New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
Wires Into Sanctums of Sport
Kept Busy by Appeals
for Information
BY Louis Lee Arms

They say no football or baseball
plaver ever masters the rules Of his
own game lie is so busy perfocting
himself in the vital essentials of his
craft that he has no time to waste on
such inconsequent things as rule
,inkerer's regulations.
Similarly, how little our fans know
Of records. 1t is an off night in any
Sanctum Of Sport when Jones doesn't
call up to find out when the Cubs de-
feated the Tigers in a world series. 1t
seems that A has bet B that this world
series was played in 1892 and B claims
it was in 1890. SO Jones is straighten-
ing the matter out between drinks.
Right of the bat can you tell us who
holds the long distance throwing rec
ord? That is fair test. We suppose
we might as we'll ask you to recite the
third book of Virgil or sing Mendel and
Sons Spring Song.
Lejeune Holds Record
Then it viii interest you to know
that the major league throwing record
which Was held by John Hatfield when
be threw d ball 400 feet and IA inches
back in the paleozoic ages of 1872, was
broken by Sheldon Lejeune on October
70, 1910, when at Cincinnati he heaved
sphere 426 feet and 91a inches.
man in this vale of tears may not
learn the Morse international code or
how to operate Lewis machine gun,
but i. would seem that he should mas
ter anything simple as the above.
And vet We don't We grow sloppier
every year in the matter of statistics
and We were gratifed beyond measure
the other day when we ascertained that
Hans Lobert holds the time record for
circling the bases. with record of
1915 seconds That was in 1910, when
Honus was mere boy of thirty or
forty summers. Since he passed his
Sixtieth birthday he has slowed up, as
they say.
Home runs are among our most
cherished friends in baseball, but
darned if we hadn't forgotten that it
seasons record for these beatitic af-
fairs In the season of 1899, when
John was with the Washington club in
the National League, he peeled off
twenty-five home run blows in the
course Of a single year. 1t was the fol-
lowing winter, IN a mass meeting at
Wilkes Barre, that the National League
pitchers formally declared war on good
old John.
The shut-out record for consecutive
innings Is ifty-six. That record is
tclI hv al fphr y,I f>f<
paratively recent vintage, having been
made IN 1913. Even in those days
sporting pages were equipped with
Twelve cylinders, streamline bodies and
all modern improvements, SO it is prob
able most of US remember when the
Fire Ball King tore through the Amer
lean League, only to be stopped by the
ST. Louis Browns.
Hamilton Leads Cobb
Ty Cobb was-and is-considered
some boy when he stole 96 bases dur
ing the season of 1915, but Hamilton,
Of the Philadelphia Nationals, grabbed
off 1l5 bases back in the good old lar
cenous days Of 1891. The following
you remember Brown, of Boston
rabbed 10 bases, which is plenty. In
1895 Bin Lange, of Chicago. stole 100
bases, these being the only three occa-
slons when tase runner reached OF
PASSED the century mark.
While on the subj ject Of thieverv it
viii interest some Of our leading ball
1ans to know that Cuthbert, of the Key
stone team, of Philadelphia, was the
hrs- man ever to steal 4 base That
was IN 1868. Up to that time appar-
emily no one had thought about it.
Here ! CO." said Cuthbert, much as
Steve Brodie must have said it, and
away he went. That set fashion that
mas endured, even as Brodies historic
Mckay IS emulated in these modern
times.
You often may have wondered how
many chances first baseman could
handle without getting dizzy. It was
on September 4, 1913, that Edward ko-
hetcny accepted twenty-five Of twenty
'hree opportunities to enrich his field
ing record. and other front keep
trs have indicated Il great respect for
this mark by never bettering it.
in contrast to Koney's remarkable
record we are enabled to present at
ihls performance two first basemcn
VINO went through entire games with
out handling single chance. On those
days they almost could be said to be
members Of the idle rich. 1t was on
August &, 1891, that First Baseman Nc
causey, OF Washington, went nine full
innings without lifting a finger, while
on May %, 1906, Jiges Donohue, the
ghost-legged initial sack guardian Of
me old Hltless Wonders, duplicated the
freak record of McCauley's
Sets New Mark
Donohue was later so embarrassed
over the incident that in 1907 he went
out and established record for indus
,fousnesss and attention to duty by
handling 1896 chances in 157 games.
That mark still endures.
Bobby Lowe, Dan Brouthers and Ed.