The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09
FREAK PLAYS MAKE
BASEBALL HISTORY
Laugh Provoking Stunts Cause
for Rage When Com
mittcd.
BRODIE SPOILED "PLAY"
Chased Right Ball After
Keller Tossed "Planted
Ball" to Infield.
BRODIE SPOILED "PLAY"

tOprIf1hf 1873; al rights reserved.
One OF the marvellous things about
baseball Is that no one game ~ exactly
like another. Millions OF ball games are
played between these shores during the
course OF n year, yet It would he i'm
possible to find two exactly alike.
Yet with all the variations of the game
II Is remarkable how some. fans renem-
her details of contests OF the past. Some
of these fellows who never can remem-
Der the date of "A month can go hack a
score of years or more and describe ac-
. Curateiy the occasion when Mike Kelly
went mp in pinch or Buck Ewing threw
out Billy Hamilton stealing at a crucial
period.
However. there is nothing that sticks
in fans memory as much as a freak
play. Games like the one in which Mer-
kle failed to touch second the one In
which Baker tied the score on Mathew
son with home run In the ninth inning
or the one whch Snodgrass featured
with his 100000 muff stand out by them
selves. but many games between second
division clubs or contests having no bear
ing OF the championship are unforgetta-
BILE by reason of some freak play.
The freak play is seldom funny to
both sides. Managers and players who
laugh themselves sicl: when they dis
cuss freak plays now often were blue
the play was made.
Take the famous play on the old
Orioles. when Willie Eeeler whipped "A
fake ball In from the outneld while
Steve Brodie chased the real ball. and
threw that in. two balls being returned
to the infleld within n few seconds.
There is seldom time when the old
OTioles-McGraw. Jennings. Robinson,
Kelley and Keeler-meet here on their
periodic reunions that they do not make
merry over that play. And it is good
for loud guffaws whenever it is brought
up. Yet at the time it was made Brodie
( was the goat of the Orioles for weeks
and the season was nearly over before
Kelley and keoler would forgive him.
Orioles Tricky Team.
TIE Orioles We're without question the
tr'ckiest ball club that ever won n pen
nant. All the men on the club were
keen students of all the intricate points
OF the game and they always were
thinking up new stunts to help bring in
new victories. Ned Hanlon had every
tning in Baltimore but pitchers The
, orioles. won their pennants by wonder
full batting and base running. in spite
, or a mediocre pitching staff Many
Baltimore victories were won by such
scores as II 10 10. 10 to 8, and the
chase balls until their tongues stuck
out.
Kelley and Keller Matched n plot to
save them n lot OF exercise For weeks
the grass In the Baltimore outfiela Went
without shave, after which Kelley. and
Keefer planted number of balls in righ,
and left centre field. Long drives would
be hit into the long grass end roll to the
fence unobserved. while Joe and Willie
v,fal- -,
and throw out the runner trying for
double. g
one day sereeching liner was hit 10
right centre, and Keller. burlesquing
Tying stab. hastily dug up one of the
planted balls and threw the batter out
at second base. In the meantime Brode
valiantly chased the real ball all the
way down to the fence and then hurled
that in. That let the cat out of the bag
and thereafter the other clubs of the
league insisted on regular shaves for the
Baltimore outleld.
McGraw said the funniest freal; play
or his experience happened while he was
the kid third baseman OF the old Clean
N. V, team. the club with which the
Giant manager started his professional
career. ,
The play was the climax of an excit-
ing fourteen inuing Fourth OF July game
het"eeh Olean ana Its most mated rival,
Hr7nford. Pa. No better plot ever was
= hatchcd for a baseball fiction story. With
, the score standing tied at to = in the
fourteenth. with two out, Arthur Egan.
the pony sized pitcher of the Olean team,
f't an ordinary loop single into left field.
q Owing to the holiday "A crowd surrounded
= Tire entire field, and as ii was getting
late they were enCroaching closer and
G closer on the playing field.
Dog Runs or With Ball.
As the Bradford left fielder was about