Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-16
BY JACK DALTON
veteran Outaelder of the Newark Base.
ball Club.) aff 81 8


ball Club 30 nt'f
COLUMBUS, Ca, March 16.--Rrin-
ming bases is just as important IN
modern baseball as hitting or feid-
ing, in my opinion Often you Will
see a slow man stealing more bases
than the speedier athlete, who doeF
not know how to avoid being tagged
There are tricks in every trade, and
sliding bases is one of the features
of the game least appreciated by tlie
fans. This is due to the fact that
they cannot see the plays made
many times because their view il
INSTRUCTED by dust or the umpires9o
Gus Getz, of the Newark cham
pions, is one of the few ball players
who can go into q. bag sliding, either
on his right or his left sfde. For
this reason the opposing infielders
have a hard time touching Gu4,
When Getz broke in, he tells me, be
used to slide head first, at the con-
slant risk of breaking his head.
Getz Changed System. a-~s-
Up in the o. and P. League, while
playing with McKeesport, Gus stole
forty bases, sliding head first. One
day a second sacker, tantalized BY
Gus's <nack of getting away with
. larceny, nearly busted Gus'S head
open. The manager told Gus he did
not care to lose his services ana
forthwith ordered Gus to spend an
hour every day practising sliding
feet firstJ Sliding is one of the banes
of n newcomers existence in base
ball. For weeks his wrists are stiff
| and sore and badly bruised and his
frame is wrecked from the shocks
he receives, until he learns the proper
way of shooting into the bag. s-lr
|, myself, never wear binding pads,
/ did wear them at one time, BUT ]
decided that they were excess bag
gage, and the boys wonder whykr
don't get knicked up. 1 ride in on my
right knee and my wrist. 1t hits my
wrist hardest, but l get used toll
soon after the season gets going& J
learned to slide under one of tne
greatest base-runners who ever liy&r,
Tom Brown. a former major leaguef,
who coached our team at the UnivSr-
sity of Virginia. He taught me alT
had to know about hitting the dirt,
and 1 never have regretted the time
I put in with him.
sliding Pit Popular.
The sliding pit is the most popular
| feature of some training camps, even
i for the veterans, because Iney,. can
| break in by degrees, sliding on ,the
sand, which is much easier than, MP
ting the dirt. The ground down hete
at this stage of the season is not
hard at all. In fact 1t is rather sandN
and we do not miss the sandpit
Many Things to Watch When Sliding.
A base runner has many things to
note when he is getting ready to slide.
In case the throw is bad and the Sec
| ond baseman, or whoever is covering,
| has to back up, the base runner geff-
orally goes in in front of the infielders
| The force of the ball when theobaseT
man catches it, is just enough. to
make him give an inch and 1t weuid
! be a continuation of the motion
| through which he catches the ball 10
sweep down and tag the runner be-
hind him. 80
The fraction Of a second required
| for him to reverse and tag in froub
of the bag is valuable to the player.
| Many times good base runners fool
even the umpires and players will
| get up kicking when even the fans
will think that he was justly called
| out. man may have all the speed
| In the world, but 1t takes quite sons
experience before he becomes an All
base runner. and learns the best way
| to round theA sacks, with a minirfiunl
| loss Of speed for turning corners. .,