The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-09

That very idea suggests to me the answer to one of those who have sent in filled out questionnaires. He says: What was the greatest catch you ever saw made?"
 To my way of thinking the answer to that depends largely upon the im- portance of the result. l have seen many. The one that remains most vividly In my memory was made by Sam Mertes in Cincinnati. It is in delible because 1t decided the pen nant of 1905.
 We had been going at top speed and arrived in Cincinnati with just one victory needed to cinch the pen
 nant.
 Expert in Sunfield If you will remember, Sam Mertes, being a great sunfielder, played left field while Mike Donlin played cen ter. Mike was not an expert in the
 sunfield. Very few players are. That ability to look into a blazing sun and keep an eye on the ball is a sort of God given faculty. I think the natural strength of the eye has much
 to do with it. To. appreciate what l
 mean, walk across the field of any
 ball park after the game. Then turn
 suddenly and look into the sun, which
 is usually sinking back of the grand stand. Ninety-nine men out of a hundred will be temporarily blinded. Smoked glasses help some to over come this but the average person could not follow the course of ball even with that aid.
 In this game with Cincinnati they were pushing us close, and I noticed that Mike Donlin was having trouble with the sun in center field. He had
 narrowly escaped a couple of errors
 that would have been disastrous. In the next inning l realized that
 long hitters would be coming up. It's tough out there, Mac" Mike said to me. At this time of year the sun is directly in the center l, fielder's eyes and just over the top of the grandstand."
 All right, you move over into left, Mike" I directed. And Mertes, you go and play center.'
 Needed That Game Sure enough, in the next inning the Reds got a man on. A long hit would beat us. And. mind you, the pen nane was almost in our grasp. That | one game was needed.
 The next batter caught one on the nose and 1t was a wicked line drive | to deep center. Mertes having antici- | pated the danger of long hit played very deep. A short l.it-say, a single would not be so disastrous, but a 1 three bagger or home run would 1 be fatal. Mertes realized that and
 played accordingly.
 | Starting with the crack of the bat
 he looked squarely Into the sun and
 ran with the ball. It seemed certain
 that it would go over his head. By q , spring, though, he got back and with
 jump speared the ball with his bare
 hand, crashing into the fence as he 1 fell. But he had saved the game and
 won the pennant.
 The Greatest Catch
 That was the greatest catch I ever SEW It was doubly great because
 nothing but the shifting of outfield 1 CTS at the psychological momen,
 would have saved us Donlin woule never have been able to see the bal 1 and make the catch.
 From a purely spectacular point ol view the greatest catch l ever say was made by Willie keeler while ouI
 old Soriole team was playing one day | in Washington. Keeler. by the way | died unexpectedly on New Years 1 Eve of this year, while the present
 memoirs were being written. i I do not recall the exact status o1