Show good catchers are now Soa irist after tho the cry now ig for or good catchers they are more in demand than good pitchers they simply arg ar not to he be had bad three years ago alt pitchers chers were scarce hut but today you throw a stone without hitting some big league twirler who vrho had bad speed plenty of curves the spit hall ball and a good head just why oils Is managers dont to know hut but its itlo true just the same during the recent old glory sale of hall ball players at the waldorf in new york everybody was reaching out for catchers while pitchers were a secondary consideration they were so plentiful as to bl be swapped lii in pairs and a few infielders and outfielders had to bo be tossed in for good we measure asure to bring down a good throwing catcher who know knew his business the only catcher at tho annual meeting was aue alko grady retired but pitchers bobbed up in the corridors as frequently as the holes in tzer zer choose cheese boston cincinnati st loula louis philadelphia and brooklyn were all looking for good backstops back stops and with tho the exception of boston who landed Il bowerman they went home disappointed the only plausible explanation for this scarcity in catchers according to billy murray manager ot of the phil phila lies is that the jle demand for pitchers was so great years ago that a large majority of players began dovel developing themselves into pit pitchers ebers in this thirry flurry for twirling talent tho catchers wore were almost forgotten mcgraw and clark griffith bovo often isaia that tho catcher ts Is the most important and responsible mai may on a 4 ball club and they thay aro are right no championship wag waa evor ever won without a good catcher and no world cham chael plon shIp was eve ever r won without a wonderful catcher boston beat pittsburg tor for tho the groat great prize through the clean cut work ot of criger the new york giants defeated the philadelphia athletics through the masterful catching of bresnahan the chicago white sox box won from the cubs through the catching of sullivan and the cubs defeated defeat d D detroit ti it through the strategic work of kling the reader will very likely jump at this with tho the cry of what s the matter with the work of the pitcher I 1 that Is a very natural impression impress on but re remember it Is the catcher who sizes up the butter batter and directs the pitcher the catcher Is ie at all times the man behind the gun whichever way his shots other things being equal so will go tho the game what la known as team work base running such as the hit and run play the double steal etc cannot be worked often when a good catcher la Is directing the defense def ensa ife ho must solve these problems I 1 in n advance and direct tho the rest of tho team accordingly it ho he sees indications of a coming steal lie bo orders the pitcher to pitch out and the play Is killed it if ho he orders tho the ball pitched high or out outside ou taldo sido when tho the lilt hit and run Is attempted another good thing la Is nipped in the bud it in addition to such nuch work as this lie he to is frequently called upon to handle dandle Y young ung wild wila pitchers that Is his martyrdom malachy kottridge a fart famous factious ious veteran backstop says saya tho the failure of so many catchers to hit Is due to the fact that their montal mental and physical labor whilo behind the bat tires them so that they cannot pt get their 1 faculties together when it comes time to 10 hit bit or play on tho offensive lve most ina managers assert that they had have a good catcher who could hit thau than abad a bad catcher who could lilt hit the real classy catchers in the national league are aling han bowerman dooling and borgen in iii the american league tho stars are sullivan criger and bobinis it would only bo be fair to also include powers and kleinow KIel now for they are awfully close to the mark |