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Show REAL CATCHERS IE BECOMlSCMCEil Visible Supply of Competent Backstops Is Dwindling at an Alarming Rate. "I wornlcr," remarks Patsy Donovan, Dono-van, "where tho catchers will come from in a few years? "Where on earth tiro wo going to get rcnl catchors, gen-uino gen-uino masknien of the kind tho old-timo old-timo fans used to see parading with tho big chests and the jovial grin? When Kling, Sullivan and Crigor givo up the game, wliero will there be men to fill their places? Right now tho visible supply of catchers in tho two best leagues is so short and so inferior that it is tho best possible answer to the eager youngsters who insis.t that modern mod-ern baseball is so much bettor than the sort of game wo fossils used to play. It is, like bla.os. The history ot the catchers and u comparison botweon thoso of todaj and thoso of long ago show things up in a light that is vastly pleasing to tho old-timevs. Tho piodorn catcher, as a rule, is run down in size, strength and all-round value when compared com-pared to tho mon who starred behind tho plate in 18S8 and 1880. Kling, Car-rigan Car-rigan and Archer are among t he few catchers I can mention in tho present company who can travel tho gait at the pace maintained by tho old-timers. Theso men can hit, throw, bnckstop perfectly and handle a game with intelligence in-telligence andv skill. Sullivan and Criger, old as thoy arc, cau still out-catch out-catch a, regiment of tho latter-day youngsters, but neither of them ever 'cut any ico as a hitter, and they aro both duo for tho gong. "Take tho big catchers of the long ago, and what n body of men thoy were! They were giants, as a rule, in size. Doggy Miller, Kid Haldwiu and Billy Earlo were among tho few of tho old-time catchers who were small men. and they were chunky, n-gile and enduring. endur-ing. Such mon as Mint, Kelly, Kwing. Buckley, Oalley, Boylo aud Bennett were big fellows, burfv and impressive. So were Farrell and McGuire, and more yet, v.'lioso names I can't recall. These big men were grand basemen, as a rule, and soino of them were among the finest base runners of their day. Can you imagine u modern catcher being one of the liveliest men upon the team when it comes to the bascrun-nitig bascrun-nitig stunts? Nowadays, a catcher is supposed to bo simply a cntclier a sort of privileged character, like the pitcher. pitch-er. Bo is there to catch, and not to hit, run bases, or stir up tho gaino like a red-tailed demon. Can you imagine Buck Kwing or Miko kelley being simply an automatic factor, just catching catch-ing and throwing, striking out when going to tho pinto in the pinches, and having never a word lo say? And, on the other hand, can you imagine the modern catchers mixing into thu game till .they were the whole front of tho performance, as ICoIley and Ewing always al-ways were? Those old-time cu tellers often took the roles played now by Continued on .Following Page. jim i 1 1 r r vr rsmammmmmmmamm JREAL CATCHERS ARE BECOMING SCARCE Continued From Preceding Page. Cobb and Wagner such a thing as being be-ing minor figures of the game never occurred to them. Tho man who compares 'tho records rec-ords will, of course, remark that the old-time catchers had n great many ?assed balls, three times a.s many as ho modern backstop, and will base .iudgment, perhaps, on that. Remember, Remem-ber, though, that these old boys were iaking the hbt shot of the fastest pitchers pitch-ers the enme has ever known, from a shorter distanco than today, and with little thin gloves that the modern shortstop would hesitate to wear. As soon as the big gloves came in, tho passed balls suddenly dwindled in total number. As to fieldiug tho position, posi-tion, chasing the foul flies, throwing to stop the runners, and leading the defensive playwell, whero are there any modern catchers who can do any better than those old. catchers did 7 No, son. There are few great catchers loft, and there don't seem to bo any coming up from the bush leagues. I can't imagine what. we will do for back-stops. back-stops. I'm sure, in seven years from now." |