Show What Made Great Ball Play Players rs Great GreatS S No 12 12 Hal Hal Chase Run Running ing In on Bunt and Making Fo Made Left Hander One of Greatest First Basemen in Game By Bozeman Bulger BulgerS I S TLE most remarkable piece of baseball machinery that ever everA 1 A came into the tile game and the man whose career end ended d most unfortunately and sorrowfully was Hal Chase That is the opinion of the writer with who saw him st start rt as a boy and it is is I shared by practically every baseball man associated professIonally professionally professionally with the game Chase will never neve go down dOw downIn In history history history his his- tory as one ono of the the baseball immor immor- immortals immor- immor and he will never be selected on one of the grand all America teams To acquire that that- honor baseball baseball base base- ball players are rated according to their worth to a a. team In that respect re respect re- re reSpect Chase was worse than worth worth- less In the later years of or his spectacular spectacular spec spec- career career he was regarded as an actual danger DISMISSAL NOT CLEAR The charges that brought about Chases Chase's dismissal from organized baseball were never made clear In detail de de- de- de tail and they probably never will be Still they were never denied were denIed were never brought to trial The Tho ruling was accepted and the incident closed Suffice it to say that association with men who had not the Interest of honest hon hen est sport at heart completely blotted out a most brilliant career As a ball player Hal Chase never had an equal I If It It were possible to Include Hal Chase declared Miller Huggins not long ago there could never be any any question as to who would be the grand all American first baseman of or all I time I There were those who favored JIggs Donohue and Fred Tenney but their arguments could never stand up in the face of or the work worle of Chase He was a genius Back in 1907 if It I remember aright Chase joined the New York Americans down at Atlanta toward the end ot of the training season He had come from San Jose Ca Cal Clark Griffith was then manager CAME UNHERALDED f Much had been heard heard of ot this young Chase but nobody ha hail the faintest I Idea of his real ability Having played during the winter in California the young joung fellow was in condition when he reported The first day he picked up a mitt and walked to first baseI base S. S I j dont don't know how well he can hit said Clark Griffith but It wont won't make malce a lot of or difference There is the greatest fielding first baseman I 1 ever have seen in my life lIre This mind you after atter one hour of ot practise In the practise game Kid Elberfeld a a. great base runner got on first base The late Willie Keeler was next up that day Chase was playIng playing playIng play- play Ing on the scrub team teams As Keeler dropped a bunt toward first the little group of spectators were amazed to see Chase flash forward forward forward for for- ward and pounce on the ball ten feet from the plate Instantly ho he whipped the ball to second base Instead of first Elberfeld was out by five feet leet Nobody ever had seen a play exactly exactly ex ex- like that Elberfeld was dum- dum founded Later there was ivas was a a. man on oh second when someone bunted Again Chase running full speed toward the plate pounced on the ball With tho the same motion he snapped the ball to third base and got the runner there on a force out INSTIGATES NEW PLAY There was a a. brand new play Some thought It accidental But again and again Chase Chae made the play with perfect per per- feet precision A new play had been Invented a a. new star had come Into baseball I Although a left handed thrower thrower Chase Chas could never learn to bat bt left handed successfully As a right handed I batter though he was great He Be was easily a a. hitter an and one of ot the best run hit-and-run men in the world Long before Hal Chase had reached New York for the tho opening of the season season season sea sea- son his name had been heralded all allover allover allover over the country There were some doubting some who talked of ot another Morning Glory But Chase never disappointed In the regular championship games he was even more brilliant than in training Id like to see cee him come up on Lajoie that wa way some baseball man remarked referring to his daring manner of fielding a a. bunt If It the Frenchman hits one on the rose se hell he'll kill that boy This meeting was looked forward to with deep Interest When It came Lajoie was all ready to cross the new phenomenon There was a runner runner run run- I ner ncr on first when the Frenchman I came up Everybody knew that Chase would come in for a bunt Anticipating Anticipating Antici Antici- I this Laj Lajoie le cut loose I GENIUS WAS UNCANNY The fans simply saw a flash of or I arms and legs Still on the run Chase leaped high In the air stuck out his mitt and the vicious line drive struck his glove glove and and stuck The runners were doubled up and the game settled Chases Chase's genius lay In his uncanny of mind and muscle As I his mind thought his muscles acted It was simultaneous Even in his youth Chase was a thoughtful fellow I 1 believe the time will come he once told the writer when a right handed first baseman will be le almost as rare as a a. left handed one is now It Is a natural position for a left hander The throws that are hard to a right hander bander come naturally to tome me They tell us that Tenney makes this same snap throw to the bases I did it it though before I ever heard of ot Tenney It Is the natural thing to do and I guess he discovered it just as I did Look over the first basemen of to toda today to- to da day and anti you jou ou will see the wisdom of Chases Chase's prophecy The loss of or this great talent to baseball and to himself was Indeed a pity Chases Chase's fall tall from grace Is Isone Isone Isone one of ot the tragedies of ot baseball Copyright 1924 New York evening World Press Publishing Co Tomorrow Tomorrow KId Kid Elberfeld |