The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-29
Safety First Is Now Being
Made the Motto OF Base
Runners.
FIELDING IS IMPROVED
Cobb Is Now Scoring Fewer
Runs In Proportion to
His Hits.
BY W. a. PheIon.

Is 1t the best plan nowadays to take
the long chances on the sacks, or is
it best to play 'em safe?" Should
player (taktng it for granted that he
is good, fast man. up to the requtr.
ed average in speed) try to stretch
his hits, or check himself at the base
where he knows he has found perfect
safety? Should the coacher bring
runner down from first to second, or
from second to third. or take a chance
on going home when the chance is
slim, and the runner must win out
either on dazzling slides or through
bad handling of the leather? In short,
TO sum 1t up. should the average play
er try TO do the Ty Cobb stuff gu
every possible occasion, or should he
change his tactics. watch the ball, and
play it safe. holding his hassock. new
er advancing for an extra base unless
the chance seems absolutely certain?
Not long ago almost every manager
would have answered. without a mo-
mentS hesitation, Take the chance,"
and the runners would have been call
ed down hard If they didn't make the
plunge, no matter how thin the oppor-
tunity might have been. Now, there's
some thinking, some hesitating.
Safety first is gaining a firmer hold
upon the wiser managers-and there's
reason. The reason for doing the
Cobb stuff, trying always for the ex-
ira bases, taking the slimmest chance
TO move along, were numerous. Here
was how the case was argued:
Ii an outfielder makes even the
smallest tumble of your hit, go on
To keep you from making that extra
base these things must be done. The
fielder must pick up the ball. He
must locate the infielder to whom he
should make the peg. He must
make perfect and unerring throw
The infielder must make perfect
catch; must locate you as you ap-
proach, and must, without losing the
smallest fraction of time, get the ball
upon you. Chances, therefore, were
mainly in favor of the nervy runner.
Why, then, the change? For this
simple reason: or recent years the
mechanical handling OF the ball, es-
pecial!y by the man who takes
throw, has become very skillful. The
way in which the gloved hand is ma
nipulated in tending to infeld plays
and the perfection with which these
things are done comes pretty near
to reversing the fermer situation, and
putting GHS DuIut~ vi on Inc
runner. The modern inf1elder, when
a runner is trying to stretch hit, can
get the outfielder's throw, even
though is goes considerably wide. He
flashes over to the right spot, takes
the throw in the glove, and so seldom
spills it that an error or a muff Of this
kind Is almost a negligible factor in
modern scoring. Taking the ball In
the glove, he filings himself upon the
runner, and, no matter how extraor-
binary the acrobatic act required may
be, he goes through with it.
1t used to be a stock joke to say
that to stop Ty Cobb you had better
throw two bases ahead OF the one to-
wards which you see him pointed.
Nowadays Cobb Is nipped time after
time. He scores fewer runs in pro-
portion to his hits, and So do lots OF
other daring fellows. The inflelders
get them now. where they formerly
got by. Seldom Is the ball dropped
or fumbled; it is handled with deadly
precision. and the runners chance OF
escape has been reduced. OF course
the daring rush still wins many ana
many a time-but the safety first
idea is taking hold. and gaining
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