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Show BASEBALL DIAMOND PUZZLESJSTUDENTS (By Dudley Porter.) When the original designers of a baseball diamond made the distance between the bases ninety feet they : put a problem to the coming genera- j tiou that for forty years has puszlod the brains of the greatest students of ; the national game. And It appears that these min have about reached the limit of tho.r genius, gen-ius, despite tho fact thai Charley Eb-betts Eb-betts of Brooklyn says tho game Is still In Its Infancy. The pioneers of tho game of baseball base-ball little knew on what fine lines they were figuring -when they fixed the distance between tIih bases. Tho distance was based on their circulations circula-tions as to how long it would tako a -batted ball to be fielded and thrown to first base. The speed of the runner was also taken Inro consideration. The accuracy accu-racy of their calculations Is proved by tho fact that they have not been changed ouo lota since the first game was played by the ., Knickerbockers Knickerbock-ers on the greens around New York. As the runners developed In speed the fielding developed with them and the bono of contention ninety feet Is yet. beyond the possession of cither "party to the struggle. Kvory rar nonie Inventive genius discovers a move by which either dls-tanco dls-tanco or speed can be overcome, hut as, fam as they execute their plan trio other side formulates a plan of defense aud offsets it. While first 'baso Is 1hr Initial objective point of all bnkcball endeavor, it Is merely th1 basis frr future calculations The shoving nf men around the banes Is what tangles the brains of the think-or. think-or. The sricr. flee hit was first invented in-vented in advance a man even at the cost of putting a man out, but the dofenMVP side of the game came right back with schemes to kill the sacrifice. sacri-fice. Tho plscors have become so accurate accu-rate in making everyday plays that the thlnVer can calculate accurately on Just whoi they are goinu to do under un-der ordinary circumstances. He then sets about to create an extmrdinary circumstance which as a rule is effective effec-tive until it becomes no longer extraordinary ex-traordinary through familiarity with its workings. During the past twenty years the game hns brought out many geniuses. Those who stand out prominently are John McGraw, Johnny Evers, Frank (nance. Tommy I.each. Hugh Jennings. Jen-nings. Ty Cobb. Onnle Mack. Joe McGlnnlty, Jack Dunn and Sammy Strang, Tho latter three are out of the big league now, but s-onie nf the plays they planned and oxooute( will bo remembered for many ypors to come Sammy Strang is gpnerallv credited with having originated th? "delayed steal," which is one of the prettiest plays In the game. |