The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-05

pretty near winning che pennant for
The ordinary
/ pop out instead OF getting away with
/ a sacrifice.
On smart pitchers like Nathewsen
and MeGlAnlty 1t was almost impos-
sible 20 work the squeeze play, That
\ play, as you know, comes up when
/ there Is a naAner on third and less
] than two out, The runner starts as
! IL 10 steal when the pitcher draws
\ back his arm The batter then hunts
\ the ball. 1t Is impossible to get the
Z runner at the plate IL the play is per-
feetly made, The only thing left is
\ to throw the batter out at first and
4 let the run count
Marty Doped Play Dat
Fer a while batters and runners
! worked that play fFeoaen1y. We
did not use IT often. though,
That's an easy play to beat"
Matty said TO me one day, a wish
sc4ne OF them would try It on me-"
Mind you, MathewBoA Mad deped
out a way to beat that play within a
day OF two after he first heard OF H..
That's the way he always figured, 1t
will give you an idea of his studioas
mind.
IAN a pitchers got to do" he said,
"1s to keep his head UP and pitch
out to the batter
The expression keeping your head
up" in baseball means being alert
and on the job.
Caught Runner 10 Feet
Pretty soon after that a team
forget which, just now-did try the
squeeze play on MathewsoF.
Out of the corner or his eye he
saw the man start from third. Also
he noticed the batter make a motion
to choke his bat. Matty simply
pitched oat-wide of the plate. The
batter couldn't reach the bah and
the man coming from third was
caught by 10 feet.
A manager could depend upon
either OF those great pitchers to OUT
think like that. Other pitchers could
DO the same thing teday-but they
don't. The squeeze play is frequently
worked during the regular season. IT
Is even worked In the worlds series.
Now, as 1 say, only a manager can
appreciate jast what 1t means to
have two men who will really help
out in the thinking department. A
big majority of them run manager
distracted by even forgetting what
he has told them.
One on CeveIeskie
Bill Murray, who used to manage
the Philles, had many funny run-ins
with some of his nom thinking play
ers. The most amusing is the one he
tells on Ceveleskie, tho pitcher, who
worked so hard to help beat US out
in that season of 1908 after the
famous MerlIle incident of not touch
ing second.
The Phll1es were in a close game
with Coveleskie pitching and there
was a runner on first base. Cove
leskie deliberately took a big wind
up. Naturally, the runner, taking
advantage OF that got big lead
and stole second. A pitcher, you know,
never takes a wind-up with men on
| bases-at least he shouldn't do so.
What do YOU mean by taking a
wind~up like that with man on
first2" Murray shot at Coveleskie
when he came back to the bench,
II didn't know there was a man on
first" the big Pole answered by way
of an abb, @
~Yoa didn't Know there was man
on there2" stormed Murray why
didn't some OF yoa fellows tell
Now, listen, fellows he said, sar-
castically, to the other players, who
were trying TO suppress their SMILES
Il want 1t distinctly understood that
hereafter we'll have no secrets on
Il Is club, Any time there is run
hear me2 Well have no secrets"
That's what they ought to do"
declared Coveleslie, the biting sar-
casm of Murray totally lost on him.
Itemized Batters
One of the Quaintest characters we
ever had In baseball was Crazy"
Schmidt, the pitcher. Schmidt couldn't
remember so we'll SO he kept a little
book in his uniform pocket In which
he had Jabulated the weaknesses of
all the different batters. Frequently
he would refer to this little book
before pitching to certain batter.
One day in a close game, when I
was a kid, Cap Arson of Chicago, a
terrific hitter, as you will remember,
came to bat. There were two men on
bases at the time.
Schmidt looked at him moment,
puzzled, A1s
"Waitr' he called to the umpire,
and deliberately got out his little
book. which he carefully scanned, In
the meantime the crowd and the
payers were giving Schmidt the razz.
1t didn't disturb him. however.
Finally he called to the catcher for
a conference.
II got it, got It," he whispered In
the catcher's ear. "Dere amt holdings
here bout a curve or a fast one-so,
It's base on balls. Dots his weak
ness"
So deciding, Schmidt gave Arson a
base on balls and thought he had
done a mastery piece of pitching.
He probably had, at that. Believe
me-, that Cap Arson could sting the
ball.
Copyright, 1923. United States and Can
ada by Chrsty Walsh Syndicate, for
North American Newspaper Alliance and
birmingham Age-H erald)