The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-28
MANY CHANGES SHEV
IN MODERN BASEBALL
Evolution of National Game of United States Brings No
Business Methods As Well As Innovation in
the Rules Players Compared. S

man and - decrease in hits and funDx
Continued practice at pitching atA0s
resulted IN better co1trei. fsasebss}ts
Still has pitchers who find II difiicui4
TO locate the plate but they SOON
drift from the major ieagues
Among famous pitchers OF early
professional baseball day. were a.. Or
spauldlng. OF the Boston Red Soxs
later of the Chicago White Soy NOV
the Cubs}; Charles RaGhourne ana
Thomas Bend, Of Boston. and ID. Mo-
, Bride Of the Athletics. the first team
to win q professional championship
/ Later came sac1 pitchers AZ J. Ga
Clarkson, who helped the Boston Ma
! tionals win many Ieagus pernants
ana Henry ODay of the same team.
and now manager OF tine Chicag0
Cuhs: "Ey" Young; Christy Mathews
son, G. f. Waddell Walker Johnson,
c. a. Bender and j. w Coombs.
Inside baseball was lsot much
known, twenty years ago: but 1t WAS
fast being developed. N. j.. Kelly.
Tom McCarty and Hugh Duffy, all Of
Boston; While Keeler. Hugh Jen-@
more: j. NJ. Ward and James
O'Rourke. of the New York Giants.
were then playing their prime ana
developed many OF the plays that have
stree been placed In tie category Of
inside baseball.
Comparison Of Players.
In fact some IF the plays devel-
7 oped and worked out by such men as
Kelly and Mccarthy became SO eff
fective that rules had to be made
to meet them. One Of these was the
trapping Of an indeld fly with man
( on first base.
One Of the features of the present
day game. not known TO the old
timers is the first base slide. What
difference between Cobb going in
to second base on slide and that OF
Tom Brown Of the old Boston Ma
tionalsi In those days the few play
ers who slid went head first. Now
! the only player who exemplffies the
old time slide in its best form is Out
fielder Cldring, Of the Athletics.
Watching Oidring go down to second
recalls many a pleasant memory to
the spectator OF twenty years ago.
While 1t is admitted that baseball
has more players of the quick think
ing and moving type than did tins
game of twenty-five years ago. base
ball probably has never developed any
ADLER player than King" Kelly, OF
Chicago and Boston National fame.
A player of little more than average
skill he was continually on the alert
to catch the other player mapping
and TO use some unexpected means OF
outwitttng his opponent. ard 1t IS
doubtful If any player since or be-
fore his day has put through as
many unexpected plays as Kelly.
Scmc Purchase Prices Double.
Speaking Of Kelly recalls the fact
that the Boston club paid 10000 for
his services when Messrs. Soden Biir-
ings and Conant purchased him from
Chicago. This was an unheard OF
sum to pay for a bail PLAYER in those
!. times and the check was exhibited N
n Boston bank. Today such sum
looks meagre indeed when one has
, reports of players bringing all the
way up to $4,000. and many of these
vet 10 show major league qualifica-
tons
Baseball has progressed along with
other things, and il is put naturas
that the game OF today should be coH-
sidered faster than that Of a gene
ration ago. The old time enthusiast
Is still fain to think that the players
OF old had none of the present day
equipment, such players as Arson.
Spauiding, Mcvey. Hines and Barnes.
Of the Chicago White Sex. Reach and
Cuthbert OF the Athletics of 1871;
George and Harry Wright. O'Rourko
and Manning. OF the Boston Nation-
ais; Ward. Irwin. Hines and RadfOrd.
of the Providence champions, and
Bennett. Brouthers. Richardson and
Rowe. Of the Detroit champions Of
1857. stand out favorablv even with
such men as Cobb and Crawford. OF
Detroit; Wagner, of Pittsburg: Cci-
Inns, Baker and Plank OF the Aths
letics; Johnson and Milan. of WASH
ington; Speaker and Wood, OF tho
Bottom Americans; MaranSSlle anS
Evers. Of the Boston Nationals, ana
the other great stars OF the present
generation.--The Monitor.