Evening star., 1924-11-26

NdA llS greatest DdSC-l uii-
~ ncr OF his professional sport
was his lack OF "take-off" i'll slid
ing
Other players, in running bases,
always had to Hesitate a moment
before starting their slides. They
slowed down a tritie and threw their
bodies into the slide. cobb did not.
Cobb bnever hesltated, but hurled his
body at the bag while going at full
speed. He had studied the advantage
or this. 1t insured him of reaching
the base In less time. Of making him
a more difficult target for an inflelder
to tag. He learned to do this through
hours of grueling practice, hours
when he threw L tired and sore body
into action until he was 50 bruised
that 1t was only with difficulty that
he could walk. He never went into a
base in upright position. lie took
advantage of every opportunity to
slide. He was perfecting himself in
the art training his body so that he
would hurl himself in the direction
Of the bag while going at top speed
without wasting the fraction Of
second that others needed TO poise
Themselves.
What He Gained.
The momentum that Cobb gained
by hitting the dirt whila going at full
speed gave him a better opportunity
to twist his body away from the
fielder. He could do so much more
and do It so much faster while going
at top speed. AS he added different
styles OF sliding. he needed speed
and momentum that carried his body
not alone to the bag but beyond the
bag. AT least half the Cobb slides
depended upon his ability to slide
farther than the bag. n was so with
the hook slide, where Cobb hooked
his toe into the corner OF the bag
from the inside or outside.
Umpire Billy Evans. who broke
that Cobb did and who closely stud
led his methods throughout Cobb's
career, said of his sliding:
He has nine different slides and
a thousand variations of each slide"
Infielders went frantic IN their eff
forts to tag Cobb. That Is exactly
what lie tried to make infielders-
frantic. But there was one who did
not get frantic over Cobb's methods.
There was just one who sat down and
coolly figured out a way to tag Cobb
This exception was Rhoderick Wal
lace. Few men have served as long
in the major leagues as this infielder
did. lie later became an umpire. but
did not last long. He did not like
unpirtng, and so retired from the ma
jor league lots. But while he was in
active service Bobby Wallace was one
of the smartest infielders In the game,
and there have been few men in all
base ball history who could be re-
garded as his equal in touching base
runner He was the best OF his day,
by far
How Wallace Tagged.
Wallace decided that it was sheer
folly to try to put the ball on Cobb's
body. Base runners ordinarily could
be retired that way, but Cobb could
not, for Cobb was the exception
among base runners. Most infielders
failed because they tried to tag Cobb's
body and they always discovered the
body going away.
Whenever Wallace was playing
against Detroit he informed his team
mates that he would take the throw
at second when Cobb was making for
that sack. When Cobb thundered
down the base paths toward second,
Wallace ran over and took the throw.
He straddled the bag, legs far apart
Taking the ball from the catcher
Wallace would look for Cobb's out
stretched feet. Cobb always slid with
oAAS 4Ool On INC STclilC 20 lOucn the
bag, the other foot free, about a foot
above the ground. Wallace would
reach out With his right hand, hold
ing the ball, and give the free foot a
twist. This quick twist caused Cohb's
body to SwerVe to one side, out Of a
line with the bag. The position Of
Cobo's body left no doubt in the minds
Of the umpires whether Cobb was safe
Or out.
Tho Wallace system of tagging
Cobb was 4 trick peculiar to Wallace.
Others tried It, but could not do II
with his success. There was only
one other man who could use the
method and that was Charlie OLeary,
who has been assistant to Miller
Huggins, manager of the New York
Yankees, during the years when they
won the league championship. But
OLeary did not trouble Cobb because
iOLeary was a teammate Of Cobb.
oLeary had the same knack of
touching the ankles Of base runners
as they slid in and giving that sharp
twist which changed the course of
the slide and decided the play for
the umpire.
Sheridan,s View.
"If all inflelders were like Wallace
and O'Leary you wouldn't need no
umpires," said the late Jack Sheridan
on one occasion. Them two decides
the plays for you. There amt never
any doubt in your mind when Wal
lace or O'Leary tags a runner, but
Wallace is the cutter Of the two by
just little bit.
~ couple OF fast steppers, them
two. You never see them takin' the
spikes Of a runner. They always
manage to get out Of the way Of EN-"
RADIATORS, TENDERS
made or renaIrpd Nav ones Also hodies