, as the ball is thrown.
the runner at third starts TOR the
plate. The success Of the play de-
rends upon the element OF surprise
and except against experienced ana
cooE-headed catchers II is likely to De
more effective than the double steal
made in the ordinary manner.
Fadeaway-A slow curve ball that
loses speed suddenly as It approaches
the batter and falls. or fades" away
at an unnatural angle. The fadeaway
is accomplished by jerking and hold
ing motion OF the fingers upon the
ball at the moment OF releasing u
from the hand .Christy Mathewson
developed the "fader' into its high
est state Of perfection.
Groove-An imaginary passage from
the pitchers hand over the ceEter OF
the home plate. When a ball comes
down the groove" II is pitched 1t
the natural angle chat is. without
anything on it, over the plate and
therefore is easy to hit. Grooves also
are the spaces between the fielders and
between the fielders and the foul lines
through which batted balls usually
pass out Of the possible reach OF the
players
Hit and Run-one Of the most effec-
tive styles of attack devised in base
ball. The object is concerted action
on the part OF the batter and base
runner, and the runner on the bases
may take two bases instead Of one
on hit, or reach the next base be-
fore he can be forced.
Hold Up-Perhaps the most impor-
tant part Of the inside work Of the
pitcher, catcher and batsmen is to
hold up" runners, or prevent them
from getting a lead" of the bases.
Hole lin the)--In difficulties; in
dire straits. Either the pitcher or
batter may be ''in the hole" as the bat
ter is .'in the hole" with one or two
strikes and no balls called. and the
pitcher when he has pitched two or
three wide balls, and has none or one
strike on the batter. The object of
every good batter is to get the pitcher
Sin the hole" so that he, in fear Of
giving a base on balls, will pitch a
straight fast ball over the plate. CIV
ing the batter much better chance Of
making a safe hit.
Hook-A fast overland curve that
breaks downward and outward at an
unusually sharp angle. The hook
curve is accomplished by sharp snap
of the wrist at the finish Of a wide
swing of the arm, which accentuates
the sharpness OF the curve. The hook
curves Of Brown and Overall. Joe Cor
bett. Tom Ramsey, Bin Donovan. Bill
Terry. Walter Johnson, and others
have become famous for their width.
Hook Slide-Also called the Chi
cago slide"-A method Of sliding to
bases which was perfected by Mike
Kelly of Anson's White Stockings. and
taught to all the Chicago players.
Inside-A pitched ball that passes
between the plate and the batter is
inside" whether the batter is right
or left-handed, but the ''out" corner
of the plate is the corner toward first
base, and vice versa. when there is
no batter up.
Knuckle Ball-A slow ball pitched
with the knuckles of the three middle
fingers turned under and pressed into
the ball. which is gripped with the
thumb and little finger only. Tie
knuckle ball is extremely deceptive. as
it is delivered with show of great
speed and comes with extraordinary
slowness. Summers of the Detroit
team. perhaps. is its greatest mas
ter.
Lead-The distance from any base
that base runner can gain before the
ball is pitched. To "get long lead"
is the object of every runner
Liner-A hard driven ball that Is hit
on straight line to or past the infield
before it touches the ground
Mound-The pitchers foot plate. or
slab. Derived from the fact that on
most grounds the plate is higher than
the rest OF the infeld, to give the
pitcher an advantage through pitch
ing downward at the batter. The
mound is elevated or depressed by
some clubs, high plates being used
for tall overland pitchers while low
ones are preferred for sidearm or un-
derhand pitchers.
Outlaw-The club. league or player
who offends against baseball law Is
punished by being "outlawed" or
blacklisted. The alleged benefits of
protection" are withdrawn as
punishment to offending leagues or
clubs While players are blacklisted
There are several hundred players on
the blacklist at present who cannot
play in any club belonging to the ma
tional agreement until reinstated by
the commission.
Outside-The side of the home plate