Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-28
THAT BROWNS EASILY WON DRILL CHAMPTONSI
BASE STEALING BECOMING LOST
ART IN BIG LEAGUES; FAILURE II
TO ENFORCE BALK RULE IS CAIJSE
Max Carey Is Only Man in National League Who
Is Anyway Successful-Eppa Rixey Keeps
Men Flatfooted Near First

WTHATS become OF the base stealing In
w the National League? The fans want
TO know and so do the ball players--except
tho pitchers
Base stealing on a straightaway basis.
mat Is, without IA man on third, or without
me double steal neither OF which is meant
when the fan speaks Of stealing. is becom-
ing negligible quantity in the National
League and thereby the game In that cir
cult has lost one of its most spectacular
features
Max Carey, the Pittsburgh outfielder an
extraordinarily fast runner. led the National
league thieves last year with sixty-three
thefts; Benny kauff was second. with
lorty, and the aged Bob Rcscher. of st
Louis recently shunted to Milwaukee was
thlrd' with thirty-nine. Cutshaw led the
Superbas, az usual, with twenty-seyen
Compare those figures with the thefts by
the stars In the American League, such as
SiNty-cight for Ty cobb, forty six for Mar
sans OF ST, Louis forty for Eddie Collins
thirty-fiyc for Iris Speaker. and so on.
Inc American League had total Of
go stolen bases last year and the Ma
uohal League total of 1928, a difference
on the average, of about eight thefts per
team IN favor of the American.
Balk Rule Responsible
One and all. both National and American
League players say that the steady decline
IN base stealing in the National League
since Bob Bescher set the record with
eighty thefts in 1911 and followed with
SlNty-sefen in 1912, after stealing seventy
IN l'lp' Is due To the laNity in enforcing
'he balk rule IN the National League The
pitchers in this circuit say the players are
allowed to get away with murder An
authority IN the subject Is Chief Meyers
because ne Is the man behind the Mate
ha
Nowadays virtually no attention is maid
TO the catcher In figuring on a stolen base
unless 1t is known that he Is suffering from
lame arm or is otherwise handicanped
II Is presumed that major league catcher
can get any runner barring wild throws,
unless that runner has gained a full step or
more on TIE pitcher.
The pitcher is the man who Is studied
by the whole ball team. McGraw was one
OF the first. If not the first managers IN
appreciate the enormous value of studying
the unconscious movements of the pitcher
winch indicate when he is going to serve
the ball to the batter. Every pitcher ha.
Sich movement but we are often IA long
time finding II out For instance, Brooklvr
used to have a pitcher named cliff Curtis
who had an excellent move toward first and
was hard man to steal on until the Giants
discovered that when he was going to throw
to the plate he invariably dropped his head
just trifle as If in deep thought. Ante,
that could steal on him, and I am nc
gazelle.
Pitchers Have Them Fooled
ITO Offset the advantage gained by the
runners> by studying their unconsciou,
moves that indicate their intention to serv,
the batter, the National League pitcher,
have acquired astonshngly deceptive move,
That fool the man on first or compel hin
to stand fatfooted In order to escape beinl
caught on his balance toward second Il
the pitcher shoots to first
This branch of pitching has been devel
oped by leaps and bounds in the last thre,
or four or even the last two years. II /,
far ahead Of anything Bescher had 10 con
| tend with when he stole eighty bases ir
l9ll. Very exceptional runners who com
bine with their speed the intuition and III,
mechanical knack OF balancing themselve.
for a start, to say nothing of adeptness II
sliding. may steal many bases from veal
to year in this league, but it Is becom