Show I BASE STEALING TY BY COBB BB I 1 Why hy Is 18 it that a a. few Cew years cars a ago o time the speedy fellows In the big leagues UlC used to teal steal over O n u hundred bases a season while time the stars of or today aro are lucky If It the they can get away with half halt that number number number num num- ber Its It's a I ml mighty hh stir stilt proposition to answer an answer answer an- an an- an that question there are arc so O many I reasons that It kind of a a. fellow I. I where to begin To my mind one ono Is that In the last I few cw years far too much attention has been paid pain to Inside baseball sl signals nals and that lint sort of thing and far Car too little littleto to tho the noble art of or purloining second or third Nowadays theres there's too much that Is mechanical in baseball Tho The young fellow just Jest breaking In has his head filled with sl signals nals That time worn orn old expression Dont think you OU know time the game ame its it's experience that counts do what the tho veterans toll tell you ou tho the rookie has fired at his hits head four Cour or five times 8 a da day until ho lie gets ets so 0 scared that he lie would not dream of trying anything on his lils own hook If he lie happened l to be on first and saw a R. good g chan chance e to steal 1 second or If It ho lie was on third and thou thought ht ho he could steal home borne do o you Oll think hed he'd try It Not In a thousand years Cal If It ho lie chanced to be put out hed he'd be bo told tolda a a. a few ew timings things when hen ho lie hit the bench Youre playing under tinder me arent aren't your you ou time the manager would a as IC c Did I 1 give you an any 81 signal nal to steal The Time best timing thing you can nn do Is to remember that th the hi hug big league is no place for Cor Small wonder the thc chap loses his Indi Individuality and develops Into one ono of those mechanical automatic players who last perhaps a year rear and arc are the then shipped back to tho the bushes tagged tag too slow It Is this foolish Coolish adherence to In Inside Inaldo baseball baseball that has crabbed the stealers To be he sure I do not say that Inside ball bail is useless It Is 18 ono one of the greatest de developments developments de- de of our national sport when tho the proper limit Is h VI placed aced on It It but when It so obsesses managers and players that three or four fOUl men are aro needed to think out tho the simplest plays its it's ono one of tho the worst features of th the th 5 J game me Some managers ors thou though h. h believe c In letting a n. chap do something for Cor himself once In a R. while Hughey Jennings s Is Isono isone isone one ono of oC these theeo That's wh why the time tigers got ot aVos aVo's away with so many stolen bases There arc are some Bomo players too who would steal or tr try to steal even though they ordered by their managers ors p presidents cal pr-cal- lI- lI dents and club owners not to dare daro at- at It These fellows have havo It ft In ln thorn to play real baseball and play It they will nil all orders to tho the contrary stand standing Ins They turn out to bo be stars I if they dont don't get canned before fore tho they have havo a a. chanco chance to show their real worth because the they would not be subject to what Js is c called discipline Its It's a a. fact thou though h known to every ball ban tester that man many and man many a a. star has never ne starred because an ignorant Ig leader loader could not He see that tho time youngster realy knew moro more baseball than the fellow who was teaching teach teach- In ing or rather trying to teach him Another thing that has helped In doln doing awa away with stealing is tho the fact that pitchers pitch pitch- ers era In time the last generation have learned to watch Itch the tho base baso runners much mucus moro more closely than the they did In tho the days dat of or Billy Hamilton Billy Sun Sunday and other fl fliers ers of tho time base paths Its Ifs a pretty hard thing to got get a a. big hiI lend lead nowadays but If you yon watch for 01 It its it's mind ind to como come sooner or later Then again with so 80 few Cew nervy enough nough those few men who try stealing as a regular thing aro are marked livery Even Player they meet has the he sign out and evel every pitcher takes eR especial pr precautions when whon one of these fast boys bos get ct on If It things came Caine back to the time olden way a when the minute n a runner perched on first It was tip up to him to get to second through h the use of his hits own brains when everybody was wasa a baso base runner then we 0 would seo see bases attached after arter quite a fow Cew ow names In the tho S S. S B B. B column And truth to tell I think we are slowly getting back to it It has been shown b by some of ofus us tins in the last couple of se seasons sons that tho trick of stealing can be he pulled or off with quite consistent regularity that too when everybody c was working hardest hardest hard hard- est cst to slop stop would ho be stealers Quite a few pla players In 1909 1009 showed that the tho trick could be turned Theres There's a reason too This Is It H Base stealing having passed into disfavor or tho time infielders Infield Infield- ers cis have in R a RI Wit way lost the tho knack of oC stopping It The They have havo so little opportunity opportunity that th they y cannot put tho time ball onto a man with the time perfection and Dd precision of oC some somo of the thc old basemen They Thoy have developed the science of defense down don to toa toa toa a er very point They can kill bunts bunt or prevent time the hit and run to perfection but as Bill Phelon puts It it at attending attending attending at- at tending tending- to all nil these dainty bits of craft and generalship gf they have havo forgotten the time original lines of or protecting the thc cushions and the tho infielder of today In mo most t cases rases Is Ix actually unprepared to deal with the tho fast runner comins coming at him with a whizzing glide tie TIc speaks truly trutY You Tou reader have often orten seen een a runner apparently beaten by bv a R throw slide around a b bag and get et clear of ot thin tho man trying to tag him Others can do It It If tho they would only onh try tn It seems to me mo that more will Ill try Inthe in inthe inthe the coming season aRon The Idea hiss has got abroad tho the mana managers are aro beginning to see that everything cannot bo ho done mechanically mechanically me me- and tho public whose sa say so o moans means tI the success or death of or baseball i is be beginning to root for lor or more stealing And when It comes It will wilt make baseball baseball base base- ball hall much bettor than it Is js toda today |