Evening star., 1924-12-06
His Target
BY III. G.. SALSINCER.

TAL CHASE was the nearest
IT approach to Ty Cobb the
A major leagues have produced
Chase was as quick and as fast as
Cobb. He was just as supple, as
near uble-jointed." Chase also
had a lightning brain. He knew
base ball.
He could not break into top speed
as quickly as Cobb. He did not
think quite as fast and he did not
think as deeply, but he came nearer
to Cobb than any other man ever
did, and he was of the same nervous
type. His execution of plays was as
spectacular and as brilliant as Cobb S
While he never compared with Cobb
as a base runner, he was a fellow
type in fielding.
Several years ago Cobb was asked
one day to describe his greatest play
He has been asked this a number of
times and has named a number of
plays, but of all those he relates as
his best plays, the one that was a
duel of wits between himself and
Chase was probably the greatest
At least 1t was the one in which Cobb
took most pride.
A1mcu 8E Snases
The play occurred during Detroit
New York game in the early years of
his career. At that time Chase was
considered the greatest player in the
American League, at least by far the
most spectacular. Cobb always aimed
to outwit Chase, making Chase the
target of his best laid schemes be-
cause he was the highest mark he
could shoot at.
In this particular game the score
was close. One man was out, Craw-
ford at bat and Cobb on second base
in the inning where the play took
place. Crawford being dead" right
field hitter, Jimmy Austin, who was
playing third base for New York at
that time, played close in; Jack
knight, the New York shortstop
moved over close to second and
Frank Laporte, the second baseman,
had gone far to his left and taken a
position back on the grass-ready to
cut off a slashing grounder from
Crawford's bat; standing almost
against the foul line and parallel
with Laporte was Hal Chase. The
outfield had shifted in a similar man.
ner and New York was set to take
care of Crawford.
If Crawford hit to the infield the
play "Oulu Dc dI HI DdSCy oIi
Crawford. He hit a ball hard and
he was a slow runner, therefore easy
to get as long as an infield drive
could be handled. The New York in
field would ignore Cobb, Of course
1t is a base ball rule, BE sure and
get one" Getting Cobb was extreme.
~ uncertain and getting Crawford
was a foregone conclusion, If he hit
to the infield.
He Hits to Laporte.
Crawford sent a hard grounder tc
Laporte and Laporte threw to Chase
retiring Crawford. Cobb had started
with the crack of the bat. He touch
| ed third, turned and started for the
plate, just as Chase expected him tC
do. Chase whipped the ball across
! the infield on a line to Austin tc
get Cobb sliding back into the bag
but as Austin whirled to tag ou
Cobb he found no spiked shoes try.
! ing to reach the bag. He straight.
ened up and what he saw was the
lmercury-footed Cobb sliding acros.
home plate with what proved to bt
the winning run.
To the spectators this appeared ts
be a wonderful piece of daring base
| running, the taking of n long chanc.
| and getting away with 1t. The aver
| age ball player called 1t Just crazy
luck" But the inside workings o
this play escaped players and public
! Cobb treasures 1t because in this PLAY
| he out-thought Chase, who had thu
second fastest mind in the game dur,
| ing Cobbs time.
How Cobb Figured.
| This play, better than most o.
those in which Cobb created new
phases, illustrates how Cobb man
aged to keep a step ahead of hi
opponents in planning. With Craw
ford, slow man, at bat, and Cobl