East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-03-29
NaughtOn is Model
For Mercedes Men
Portland Ross Directs Beavers to
learn How TO Slide by Watching
Former Pcndlcton Player.

Probably for the first time in tn
history OF any Glass AA baseball
league Manager McCredie of tn,
Portland Beavers has directed hi
regulars to study the sliding of 1
"busher," says r. A. Cronin. sporting
editor OF the Portland Journal from
the Portland training camp in Fres
no. George Naughton, who came tC
the Beavers from the Pendleton clul
OF the little Western Tr-State league
Is the model the veterans are ordered
TO copy.
Naughton is one OF the fastest
young persons on the bases the Port.
land club has had in the memory Of
the writer and he has a style that
Is nearly perfect He has not made
any deep study OF the sliding of Ty
Cobb Clyde Milan. Hans Wagner and
Eddie Colline for the reason that he
has seen only Collins in action and
that in but the four exhibition games
with the Portland club. II Is just
natural with him. He never knew
anything about 1t until he Joined the
La Grande club OF the Western Tri-
state In 1918, coming fresh from
Montana. The Glass d club practic.
ed sliding one day and Naughton
proved to be the best of the lot. Then
La Grande traded him to Pendleton
and he kept up the practicing. He
has become so proficient that Nc
Credie Immediately picked him out as
model.
II Is remarkable how many veter-
an players do not know the first rud-
iments Of sliding. They tear down to
base in any manner to get there.
Some of them present the whole body
to the man covering the bag. while
others like Cobb and Milan give the
man with the bali only an ankle to
touch. That is what Naughton does
Walter Doane is a good slider. and
so are Kirchner, Murphy. Speas and
Corbin. but they do not do 1t with
the grace and finish OF Naughton.
When Bill Rodgers first came out
to the coast, he hooked his spike into
the hard ground at Los Angeles and
his ankle bones cracked under the
strain. He walked on crutches for
several months and ruminated. Last
year Rodgers was the best stealer in
the league. his II bases in 200 games
being 20 more than the next high
est. Margeret of Los Angeles and
Schmidt Of San Francisco. Naughton
played in 80 games with Pendleton
and stole as bases. base every two
games. 1t Is said OF Naughton that
he was not thrown out all season
stealing third base.
The Pendleton youth certainly had
the Chicago White Sox worried. for
they were continually throwing to
first to drive him back. They caught
him but once and he was easily safe
then. but Ed Klepfer, the White Sox
pitcher. called him out. McCredie
was glad to see neutral umpires work
after that. for he figured that such
decisions would take the heart out
OF the boy. Even a wise head like
the veteran Reb Russell. and a south
paw at that, had trouble keeping
Naughton close to first.
Harry Krause believes Naughton
ventures too far off first, but Man
ager McCredie holds that nobody gets
too far off first provided he can beat
the pitchers throw. He points to
Hans Wagner, who made his base
stealing memorable by taking such a
tremendous lead. Wagner used to-
come back to the bag like an express
train and kicked up as much dust
Naughton does the same thing. only
he packed very much less weight
than Wagner and his return does not
look so terrible.
Base running consists OF getting a |
lead as much as starting fast" in
sists McCredie. Take the case of
Rodgers. There were a lot faster
men in the league. but they could not
get the start. Jimmy Johnston was
successful In pillng up a modern
base stealing record with San Fran
cisco two years ago, because he got
1 tremendous lead on the pitchers
and not because he was 10 second
nan. That's why say Naughton
does not take too much of lead II
he can beat the pitchers throw to
first"