Show I Remarkable Stunts of Heavy Hitters Who Have Figured Fig red in Baseball Battles Battes of Former Years I I Ever since inco Sam Sm Thompson hompson one of or I In III tho the veterans of or the Ule slugging past babal baseball stepped stepp into Iulo the breach last lat fall fail fal and helped out the tho Detroit TIgers Tigers Tigers Tig TIg- ers in a 0 few Cew games the fans tans have been boen debating the tle question that never will vIll wi be l settled Is baseball faster than It w was In tn tho olden days tays and are arc tho the players layers of or lo today ay any better belter ueler than those of or the early orly days of ot the National league This Is what Thompson himself said Id about it i anti and he lie is 11 well veil wol speak to natural It It just seemed the most thing I in tho world to be he walking walkinG out outon with the other oIlier leaguers the Hold field on oIl 01 I struck ont out wih the first time lime Howell Howel pitching g for fot St. St Lou Louis s and ant that was that thai ho he was wn using was all al Gl Greek l to meIn meIn me In Iii my lIly day there was no such ball bal considerable though I had heard and ant discussion I of I. I was I-was completely fooled fooled fool fool- ed 01 when I otI first first- attempted to connect with It wih After Atter playing in lh Just one game gamo n a man doesn't like to form Judgment asto asto as asto to whether baseball Is Es I faster now than think It was ten tori years ago ngo fO I dont don't of or today are arc any bettor better beter the n. n players H i. i dove nf t f mv ir tm timo but lull it i Is 15 man Luau mu LIIV IC A certain that there arc are more good ball ballplayers ballplayers bal players now than there were v then That for Cor there thero are arc more first class It men in nil all lines This Is noticeable Ort Ort-cla particularly In the pitch pitch- the tho I was playing with Ing When hen WI not first class pitchers were Phillies clas nearly so numerous which great measure for tho the fact that In a n much the batting in those days was heavier Ono One of f tho the Grent Great Hitters Thompson In Iii his his' his day day was a wonderful wonder with the great greal littler hitler classing ful ruI ui clasInG like Anson Brouthers routhers Connor Connot Con Con- sluggers and amI Dole Dole- Kelly Kolly Orr nor not that hat class to today toda are arc about In clas hant hanty who can ar line lino them there batsmen three could They the old tuners like 1110 out old Lajoie l Denim Donlin and anti Wagner Vagner are music the Fans Ians who love have to hear henr willow as it sends the sphere of tho the limits of or tho the I field Held point to the tho to the tho of or the tho last twenty years rears am and figures batting is ono of or tho the that tr try to pro prove baited batted bat bat- men mon lost host arts alts Last year yem ted over 01 cent cont In ill the Uio National atonal league and thirteen in the American league Of th these se three American 1 leaguers lilt hit hi over per er cent Not one ono of ot tho the National league men me reached those figures Hero Here is where the timer old oll produces produces products pro pro- duces ducts his dope dope In 1887 1587 In tho the National Na Na- tonal league six men hit above per pel cent Maul cent Maul Anson Brouthers Ferguson Darling Darlng and amI Thompson Maul led with wih per Ier cent As he lel took tool part in only sixteen games the honors went vent to Anson with will wih per cent That year twenty eight men balled batted bal bat ted led over per Por 1101 cent and no less hess les than GS 63 finished in the class elMs The American association also hadan hadan had hadan AU an ho extraordinary record Tip Ip ONell led with the tho great average of 92 per percent cent Eleven men finished in the 00 cent class clus and 68 qualified qualified- at per percent lieI cent or 01 blU bettor r. r. r In In the two leagues the total of or hitters was 16 Ono One reason why tho the batting averages averages aver nver- that ages were so exceptionally high year was that bases baes on balls bails bals counter counted as base tilts hits his Now the tho batter bater Is a not charged with a time lime al nt bat when ho draws a a. n base on balls balis hals The Tho nest est basis for ro comparison may bo be had In Inthe tho the four Cour sea seasons on of 1885 1886 1388 1888 and 1880 1889 During the those these o years year tho the batting balling averaged very ery little If I any better beter than the tho lost last n four years l Tuo BI lug Big Leagues uC Then Thee In the two leagues of or almost equal playing strength wore were in the thc Held The Thc old American as association was not nol supposed to class cla with tho tire National wa until the thc players Ila ers lined up alongside of or one another in tho the Players Players' Players Players' Play Play- I ers' ers league an and the Association men proved their worth Now we have the National and arid and American leagues In the field feld In Iii Inthe Inthe the two the eyes of or the tho partisans non non organizations are arc to as nearly equal in playing sten strength th as it 1 Is possible for two leagues to Lo be In 1885 cloven eleven men in the National Nation Nation- Naton- Naton al league batted for over per cent cent Ho Roger er Connor led with wih 37 per cent and tho the mighty Dan Brouthers was wa second Pete Browning led lec the AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican Dissociation with wih per pel cent cont Nine Nino ino men batted bated over o er per cent cent Mike Kelly of or lamented memory le led lIko tho the Nationals In with wih copt cent Anson and Brouthers wh who al always always al- al ways tried tred to keep keel one another comon company com corn in smashing the tho ball bail followed ParI pany on smashinG bal with 3 and respectively Fourteen Fourteen FOU 1 Four Four- class teen m men n finished In the Dave Orr Or whoso whose specialty was sacrifice flee fice hits hilts over tho the ropes led the tho American fco with wih 1 G per cent and nine men non In tho thu class clas There here was a slump in batting in only eight National leaguers going going go go- o- o Anson led ledwIth ledwith ing over per cent cont Anlon o er and Jake Take Beckley with per peI cent an was wih second with wih It I is worthy of or note noto that sixteen years cars later in 1 04 was wa second to Hans HaIs Wagner Wag ner ncr in tn tho the National league with wih per eI cent There Thore were thirty-nine thirty men In the cla class in the ho two leagues lea ues in 1889 1880 The Tho Nationals furnished twenty one and the Americans eighteen Wagon Tongue Dan Brouthers led lell with wih per er cent Tom rom Tuckers showed the lie Americans tho the wa way vay with per cent cent From 1890 on came the Iho batsmen who shio have havo used tho ho bat hat with wih scientific scion scion- effect Considering Com herll tho the ul oui- oui strIke rule which is Iho tho severest handicap that thai has been leen put Jut on the batsmen of today loday they hold their own very well wel with tile the t I sluggers bers of old ol With good reason many batsmen consider er Willie Keeler tho the most consistent con con- batsman hatsman batman tho the game Jame has lifts evor ever known This opinion I is based on tho the fact that lint for fOI tho ho last eight years cars Keelor Keeler Keel- Keel or er has played in a bad had sun field four field four four years in Brooklyn and four years at New York American league park park park- an and has ha never finished out ut of or tho tue 30 class Every ballplayer will toll tol you ou that playing a sun Held field affects affect tho ho eyes ayes awl and thereby handicaps a batsman Many a good hitter hiter has hns been boon put ut out of business goot by Old Ohl Sol shining In his eyes throughout a game record since 1893 follows 1893 per cent cont 1894 1895 1896 1897 ISn 32 1898 1899 1900 1901 1901 35 1902 1903 1901 1905 1906 Grand average for 14 1 years 3 7 per cent In 1897 and amI 1898 Keeler was the champion knocker er of the tho league as one of or his Ills enthusiastic Gorman German neighbors in I a Wil pu put l it Long Drives of or Old Ohl Times 1 m c. c timers Old love lovo to to recall some Seine of the terrific terric drives brives that lint will wi live lve In tho Ito history of or the game Among AmonS' them are the Iho wallops of or Buck uc Ewing Miko Tiernan and Roger ROJer Connor Conner over the theold theold ol old Polo grounds fence tence Dave Orrs Orr's I run home smash with wih two men on bases In Columbus In 1889 that beat the SL St St Louis Browns out of or the lie pennant pennant pennant pen pen- nant and Bill Dl Dahlen's lino Ino drive in over the ropes at tho the Polo grounds rounds Mild Dill Bill BI was then lien with wih tho the Chicago Cubs Dahlen claims that lint the ball bal killed klel a pug pUG dog og seated in a carriage so Just outside the he ropes Run Home nun HOlc-nun Tho rho ho late Into Kd Ed Delahunty holds tho the record for Individual slugging in iii a single le game It I was a n gamo game between Philadelphia and Chicago in 1896 I Terry was pitching and had hiatt every every- ovelY- ovelY thing thing The first time up Del Dol cracked crack crack- crac- crac I ed cd the Iho ball ban high over ovel the right rl h Held I fence ju Just t Inside tho lie foul hue Tho The I second time he lie drove a liner Inor over short Dahl Dahlen n got gol his hiM hands on th the lie ball bail lint hut it I tore toro through thorn them The rho third time he lie lifted the hail ball hal over rl right ht fold field fences fence again The next time three Del Del drove e the ball bal out to the clubhouses in center conter for his third home run In Inthe the tho ninth inning he came canie up again Lange played back between the tho Iwo to clubhouses CM and the he other outfielders retreated to the fences hit hll tho ho ball bail hal straight to center It I struck the lie top toll of or one ono clubhouse bounded to o tho ho top toll of tho ho other and rolled back on tho the fell field and tho tic big fellow made the circuit again a Credit for the lie lest best afternoons afternoon's work vork Is Ig given hen to the Detroit team of or 1886 Playing against tho the SL St Louis Maroons tho the Detroit sluggers made 2 21 hits hilts his for fora a total of oC 44 H bases bases Tho The fusillade in included Included In- In eluded seven home runs of or which Thompson and Rowe each cacti got ot two and arid Brouthers Bennett and Crane ono one en each ch Speaking of or veteran batsmen please dont don't overlook the fact that lint Jim Mc- Mc Guiro Gullo has ha just completed his twenty- twenty third year eal on the diamond with wih a bat- bat ling average averso of or 99 per pel cent It I is In tho the ba stealing base c department that the biggest difference between tho the old timers and the Iho present ro ent generation genera genera- ion tion ton of ball players Is found The comparison com corn parison between the figures of twenty t ty 3 palson r years ago and now show a 0 remarkable remarkable remark remark- able falling fall ng off In 1886 in II the tho National league three men stole stoic more than GO 50 O bases Andrews Androws An An- drews leading with 56 The American Amerian association shows eight men leon over tho ho 50 mark Harry Barn led with 96 I steals teals In 1887 Stove r broke all al records I by stealing 13 bases bases Arlo Latham 1 2 Thirty was as a close second with wih 1 men got coso more than 50 o steals In tho lie National league John JoInt Ward Yard led with wih 11 steals and the he late Jimmy Fogarty was waN second with Fogarty In 1881 mado a record that will hardly be touched He Ho stole bases wi Five other American association tion players stole more than and ando tOI 20 o stole more moro than 50 bases baes Dummy Hoy Hey led tho the National league with wih 8 82 steals steals Billy Bi Hamilton loomed loome up as the thc American a star base runner runner run run- ner flee In 1889 He lIe put 17 steals to his credit credi leading leding Stove by two The rho hc lato late Darby OBrien O'Brien O Bron of or Brooklyn was third with steals did the tho best bes t work for the Nationals stealing In theto tho the 9 99 95 bases bae Twenty nine men two to leagues went vent over ovel the tIre 50 mark Catchers Just as ns Strong Then Some fans may argue that lint the catching departments were not mint as strong then as us of oC recent years ears A roster rosler of tho lie two leagues will wI refute this argument argument There never nevor were ere any better catchers than Ewing Bennett Clements Ganzel Flint McGuire Kel Kelly Kelty Carroll Can Carrol Amos Cross Lave Cross Bushong Robinson and Sn Snyder er The following tahiti will wi show tho ho decline de de- dc- dc cline chine cine in Iii bae c running since 1891 18 Year Leader Lealer Organization Si 1 Curt Curt Curl Welch Velch Am A Association US 1 Toni l Tom Brown Pla Players Players' els Si l l Hamilton National Ill 1 1831 Tom I Tom Brown Drown Am Association 10 1 John 2 John Ward National 49 1 1803 John 3 John urd National 72 7 Hamilton National 93 5 1835 l 15 Hamilton National 93 1196 Lange National 10 1837 National 83 lS Fred Fred Clarl Clarke e. e National CG r 6 I 1899 J National 78 lOO Barrett 1900 Barrett National 45 43 o iDOl 11 National 1 12 BOl Isbell Ant Am Lea League uc CO W 1902 1902 National 43 J 1502 Am m. League 53 33 5 1903 National i. i 67 G Chance H. Chance National 67 1903 1903 Bay Am Ant League 45 16 Wagner 1901 1901 Wagner National atonal 53 5 19 1 1904 Flick Am League 42 1901 Ir Maloney 1905 alone National 59 69 r 1905 hoffman 1905 Hoffman Am League 46 16 Wagner Wagner National 57 67 1900 Anderson Am League Flick 1906 Flick Am AJI League 30 |