| Show What Ma Made e Great Ball Players Great I No 16 Billy 16 Billy Hamilton Getting Ju Jump p on Pitcher and Record Speed on Bases Made Mad Hamilton Outstanding Base Stealer Stealer By Bozeman Bulger ASK A SK an any man under 50 years ears of age who was the thc greatest gre base tunnel Funner runner of all times tunes and he will probably say Ty Cobb Ask any man over 50 and nine ninety times out of a hundred he will say Billy Hamilton Ask most most any aly one nc n to name the three great reit base l runners of nf and nil v wm say Billy Ham Hamilton J John hn McGraw McCraw and Ty Cobb rhe young r generation of f fans do donot donot donot not know perhaps haps that th the base running running run run- ning record of Billy Hamilton stands head and shoulders above that of ally other man In 1899 1599 while pla playing with Kansas ansas City In the tho ol old l American association Hamilton stole bases in a singlE season His major league record and one that will probably stand for all time was 11 which he stole while playing with the Phillies In 1801 To appreciate the marvel of that performance just take talo a look at the official records for the season of ot 1923 in tho two major leagues Not a runner runner run run- runner ner stole half haIt as many as s Hamilton Hammon used to grab even in an of off season To Illustrate by by- bya a more statistical comparison of the games game's three great base runners In the In-the the 1578 games played by Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Ham Ham- ilton during his career he stole bases In 2304 games ames pIa played e 1 by Ty Cobb Cob h he stole base bases In the 1080 games ames played by McGraw McGraw McGraw Mc Mc- Graw h hp stole bases WAS EASILY TH THE PEER I Hamilton did lid l no not ot Play regularly In four of fourteen seasons Through In Injuries Injuries injuries In- In I juries McGraw did not play regularly for for more than seven seasons That accounts for the a apparent parent disparagement disparage disparage- ment in the totals But even on a proportionate basis Hamilton was easBy easIly easily ily By the peer of them all The early days of oC the remarkable Hamilton are obscure He came out of the west playing on small teams and finally landed in Kansas City in 1838 Much had been heard of him and the fans gathered in large num- num num-I num I I I I u b bers rs to see the new sock the ball ban and skim around the bases That da day though Billy ran into hard luck luck- Gus who pitched I for the Athletics let the Kansas City I outfit down without a hit or a run t A wee week Ie later Billy got into real action stealing his first base on Charley Chancy Ful Ful- mer catching for Baltimore It tt was wa t against Cleveland in September that thai he lIe hung up a real record Billy stole stoIc four bases and scored four runs HIT WELL TOO Hamilton was a baseball genius in many ways Though It seems to have escaped the attention of 01 man many historians historians histo histo- rians Billy Hamilton was one of or the few great hitters that can be listed among such immortals as Delehanty Delehant Anson Lajoie and Dan Brouthers One reason for his stealing so many bases two was that he got ot on first so Sp often In consecutive seasons he got more than hits In 1894 he got and antI In 1895 his total was Shades of Babe Ruth Huth That was frailing the old apple apple as as the Babe Would sa say sas For twelve years playing with KanI Kan Ran City Philadelphia and Boston Hamilton had a batting He led the National average of league 1891 1591 In 1894 1804 he missed In getting b by just one point But But- the thing that stands elands out In the memory of old time fans was Billy Hamilton's Hamiltons ability to get to-get get on bases and score while j In 1894 he carried in Itt runs playing with tho the Phillies That stands to as s a record Babe Ruth tried challenge It when he scored times in games In 1921 RUNS A SEASON But rAl t this wn TT Y j scored than io en years runs a season for eleven elev elev- Hamilton was a speedy sort of oC aggressive ag ag- ag- ag It runner much like Ty Cobb was not not- not merely merely his ness wonderful fleetness fleetness fleetness fleet- fleet of ot foot though that put him among the immortals immortal that marked him a real genius Early in his Bill career carer discovered stolen that bases were not off oft the catcher I Never ever mind about how good the catchers are are he he told Delehant Delehanty da day when reminded one Wa was up up against Bases of the catcher he the pitchers are stolen oft off I If It you ou dont don't lead on the get the pitcher they dont don't need a great catcher to throw OU you out STUDIED PITCHERS I Hamilton studied the pitchers clos close close- ly ir t their closely Jf he pitchers pitcher's could every tell mt mannerism by ne the m move They ey eyo eya o of say a a i knee or the way he held his lila I h head acl whether he was going to throw to first or the plate Being sure of I himself Billy would take such on the pitcher that half the time leads he ho didn't even have to slide il speed When ac ac- ac actual was required though Hamilton Billy had It I r never figure that I i a chance hance in am taking going down to second he hc second used to say I r try to make malee the baseman think ho lie Is taking chance chanco a all there on touching me out That's is to base running Get Cot the start on the tho pitcher If it you OU haven't got big enough lead Most rost of our modern why dont don't go base artists running adopted the style of Hamilton Billy and applied it to their individual own ability McGraw always great reat base a runner ran almost like Hamilton Hans exactly Wagner Wage picked It up from McGraw says ho he Yes Yes Billy Hamilton genius was indeed a He lIe retired in 1902 Copyright 1924 New York York Press Publishing Evening Company Tomorrow William Lan Lange e |
