The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-31
SLIDING TO FIRST BASE
DOES NOT HELP PLAYER
SAYS BASEBALL CRITIC
tsporting .News.)

whv does a baseball player slide to
FIRST base when trying to beat a close
play? Because he thinks he can hit
the bag quicker that way than by go
ing across standing UP. That failacy
was exploded years ago by actual
test, but the younger generation OF
players either has forgotten 1t or
never knew it. and the practice OF
Sliding into first base is growing with
each. new relay of recruits to the ma
Tors. Even some of the older players
who ought to know better, are catch
ing the disease.
Way back before the present CEN
fury began there was considerable
agitation III favof of letting base-run-
nerx -gvsFTuH=segeF well as first
without mourning liability to be put
out for it. The object was to increase
the base-running by improving a
mans chances of stealing second. Tt
was argued, and actually demonstrate
ed by stop watch tests, that runner
had to slow up a fraction of second
to make slide either head first or
feet first. The reason was never
clearly given, but some asserted it
waaA te&a me- the rt4hnefShad to break
his stride 70 make the slide and others
that he lost some OF his bodily mo-
naentum.
The tests showed the fastest posi-
BILE way to get from one base to an
other was to stand up, run at top
speed all the way, and overrun the
bag. But 1T was decided against per-
uniting runners to do that in going
to second base because of the differ
ent conditions. At first base 1t Is not
necessary to touch the runner, but
only to best him to that cushion with
the ball, while at the other three bases
1t is necessary to tag the runner, as
everyone knows.
Under these conditions it really is
an advantage for a runner to slide in
stead Of going in standing up. FIRE.
quently when the ball beats runner
to second, third or home he can avoid
being touched by sliding away from
the guardian of the. base and making
it necessary to tag his spikes or his
: shins, whereas If he went in standing
up he would present a much larger
target for the baseman to touch
Conseqently tht movement to per-
init overfunning second base was
sidetracked as favor to foxy base
runners with the ability to slip around
opponents. although at the cost of a
sfraction of a second In their speed.
There is no such advantage in the
slide to first base, however, and the
player who hits sthe dirt merely in
creases the chances of being beaten
lily the ball. 1t is quite probably that
the players habit of sliding to other
bases on an close plays, so as to make
1t as hard as possible to tag them, Is
responsible for the growing practice OF
handicapping themselves at first base.
Instinctively when a runner going to
first sees the play will be close, he
makes up his mind to slide the same
as at any other base.
1t has cost many a runner life
which he might have gained by
sprinting across the base at top speed.
Many decisions at first are by the
wink of an eyelash, consequently the
loss -of small part of a second is
enough to tdrn the scale. Also the
umpire sometimes is confused by the
slide and makes the wrong decision
because he expects the runner to flash
past the bag instead of sliding.