The Washington times., 1929-04-29
5TlJFFY FOR.
REGULAR
BERTH
By Bob Thayer

BY Bob Thayer
! Stuffy Stewart, generally
! admitted to be baseball's
premier base runner, still is on :
the lookout for regular big
league job.
The man who has averaged over
so stolen bases per season in the~
| Southern Association, this year Ia.
! filling in as a reserve infielder with /,
the Griffmen. 81.
| Now past 80, Stewart, who in 1928
was declared the Southern Associa-
tion's most valuable player while
performing at second base with
Birmingham, is receiving another
fling at the big time. ...
Stuffy last season was the main
spring of the championship Barons,
considered one of the fastest pennant
winning combinations ever turned
out by that circuit
A big league trial is no novelty to
the fleet infielder. Previously he has
been accorded something like four
| showiugs with major league teams.
I believe j can play big
league ball." Stuffy contends, j..
"thOugh I've always been
utility man SO far. 30
1--WE learned how to run the bases
and also feel that / can measure up
to just about everything else asked =
of a second baseman. Yet. / never
could seem to get the break that
might have made me.
"I'me not squawkingN" the sunny
Southerner assures us. Il guess,
after all, I'm mighty lucky to be-
getting another try in the big show
but I'd surely like to break into
the regular lineup just to see what
l can do
Stewart was first brought up
with the Griffs in 1925 when he
reported two days too late to get
into the world series against Pitts
burgh. Instead he saw Buddy 4
Myer, his present team-mate. sub
stitute for Third Baseman Ossie
Bluege when the latter was beaned =
by one of Wiz Kremer's pitches.
This was a cruel blow to Stuffy g,
! who. when the occasion demanded
it. had always proved himself
money player. Nevertheless ne &C
cepted his setback philosophicaly
ana dWd1lSu lOE lAS SAoA$S Nihe1S
was never to arrive.
With Manager Bucky Harris hold
ing down the middle station. Stew
art was forced to play second fiddle,H
but his versatility resulted in his
being retained through 1926-27. Sent
back to Birmingham last season he
proceeded to uncover class that
eventually earned him his second
shot with the Griffmen. a
I'D like to get started In
the majors" Stuffy declares. a
"I'm certain that / could steal
just AS many bases in the.
American League as / did in
the Southern if / could only
stay In there regularly.
"As a matter of fact, l can't un-
derstand why so many fast boys In
our league can't go down more
often than they do. The only thing
that stops them, as l can see it. is
that they're afraid to take chances.
"When a stolen base means q
run, though, a guy can afford to
gamble. II he loses we'll and good. n
II he succeeds-well, there's been
a lot of ball games won that way"
To be a great base stealer. y
Stewart says, one does not neces-
sarily need to be a hard nor even
consistent batsman.
chances on the paths that counts,
II figure that while hitting 200 I,
could get more results than a lot
of bozos batting 100 points higher.
It's making the most of ones
chances on the paths that counts
after all.
Some folks have got the idea
that speed means everything. That's /
ridiculous. There's plenty of kids
who might outstep me in a straight
away race who'd run me a bad Sec
ond on the bases. That where ex-.
perience counts"
Stewards base running, according
to his former associates, not only
is valuable in itself but it also tends
to unbalance the pitcher opposing
him.
johnson, the man succeeding
Stuffy, batted well over 800 in
1928," Utility First BaSeman
Charley GOOch explains. His
hard hitting caused the other ,
Southern Association clubs lot
Of trouble.
Everyone reasoned, though, that
his batting behind Stewart helped
Hlul ny al I6aSI OU points, Win
Stuffy getting on plenty and jockey
ing between the bases every pitcher
who faced Johnson either would
work into hole on pitch-outs or
else served him fast ones that he
could hit without half trying"
| Gooch, who himself played bang
up ball with Little Rock, is one Of
Stewards most ardent admirers and
believes that the 1928 Baron cap i.
tain will carve himself a regular
position in the Griff's lineup before
| the 1929 race has ended.
"You can't tell me that there's
not a place somewhere for fast,
! quick-thinlIing bird like Stuffy," he
insists. THAT is you can't make
me believe it. He's good enough
for any company he enters right
| now and ought to make the Wash
Eington club one whale of a man"
III " nTRr