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Show 'SIGNS AND THEIR PLACE IN BASEBALL Minute, unseen telegraph wires run throughout your body Doctois call them nerves. But they are as truly wires for the transmission of signals as are tbose of copper or of iron which are strung high on poles tc carry the u-loRrnph message or the telephone current When you stand it the plate with our bat in your I inds and see a fast ball coming vour brain telegraphs through the motor nerves to vour arms, "Swing!" and they do swing! If your muscles have obeyed your brain accurate!) you hit the ball. If your brain has said, "Swing at the level of your waist." and the pitcher has pitched I a low drop, then you get a strik? I called auainst von ' Baseball itself has nerves, and these invisible wires transmit messages. The signals thev transmit are those 1 ' sl'ns " as the league player calls ihem. by which one player notifies another what 10 do A good pan of a big league ball game is bound up ; in the giving of these signs or send- ing of these signals, and the attempt I of the other side first to sec aud re -ognlze these signs and then interpret ' hem First, as to the fairness of this ' part of baseball There is a rule and a jenalty for the violation of that rule for almost ever conceivabl 1 'situation There Is nothing explicitly explic-itly stated in the rules against the I use of secret sign9, or against the j "stealing" of those signs bj the ofh-I ofh-I er side so long as signs are given I or "stolen' without artificial aid. In other words, to walch a catcher care- fuilj ;mil discover what he is doiriii ' with his hands when he stoops down behind the bat and picks up a little dirt, Is fair: to have some one wntch G him from the outfield with a pair of fieldglassea, and report by waving a handkerchief what he sees, Is unfair G Anv means of "stealing" signals which is e.pcn to either side and win no outside aid. is considered entirely legitimate in baseball Wires moving mov-ing sin. shifting flags, fieldglassi telegraph Instruments, etc.. are unfair, un-fair, and, for many reasons atnon; which is a heavy financial penalty, are never resorted to any more in i major leagues ( One of the many points of difference differ-ence between a bovs' team, a college team, and a major league team, Is ( this matter of "signs." The hoys' team usually has two or . at most, threp signs. The college 1 tam will often have them by the ( I dozen, and the major league will have - .ban ton, hut will have several , different "sets " for the prescribed ten I signals, The boys' team "doesn't bother." - The college team, seldom playing I more than one or two games with any one opponent in a season, doesn't l need multiple sets of siens but often do ovcnio the Ignalling apparent - . ly from pure Joy In using the head as well as the hand and arm. The major ma-jor league team gets along with as j lew signs as possible, but must be able to Chan:;" (hose on the Instant, if they ire being read or "stolen" by the opposing players St. Nicholas S |