Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-06-24

Chicago, June 23.-The stolen
base, once one Of the biggest fac
tors in the attack of world cham
pionship baseball teams, has been
thrown into the discard by the
major league managers of today.
Records show that there were
nearly three times as many stolen
bases in the American league and
nearly twice as many In the Ma
tional league nine years ago as
there were last year and indica-
tons are that the decrease this
year over nine years ago will be
still greater. Where there were
ten star base stealers there is now
only one.
Many reasons for the decrease
are advanced by managers and
men who formerly were noted for
their daring on the paths. While
all agree that heavy hitting has
helped in the tendency to make the
stolen base extinct, some also blame
the ineffectiveness of pitchers, fail
ure of umpires to enforce the balk
rule and the scarcity of fast men.
lN NObDt lllt CtJCol DeloC L ulliOA
in history says that the stolen base
has been discarded only tempo
rarily and will return soon.
Game Moves in Cycles.
Cobb declares that the game
moves in cycles and that following
the cycles Of great pitching and
great base running, We now have
the cycle of great hitting.
with the sluggers of today base
stealing Is a back number" said
the Detroit manager. whose stolen
base mark formerly was close to
the 100 figure for a season. but
the hitting will pass. Then we Will
again return to the cycles Of pitch
ing and base running. Five years
from now my base running marks
may be eclipsed by some youngster
now in grammar school,"
iris Speaker, manager of the
world champion Cleveland Indians,
combines ineffectiveness of pitch
ing with heavy hitting as the rea-
son for the lack Of stolen bases.
1.-THE base runner of today is
the man who can go from first to
third or from second to home on
a single, not the man who can steal
seventy-five bases in a season.,
said Speaker. 1.-THE ineffectiveness
of the modern pitcher has brought
about the heavy hitting and, indi-
rectly, the decrease in stolen bases.
We have no pitchers today like
Mathewson, JOSS, Walsh, Plank,
Waddell. Brown and other stars OF
ten years ago. The average pitch
er of today throws the ball up and
hopes it won't hit him coming
back"
Umpires Are Blamed.
A we'll known National league
manager, who did not wish MS
name used, but who is looked on
as a student of baseball psychoi-
ogv. blamed the leniency OF UNI
hires in enforcing the balk rules as
one reason for fewer stolen bases.
"Heavy hitting has been one fac
tor" he said, "but another factor
is that the pitchers today can holo
q man two steps from first base.
The runners can't get a start.
nitcbers make balk after balk ana
the unpires refuse to call them.
The rule that when a pitcher makes
any motion which he hapltualiy
makes in throwing to the plate amt
does not pitch to the batter that II
is a balk. The pitchers today re-
peatedly make motions to pitch TO
the batter and then snap the ball TO
first. SO that the runner can't get
any kind of lead"
What Collins Thinks.
Eddie Collins, who once was one
of the greatest of base runners oe.
clares that the catchers are not
throwing any better than In the
years past ana that the runners
are not any slower.
why should try to steal when l
have men behind me who usuaiiy
advance me by hitting?" asked Col
Inns. "'I'd be foolish to take the
chance. Another thing, the rules
are more strict now. We used TO
get a lot Of free stolen bases when
there were two out with the other
team way ahead and no one cared
whether the runner was on first or
third. We don't get those any
more. The only time I try to steal
is with two out and one run needed
to tie or win. Then I want to be
on second so ! can score on sin
gle."
Harry Hooper, another great
base runner, takes the same view
as Collins, while Kid Gleason, man.
ager of the Chicago White Sox.
says that the base runners of today
aren't as smart as those of past
years. He added:
"Why have them steal when the
chances, are they'll get thrown. out
Or picked off the sack after steal
ng?" he said. 1.-THE batters are
hitting and that's the best way to
get the runners home"
What the Records Show.
The records reveal some unusual
facts about base stealing In the