Evening star., 1927-03-20
RUEL PAYS HIGH TRIBUTE TO HIS BATTERY
MATES ABILITY TO CHECK BASE RUNNING
Muddy Asserts He Has Found 1t Most Practical to
Study Individual Characteristics of Hitters
Rather Than Group Types.

| service hau tOtaied fNe seasons. so
just let Walter do all the doping
together to team it, on a basis OF
equality.
or course there are certain rules
regarding pitching to batters which
| are well established in the clubhouse
before the team takes the field. For
example, no thinking manager would
even consider feeding slow ball to
Eddie Collins. for he would pulverize
it. On the other hand. An occasional
"floater" to some batters might be a
good move, interspersed with fast
balls, as the shift would tend to throw
the batter off his stride.
The catcher is the most logical man
| to study the type of hitter that each
player ia and to watch the various
moves of the batsman at the plate.
Watches Opponents Practice.
Before every game / spend fully as
much time watching the other team s
batting practice as / do engaging In
our own workouts. | think this Ia one
of the best opportunities for getting a
I line on hitter, because he either prac.
| tices something that he knows is a
weakness or waits for a ball that he
can hit against the fence. This habit
or hitting against favorite ball is A
| tendency OF most batters during bat.
ting practice, and II a catcher is
watchful he can generally learn. with
| few exceptions, which bali the player
| can hit hardest
find 1t generally best to remember
| individual batters and their positions
at the plate; their individual strength
and weakness, rather than to place all
hitters of certain types under one
| classification, such as those who
crouch or stand erect, short. handled
batters or long, free swingers, those
who stand With feet apart or together.
| / have found that often / can learn
more ab0ut an opposing teams plan
of attack by studying the batsman
and the runner than by trying to get
| the signs
A catcher's Importance lies not only
in his mechanical ability and in his
| study of his opponents but also In
his observance of his own pitcher.
Not only an understanding of the
actual ability Of the twirler, but his
mental disposition should be learned
II possible. Pitchers are not alike In
this respect.
Some Pitchers Need Prodding.
Many boxmen have to be aroused
before they do their best work, but
this does not mean that they must be
kept in this frame of mind through
out the game. others should be en-
eouraged; some must be "kidded."
| A good backstop has to be eterAally
vigilant to watch for a break in a
pitchers effectiveness. Sometimes a
firm hand at the right moment will aid
In pulling through a twirler who has
| become shaky and may save 4 game
| which otherwise would be lost. Al
| catcher must know whether A pitcher
| lets down through weakness or care
lessness; whether he should be re-
moved from the game or ridden" to
keep him at top form.
! was catehinfta pitcher one day
| last Summer who ''broke's In this
| fashion. For Ave or six innings he
| looked like A. world beater. then the
other team began to hit him rather
| freely. He didn't seem to have very
much on the ball. He appeared to be
/ fast tirihR, but he was B. big, strong
| fellow, 30 | walked out and consulted
with him.
How do you feel?" I asked. Are
you getting tired or is your arm sore?"
II feel fine" he returned. II never
| felt better in my life"
That was enough for me. knew
then that he was just becoming care
| less, letting down a Bit | began to
| ride him then, to drive him, and he
came through with flying colors.
| IL had depended upon snap judg-
meflt and had requested his removal,
believing that he was weakening, we
might have lost an important game.
once pitcher lets down A bit he
often finds 1t difficult to get going
right once more. Therefore 1t is the
duty Of the catcher to see that the
boxffiafi doesn't get In this condition.
I
The Function Of PitchOuts.
4 A good receiver should be ready
with his own individual defense, so
that az few piteh-outs as possible are
called for. Incidentally, pitch.outs are
| not necessarily intended to catch
bass runner stealing bases, as many
think. f'hey are often used to prevent
4 the batter from hitting the ball
| Battery signals are not as compli.
Gated nowadays as they were rev
years aao. Styles change Id base
ball. YOU know, just as they do In
| fashions.
F0r wears teams sought to steal
each others battery signals. and. as
a result, the signs became more com
| plicAted. until some clubs would have
| as many as half dozen sets Of sig.
nails for the same purpose, outkuess-
| ing the bAttefs and seeking to pitch
ITO their weaknesses.
| Not only the signs but the actions
i of the pitcher and catcher were
| watched closely by the signal tippers;
| the manner In which the pitcher held
| the Ball and his movements in letting
| 1t go also the moves of the maskman
| in getting ready to receive the pitch.
| The Philadelphia Athletics were. adept
| at this art of guessing the signals,
Danny Murphy ana Chief Bender
being especially proficient In the art.
Roger Peekinpaugh, who played with
the Senators during two World Series,
also is expert at divining whether
twirler is going to send over curve
or fast ball.
OF course when the opposing team
Is getting a catcher's signals he shifts
10 an alternate set of signs. perhaps
only a variance OF the first set. Finger
signals are very popular these days in
the big league. With men on bases A
switch also Ii made, because OF the
likelihood of the runner catching the
signal.
johnson smart Workman.
A smart pitcher, watching the game
closely, can play fully as important
a part an the catcher in keeping run
ners from advancing on pitches.
Walter Johnson is Of this type. He
seldom throws over to first base in an
attempt to catch a man off and ne
probably never caught one, but the
base runner never gets a running
start off his delivery. He seems 10
; have a knack Of knowing when they
are going to start. When he throws
he gives the catcher a good ball to
throw.
Almost all good pitchers are hard to
. run on, beca use they have given sc
much thought to the matter. They
, don't allow the base runner TO get
start on them, Bob Shawkey of the
Yankees and Ted Lyons OF the White
gox have an effective method Of catch