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Show "GET ON" ESSENTIAL IK Willi GAMES Clever Lead-off Man Is of Greatest Importance to Club. Get on! Thafs what counts in a ball game. It ma Ices no d 1 f f erence whether 1 1 is via the old baae hit, drawing four balls or taking1 one In the ribs, just so you get on. You have to get on base before you ean hope to score, and the player who can "get on" is a valuable man to have on a ball club. It takes a keen eye, good judgment, nerve and a cool head to make a goo$ "waiter." Not the kind that "slings hash" in a "beanery," but the man who tops the bat ting order, the "lead-off ' man of a ball team, and when a manager can find one he usually considers himself him-self lunky and starts to build up his team from this point. There are few star "lead-off" men In the game today; in fart, the species ts a rarity in baseball and just as harrl to find as a first-class pitcher or a man who can hit .300 and play the outfield like a Cobb or a Speaker. The "lead-off" man does not have to be a hitter; in fact, few of them ever are found among the leaders In the batting bat-ting averages, and if they do get there it Is hy drawing bases on balls or getting to first one way or another. To top the batting order a player muBt have speed. In addition to the other qualities, in order or-der to enable him to beat out taps or to reach first on a fumble or slow fielding field-ing In case he hits to the infield. The idea is to get on somehow. In making up his team a manager will pick his cleverest batsman not his hardest hard-est bitter or his best hitter to top his batting list. The second man will be one who can "lay down a bunt" for a sacrifice or a man who can be depended upon to hit the ball and protect a base runner on the hit-and-run play. Of course, there is no certainty about him hitting the ball, for the man on the mound is out there trjlng to outguess him, but the- second man In the list is usually one who is reasonably certain to protect the runner whenever necessary. "Clean-up Man" Fourth. In the third position is the star batsman bats-man of the team, who is capable of putting put-ting through the base hit after the "lead-off" "lead-off" man has reached first and advanced on the sacrifice, and fourth position is the place for the "clean-up" man. The remainder of the batting order is made up according to the hitting strength of the players,- with the battery usually bringing up the rear the catcher eighth and the pitcher ninth. There is not much" only sixty-four passes, but he proven a valuable man to lead off for Herzog s team because of bis hitting. Oroh is not as good a "waiter" as Huggins, but makes a pitcher put them over the plate for him and Is a much better hitter. Johnny Bvers, captain of the Braves, Is another of the Huggins type, as ts Moran. also of Boston, who was at the top of the list in many games last season and also in the world's series. George Burns, of New York, the veteran Tommy Leach, now with the Reds, and Wilbur Good of the Cubs, are all good lead-off men, but depend as. much on getting on by hitting as by drawing passes. Puzzle for Moran. One of the weaknesses of the Phillies' lineup is In having no first-class "lead-off" "lead-off" man. Bobby Byrne has held the place during the greater part of this season, sea-son, but Manager Moran has tried Bancroft, Ban-croft, Becker and Paskert in the position, posi-tion, and has not succeeded In getting a plaver who might be classed as a star. Last vear Byrne was In 126 games and walked only forty-five times, while he is credited with striking out forty-four times. A "lead-off" man of the type of Huggins or Groh would add considerable strength to the Phillies, with Bancroft in second position and the slugging crew behind him. ISddie Murphy, formerly of the Athletics and now of the Chicago White Sox, probably prob-ably was one of the greatest "lead-off" men develbped in recent years. Murphy was an excellent bunter, fast on bis feet, a fairly good hitter and one of the best men In the game to wait a pitcher out to the limit. Last year Murphy fell off In his ability as a "lead-off man, as well as in hitting, and1, never being considered a first-class outfielder, his work was far below what it should have been as a member of a world's championship team. Before he went to Chicago this year It was even worse. Detroit Has Two. In Vltt and Bush, Detroit has two of the cleverest "lead-off" men In the game today. Last season Bush, who topped the Tigers' batting list, led the league with 112 bases on balls. This year Vitt has the place, and has demonstrated that he is one of the best men in the game for the position. The value of having a man like Vitt or Bush at the head of the list, with hitters like Cobb, Crawford and Veach to follow, ts readily seen. It was the same with Eddie Murphy when he was with the Athletics and had "Rube" Oldrlng, Eddie Collins, "Home Run" Baker and "Stuffy" Mclnnes to do the i"clean-up" work. Malsel of New York, Sloeller of Washington and Bhotton of St. Louis, although not star hitters, are considered con-sidered good "waiters" and hard men to pitch to, and for that reason have held the top of the batting list with their teams for several seasons. Harry Hooper, who has been the ead-off" ead-off" man for the Boston Red Box ever since he first joined the team, Is a clever man In the position and an extremely valuable one with the heavy-hitting combination com-bination that follows him. Hooper not only Is a good man at 'waiting 'em out," but he Is a hard hitter, a clever and reliable batsman and a speedy runner. This year Hooper is having one of the best seasons of his notable career. It Is not the aggregation of stars which shows up the best on the field, team play being the strongest factor in the makeup make-up of a winning combination, and one of the strongest links In the chain Is the "lead-off" man, for It Is up to him to "get on." difference in tne systems employed by the various managers In making1 up their teamf, although occasionally a catcher who can hit above the average Is placed higher In the batting order. Schallt of the Chicago White tiox, Clarke of Cincinnati Cin-cinnati and Chief Meyers of New York when the burly Indian backstop was hitting hit-ting at Ins top speed being some of the good-hitting catchers who have been given places of distinction. In placing each member ot the team In order to obtain the best results, a manager man-ager may make many rhanges In his lineup line-up In the course of a season, but there probably Is more experimenting In the search for "lead-off" men than for any other position In the list- If a regular member of the team hits a batting slump for any length of time he can be benched In favor of a utility man until he recovers re-covers hlB batting eye, or he may be dropped in the batting order for the same reason,' but once a player proves his j ability to lead off he usually holds his position. po-sition. Attempting to pick the best "lead-off" man in the two major leagues is a hazardous haz-ardous task, but It Is doubtful If there would be much dispute over the selection If the honor were given to Miller Huggins, Hug-gins, the veteran manager and second baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals. For years Huggins has heen recognized as one of the greatest "flrst-up" men in the game, having won distinction in that position po-sition while with Cincinnati and since he has been with St. Louis. Huggins Has No Superior. Hoggins possesses all the qualifications for tho position. He is small In stature, hugs the plate from the left side and is a hard man to pitch to, as any big-league twirler will admit. Huggins is not a hard hitter, although lie often gets one by the infield for extra bases, but while he la at bat he works a pitcher for every advantage ad-vantage there Is t' be had. If he is , forced to hjt at the oall he meets its with a chopping blow, holding the bat almost in the middle and swinging to meet the ball and drop it over the Infield. In-field. Of the same type ol batsman was Willie Keeler, now out of the game, and Roy Thomas. The latter two, when with Brooklvn and Philadelphia, were considered consid-ered the crack "lead-off" men of their day, and so clever were they in fouling I and waiting for their base on balls that the foul-strike rule was adopted In order - to thwart them. But among the players of the present !i Huggins has no superior, and last senson led the National league In drawing bases on balls, with u total of 185. Hug-ginS's Hug-ginS's closest rival In the National league is Heinle Groh. now playing third . base for Cincinnati. Last year Groh drew 4 |
