New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-21
BY JOHNNY EyERS.
CAPTAIN of the Boston Braves.


The press of the country has always
given me credit for being close stu-
dent of baseball, but in beginning TINS
story | might say that TINS acquIeu
through a natural liking for the game
As far back as | can remember "hen
I was first able 10 pick out words anu
, learn their meaning, | read eVerylnrrn,s
| I could find relating to paseoal. ine
meetings Of the National League as
reported in the papers were always VI
! interest to me, and before long / hat
n good knowledge of all the prominent
men who were interested IN the sai"0
in those days. avn
interested in story books or fairy tales
7 was more interested In words per,
tanning TO baseball, and when | owned
nv first baseball guide was happle.
than most Youngsters who possessed
whole library Of story books lnere
WA not a page in that first guide that
did not read over and over again.
and especially those pages that con-
tanned the rules Of the game. Ihese
latter I went over so often that, wneh
began playing baseball with other
bovs of nv age, | was able TO argue
on anv of the rules, and, after playing
some amateur games and getting prac.
tical demonstrations Of the rules, my
knowledge Of them became more intl-
mate. ,
AS I have said in a previous story,
our meetings of the Troy Amateur
I League were patterned after and CON
! Quoted along the same lines as the
/ National League sessions, and there
was never meeting OF this amateur
Ieaque without its discussions over
( some protest or other that involved
/ the fine points of the game. hese
discussions consequently brought out
the various rules, and on some occa.
sions real technical interpretations OF
( the rules were necessary in order 10
! reach a decision. Having taken !.
prominent part in the organization OF
/ the league, | usually attended the
meetings, and they were great heiP
/ 10 me in collecting what knowledge
/ possess of our national game.
NV first experience in working out
plays of any kind was during the two
years | played in the amateur league
with nv knowledge of the rules, | was
. not satisfied to have my team simply
/ 90 in and depend upon the pitcher to
/ shut the other fellows out or to have
our batters knock the opposing pitcher
/ ont Of the box. When we were sched-
/ uled for a game our players usually
held a meeting before going to the
( grounds, and we discussed certain
plays that might come up.
Team Play Brought Success.
Various illustrations were put up TO
! the infelders. With runners on this
or that base. each member OF the IN
field was asked to tell what would be
/ the best play in case the ball were mt
/ to him by the next batter In TINS
way each man knew almost exactly
what to do under any condition when
the bail came his way, and believe
that the success of our team during
the two years was largely due TO those
meetings. | firmly believe that there
we're other teams in the Troy ANA
teur League that outclassed US man
for man, bat they lacked that con-
certed effort and team play shown by
The Cheerups as a result Of those meet
| ings to study plays.
When | used to be a blcacherite at
+ the Laureate grounds, where the Troy
/ team of the New York state League
/ played its games, | seldom went to
/ game without watching closely the IN
side OF every play. 1t was there that
/ / had my first opportunity to test my
/ knowledge of the game against the
players who knew were more expert
enced and who knew more about base
! ball than l. Although an ardent rooter
/ for the home team, was more deeply
| interested in the way the game was
! played than in the score.
/ When a runner would get on first
| | would figure in my own mind what
the next play should be. Sometimes Il
was made in accordance with my idea
and sometimes it was not. In the lat
I ter case IL was my custom 10 compare
! the plan of execution with my idea and
then discuss with myself which was
the better. When thought the State
! Leaguers worked out a better plan
/ than | had in mind | told myself that
! | was wrong. But if | still thought
my play would have been better under
the circumstances | stuck to it.
When ] finally got chance in pro-
= fessional baseball had my real OPP
/ portunity TO learn the game. In the
New York State League az that time
: il was 1902 there were many players
who had been in the big leagues. |
made up my mind, first of all, to watch
every play those old fellows partici-
pated in, for knew that there was
/ much for me TO learn. and | figured
that if there were any from whom /
could learn il was those players who
had had the advantage OF experience
in the major leagues as we'll as in the
minors. Among those men were Wally
Taylor, then manager of Utica; How
ard Earle, now scout for the Pirates,
who was managing the lion team;
Count Campau, manager of Bingham
! ton; Tom Dowd, manager Of the A. j.
& G. team, and others. On the Troy
team were Bill Smink, Pop Hamburg
and Louis Bierbauer, the old Cleve-
land player. He was at second base
Cor about a month, and | learned a
I lot from him during that time.
! So, when | joined the Chicago Cubs
/ for my first big league try-out, | had
a head full Of ideas as to how certain
plays should be executed. Many Of the
/ things that | had learned in the Aew
I York State League and many Of the
I things that | had doped out myself
while an amateur player were Of value,
but there were many others that were
/ fundamentally wrong.
/ II is a fortunate thing for me that
was willing to admit when was
wrong, for otherwise it is certain that
never would have succeeded. A
player who is anxious to make head
way must never believe that he knows
all there is TO be known about base
/ ball. No one will ever know all there
is to be known about the game, for ne
sufficient reason that the methods Of
playing il are continually changing.
Each season sees the advent Of new
plays, or, rather. new ways of making
old plays. and 20 keep up with the
| game a player must always be ready