El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-04-27
Tommy Mccarthy Holds
Record For Most Assists

FUSION Oh the baserunuers that en-
abled the Judge 10 ger by the half
century mark in assists he always
was a good thrOWer, but IN 1898 ne
was a miraculous one. apparently
Oldtimers Beffere
The tale often told that the out
fielders OF old were better tnroWers
than those Of the present day prob
ably is myth and i IS question
If some Of the early fielding records
Of the National league aren't wrong
The new Newark leaders record OF
SO assists IL lUl games stands the
acid test, but there are earlier ones
that don't For example 1arQy
Richardson OF Buffalo, playing in Is
games in 1881, is credited with 80
assists and il seems quite likely that
National leagues sratlstlclan put IN
TO his Outfieldiug record some OF the
work done while Hardy was laborlng
Mccarthy wasn't in Richard
sons class as throFFer n the
dope Of 1851 was right and he
wasn't in the famous orator sha1-
fer's class either II the figures Of
1879 are correct. Shlffer that
year (fhe first the fielding rec
ores carried the assists putOutE
and errorsD. had Is pegs from the
Outfield that retired men and he
only cut into 90 tussIes- That
record looks TOO good TO be true
and il is hardly true.
It was in 1894, the year after Nc
Carthv. specializing in trapping
balls got by the half century mark in
assists that the last Of the National
leaguers able 10 make 40 good throws
from the Outfield appeared he was
Jimmy Damon and like Mccarthy he
worked for the team now known as
Mitch Broke In.
Mike Mitchell Of the Reds almost
got into the 30 assist class in 1907.
acquiring 80. BE had a wonderful
throwing arm and knew how to play
a ball off the fences as well as any
one who has been in the National re-
Gently Brooklyn scribes say the rea-
I son Casey StengeL now with the
] Pirates, led the National league sub
] urbinites In assists last year was be-
Z cause he had an uncanny sense OF
Z what the ball was going 70 do when L
bounded off the concrete walls OF
T Ebbets Field.
me first Of the 90 assists outfieId-
ers in the National league was Snat-
fer. the well known orator, who used
Z TO do a lot Of talking TO himself when
/ compelled to bat against LEFT handed
pitcher. (The authority FOR this
J statement is Arthur irwin, who IS go
ing 10 manage Rochester this year ,
I Shaffer. as told, had IS assists IA 90
I games in 1879.
I Hardy Richardson Of the Bisons,
{ showed up with 45 assists In Is games
] I'm 1881, but This record is open 10 de-
In 1889 shaffer got into the 40 class
I for the second time. then beng with
/ Buffalo and having a assists
{ In 1884 Lille of the Buffaloes,
+ playing in no games, showed up with
FoEarty Had -.
\ Five years later Jimmy FOgarty OF
B the Phillies. had ~ assists John
/ Kinley Tener, president Of the Ma
T.l- that NTnnn
/ one Of the most daring Of PLAYERS and
I that his hands were as gnarled and
/ full Of twisted fingers as SILVER
\ FIints. though FOgarty5 all his lie
/ played in the pastures throw ING
I himself at the bah and making pare
| handed catches were Two Of togarty'
In 1893 Mccarthy piled Up his enor-
| nous total Of SO assists by using his
l brain as well as his arm, Tom Brown
| Of Louisville, that year having 90
N Jimmy Damon Of Boston. had q
| assists from the meadows the next
L season and that ends the list or me
outfielders who have gotten by the
| 80 mark in successful throws. Lead
ers nowadays frequently set the pace
|. with anywhere from . 70 30 assis Is
One reason according TO old timers
thar assists are not so common fol
\ years from 1854 TO 1888 IS that the
|. grounds are so much larger and
another reason IS that the crowds dc
not spill over on the field. In tbs
old days a suburbanite only would
Il have 10 patrol a very limited beat OF
a day when the attendance scared and
said suburbanite would come in and
4 act practically as another infielder
. Dusty" Miller Of the Reds. when ht
had four assists from right field
! AGAINST the Phillies in the middl,
uineties. threw out all four Of the mer
who supplied him with these assists
al first base. The crowd had con
gregated on the green and Miller
! knew 90 was useless 10 play back and
watch balls soar into the overflow fol
doubles. So he played il.