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Show ONE-BASE HITS By JACK SIMPSON " Sliding Into First Base. The old habit of sliding into first base to gain a close decision on an inlield hit is slowly but surely dying out. Most of the modern ball players were taught or schooled the idea that this is a play that passed out of existence ex-istence when the game became more speedy. There are two faults to find with this play that did more to cast it into discard than anything else. First is the danger of a player becoming injured by the spikes of the baseman. First base is the only one that must be touched by the baseman in order that the runner be retired unless it is a forced play at some other base. The action around the base at so close a play is fast and players are not so careful of where they plant their spikes. If the ankle of a base runner and the shoe of a baseman reach the base at the same time it is very rarely rare-ly that the runner will not receive an ugly spike wound that may put him on the hospital list for weeks. Besides the danger involved there Is a possibility that the throw may be wild. The runner hitting the dirt is in no position to advance because he must regain his feet and get a standing stand-ing start and is very often thrown out at second base by only a foot or so. The player wdio refuses to slide into first base will be working at an advantage over the one who slides, not only for the value he will be to the team in advancing an extra base on the overthrow but the fact that he is cautious and refuses to let himself open to injury by making a useless lide to the initial base. |