Norwich bulletin., 1913-02-15
coMIskEY PLAYED DEEP FIRST
RidicuIed ct Start, But Advantages Were Soon Sesn-ReaI Star in His Day.

To the present generation of fans, Charles Comiskey is the old Roman, the owner of the Chicago White Sox. the man who controls the destinies of Ed Walsh and a number of other first class ball players. In a. vague way they know that Comiskey was great play CT, and that about lets most of them out. But there is an older order of CoTniskey as the Hal Chase of his day. He Is to them not so much the mag nate as the first baseman captain and manager, who led St. Louis to four pennants, and made the team the fighting terror it once was. As first baseman, Comny was @ pioneer. He invented a new style, and though he
 never led the league in his position, he
 had aa even greater effect on the man
 ner of playing the sack than Chase has
 ever had. He differed widely from the
 accepted style of the star first saclker.
 The great ones before him were Dan
 Brothers, Dave Orr and Roger Con-
 nor. They were giants in size, were
 targets at which inf1elders begged
 They played the sack close and covered
 little ground. Copaiskey came along
 and started the Fashion of playing
 deep. At first he was ridfculed. But in
 almost no time the fans awoke to the
 fact that he was covering twice the
 territory of his predecessors, and that
 while he was not a stationary target
 at which to throw, his infeIders got
 II
 were.
 By 1885 he had built up a wonderful
 team. He had fierce, aggressive in-
 field that could hit, an excellent out ceptional. Latham, Gleason and Rob inson, with Conliskey, formed the in field. Welsh and ONeal with one of the pitchers, were the outf1eld. The twirlers were Foutz and Carruthers, while Bushong was the catching main This powerful American association and won four consecutive pennants. In each of the four pennant whining years they led in fielding in all but in 1887 in batting. In base running they easily topped the list. Comiskey himself was no mean pilferer, taking 62 in 1887 and TT in 1888 Latham, however. had him faded, stealing 124 in the season of 1888
 Comiskey reckoned only about in the .25e class as batter though in 1887 he hit for .368. He was noted as a pinch hitter, dangerous with men on bases. He batted himself fourth, just behind Latham, with either Foutz or Carruthers coming fifth. During the 10 years he was with St Louis he had un- der him many Sother stars. Hudson, Breitenstein, and even for a little while 1 Clark Griffith. The first break in his organization came in 1889, when Foutz, 1 Carruthers and Bushong won't to 1 Brooklyn. In the next year the broth 1 erhood war blew the team asunder, l Comiskey himself revoiting. and with l Latham, O'NeaI and Boyle joining Chi l cage in the Players league
 Next year he was back in St. Louis and with but Mccarthy and Boyle of l his old team built up an organization 1 that made a fierce pennant fight los ing to Boston by a narrow margin. The 1 year after that-1s92-saw him as pi- lot of the Reds, where he had about the same success as every other Ci11- einnati manager. He stuck with the Reds four years. when he made a start IS an owner by buying in on the St Paul team. In his first year at St Paul he played in B games. but this was his swan song as player. From hsa ea he was magaate, and his 14 tears' service as a player was finished 1