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How to Win Games
Some General Rules that All Placers Both on the Field
and in the Grandstand Should Understand
By Hugh S.
(CopjrlKht. 1U, lr
Detroit lost n world's championship
by doing one llttlo thing wrong Chi
cago threw away two by wrong so
lading. Pittsburgh, with tho highest
lionor within grasp, choao wrong Juat
unco and wna beaten. Philadelphia's
groat A thirties caino near defeat at
tho handa of a much weaker team by
two blta of faulty pla). Not ono of
hpao vital thlnga tiiat affected great
Holies wna an error thut allowed In
tho scores. They woro examples of
Low tho wisest of playera und man
agers will make tho wrong cholco
when ono of two things must bo done
The playB considered huro aro those
J hat are played over and over when
thu "If club'' la in session. For, given
u Hituatlon and the stage of tho garni),
ninety nine out of a hundred major
league players can lull you exactly
liow that play should bo made. It Is
tho purpose of this article not ao
much to enow how plays should bo
made, as when A perfectly executed
play may be correct at ono time, and
entirely wrong a moment later. I am
going on tho assumption that evory
boy in America knows how to play
baauball, and understands the rules,
which are the baseball primer This
tells how the primer Is Interpreted
und applied h,y major league playorB.
Ah regards offensive huseball, tho
making of runs. There aro two great
types of toamB; the teams that play
lor ono run at a time (a class now
heavily handicapped), and those that
play for runs In bunches, lnsldo tho
Inst two years a change In conditions
lias forced a revolution In play and
linn brought a period of systematic
attack with a view of making a bunch
Df ruiiB nt ono tlmo. Houghly speak
ing it may bo said that for live years
tho American league has been devel
oping this system while most of tho
National league teams woro "ono run
at u tlmo" clubs. Tho exception
wore tho Now York Giants In tho Na
tional, which played tho bunched
runs gt'ino, and tliu Chicago White
Sox, a team that, being strong In
Ditchers and weak In hlUera, played
for ono run
Tho team that plays for ono run at
a timo must have supreme confidence
In its pitchers. Tho entire systom Is
based on the supposition that the
Ditcher is strong enough to hold tho
opposing team to u low score.
I have seen Connie Mack's Athlet
ics, three runs behind, perhaps In the
fourth or fifth inning, supreme In their
confidence In their pitcher, mako the
ono run safo, and crawling up rmi by
run, tio and then win out. Tho Chi
cago White Sox, under Fielder Jones,
and the Chicago Cubs during the tlmo
that Chance possessed pitchers upon
whom he could rely, played tho same
stylo of ball and won. Hut as condi
tions of thu game change, tho Btylo
of play to meet them muat also
change.
Thero are thrco ways of roachlng
first baso: A base on balls, by being
hit by n pitched ball, by hitting tho
ball The ilrst two mctuqds aro ao
closely allied as to be one, and they
form by far the most Important part
DC the system of attack of nny club.
No team ever won a pennant that was
not a "wailing tcarii" that Is, ono
that could compel tho opposing pitch
er to "put 'em over In tho groove." It
does not necessarily follow that to bo
a "good waiting toani" a team must
draw ninny freo passoB to Ilrst The
object Is not so much to forco tho
pitcher to servo four wldo pitches as
Robberl"
to forco him to uso his full strength,
nd to got him "In tho holo," which
In buaeball means to force htm Into a
position where, to avoid giving a pass,
ho muBt pitch the bull over the plate
if the count Is two and no strikes, tho
battor Is morally certain tho next ball
will ho over tho plate, whether It is
straight or u curvu and ho also
.knows that, in hie anxiety to mako
:orta!n of throwing tho ball over tho
jdnto, tho pitcher will not dure "put
as much on" tho ball as ho would do
If there woro two strikes nnd ono or
two balls) called. Tberoforo be Is
If
Fullerton
W.U. Chapman)
practically certain that the text ball
will be a good one to lilt, and ho will
"set himself," "grab a too hold," and
double his chances of n baso hit.
Ordinarily both the Detroit team
and the Athletics are good waiting
teams, teams that have opposing pitch
ors In distress perhaps as often as nny
clubs. Yet Detroit threw awny a
World's championship that looked
easy, and tho Athletics came near the
same fato, by lapses In their system.
In tho World's aeries between Pitts
burg and Detroit It looked aa If tho
Pirates did not have curvo pitchers
enough, or of sufficient quality, to pro
vent Detroit from slugging Its way to
victory Fred Clark was forced to
fall back upon Adams, a fairly good,
but not sensational curvo bull pitcher,
who was young and Inexperienced.
In the opening game Adams was as
nervous and shaken as any pitcher
over was. He was trembling and white
from norvousnoss and the strain. He
passed tho ilrst battor without gottlng
u ball over tho plato, and with Hush,
ono of the best waiters and one of the
hardest men In the business to pitch
to at bat, Adams seemed In dlro
stralta. There Jennings made tho
greatest mistake of his career. Ho
Manager Clark of Pittsburgh.
slgnnlod Hush to aacrlilce on the 11 rat
ball pitched There was a groan from
u dozen baseball men who realized
that Jennings practically was refus
ing to let Adams throw away his own
gumo. Bush bunted, Detroit scored,
but had Hush been permitted to wait,
Detroit probably would have won that
gamo In the ilrst Inning, driven Adams
off tho slab, and, had they dono that
Adams novor would have pitched
again In that Berlcs; as 'It was ho
steadied, won tho game, came back
stronger and again still stronger nnd
won tho championship for Pittsburg.
In spite of that losson Connie Mack
did exactly the same thing in tho
World' sorloB In 1911, refused to lot
Marqunrd throw away his game in tho
first inning, and almost lost the game
by It.
Ono of tho mysteries of baseball for
many years has been tho oxccbbIvo
hitting power of every team Connie
Mack, commander of thu Athletics,
loads. I believe tho sccrot of his suc
cess lies In this Jockoylng with pitch
ers, waiting persistently to got the
pitcher outguessed and puzzled nnd
then breaking up the game with long
drlvcB. I bellevo thut Mack has tho
following systom of upsetting oppos
ing pltchors, no matter how effoctlvo
they may be: His team starts to do
ouu thing In tho first Inning. If It
stnrts to wult on tho pitcher It waits
consistently, ovory battor doing ex
actly tho sumo thing. Porhaps far
three InningB, ovory battor will wult
jib long us posslblo beforo hitting.
Then, Just us tho opposing pitcher be
gins to llguru that the Athletics will
take a strike or two and begins shoot,
lng tho ilrst bnll over, the Athletics
change and each man swings with full
force at tho Ilrst ball. Sometimes they
do this for two innings, until the
pitcher changes; then they will lot tho
ilrst ball go and ovory batter will hit
the second ball. Thoy keop at It un
til, In some Inning, thoy get the clus
ter of drives for which thuy have been
pluylug, pound out a bunch of runs
and win
Thero Is no wny of proving tho
theory, except by tho scores, as Mack
Is about as communicative us a douf
and dumb dlplomut, but In tho scores
I analyzed It war. romurkublo to seo
how many of the Athletics did the
same thing, and hit the same ball In
certain Innings. The Idea of tho sys
tem soonis to be to foico tho pitcher
to do the guessing, rather than to try
to outguess liltn. And such n system,
persisted In nnd changed suddenly,
would explain the hltless, fruitless In
nings during which some pitcher
seemed to huVe tho Champions nt his
mercy, and the sudden, slum-bang on
slaught brings victory.
There is science and skill In the
actual hitting of u bull, but the real
value of hitting lloa In advancing run
ners who already aro on bases; Tho
sacrlllco bunt, the bunt and run, tho
hit nnd run and hitting as tho runner
starts, ub differentiated from the hit
and run. No club that simply at
tempts to drive tho ball safo can win
consistently. The batter must help
the baso runner nnd cover his inovos
just ns surely ns, in war, the artlllory
must cover a cavalry or Infantry
charge.
Tho hit and run consists of the bat
ter giving or recolvlng a signal so that
both he and the runner know that on
tho next pitched ball tho runner Is
going to start for tho next base. Tho
duty of the batter then is to hit tho
bnll nnd towurd tho spot most likely
to bo vacated by tho lnflelder who
goes to take the throw at second base.
Hut tho hit and run, effective as it
lias proved, has been found Inferior
to the run and hit. The difference is
that tho enemy has no chance to dis
cover in advance what the play is to
be. In the hit and run the passing
of elgnals often warns the opposing
catcher or pitcher of the Intent to
mnko tho play. The result Is that the
pitcher "pitches out" (that Is, throws
the ball to the catchor ao far from the
plato that tho battor cannot hit It)
nnd, the cntcher, bolng prepared,
throws out tho baso runner. Besides,
either tho runner or batter may miss
the signal, with disastrous results.
Still tho signal Is absolutely neces
sary when now playors aro on a team,
nnd often between veterans, especially
when the runner 1b n dashing and In
ventive plaer. Tho greatest of teams
and playors havo been for a number
of yenrs abandoning tho hit and run
nnd playing run and hit; that Is, the
runner sturts when he sees the best
opportunity and the batter, seeing him
going, protects him by hitting tho ball
or by hitting at It, ao as to hamper
the freedom of tho catcher's move
ments. Crawford and Cobb, of tho De
troit team, have UBod this system with
wonderful success, and Crawford sel
dom fallB to cover Cobb's movements.
Tho "All Star" team of 1010. which
prepared the Athletics for tholr first
championship, was composed of about
ns quick thinking a crowd of play
ers as could be assembled. They held
a meeting bofore they went Into the
ilrst gamo against tho champions and
discussed signals. Tho second base
man, shortstop and catcher agreed on
simple signs to notify the Infield
whether the shortstop or second base
man would take tho throw at second.
Then they decided not to attempt any
other slgnnl, but to play run and hit.
Not onco, during tho entire series in
which thoy bent tho Champions de
cisively, did any hatter fall to seo
the runner start, or neglect to pro
tect him.
Tho run and hit Is, of courso, ox
tromely dllllcult for Inexperienced
players. It roqulres n quick eye, a
quick wit and a quick swing to hit
tho .bnll after catching a Hooting
gllmpso of the runner moving.
Tho run and hit is the most effect
ive stylo of attack yet devised, and es
pecially adapted to the now conditions,
Its usefulness ns a run producor and
In udvunclng runners being greatly
increased after tho adoption of tho
llvellor bnll, late In 19f0
Thero is not, nor over can be.any fixed
rulo regarding base running. It Is all
a study of tho stages of the game.
Whan -ono run Is needed, any way to
got to second baso from Ilrst Is the
proper way. Itemember thnt, In baso
running, tho moro the situation seoms
to call for an offort to steal tho lesa
chanco to steal is given. Tho oppos
ing pltchor knows that, with two out
and a run desperately needed, tho run
ner on first will probably attempt to
steal on tlie ilrst pitched ball;
thoroforo ho watches tho bnses moro
NcloBoly, tho catchor Is oxpoctlng the
nttompt, nnd Is fortified, tho second
basomnn nnd shortstop exchango Big
nnlB nnd decide which will recolvo the
throw. Thereforo tho runner who
steals on "tho wrong ball," that Is,
steals when the best authorities de
clare a steal should not bo mado, Is
much moro likely to accomplish tho
steal than is tho ono who runs at tho
proper instant. In other words, when
you must you seldom can, and when
you don't need to It Is easy. During last
season In both tho major leagues tho
runnors violated every previously ac
cepted rulo. Thoy stole with nono
out, with ono or two out, stole on the
Ilrst, second, third or fourth bull
pitched, stole oven with tho count ono
strlko nnd three bulla. The Benson
was a reversion to tho baseball of 15
yours ago In base running.
Aftor reaching second baso tho prob
lem of tho steal Is much moro compli
cated. Most managers oppose steal
ing third, oxcopt In rnro cases, on the
grounds that tho risk does not Justi
fy tho gain, as a hit or a bud error
will scoro a runner from second ns
onslly us It will from third.
In regard to tho stealing of third.
With n runnor on second and no ono
out, tho sucrlllco bunt, evon with the
now bull, seoms tho piny If tho scoro
Is closo that Is, close enough for one
run to tie, or put tho nttucklng team
In tho lead With ono out tho stenl Is
JUBtllled, especially when tho Holders
around second do not hold up runners
or when tho pitcher notoriously is
wonk In watching buses In thnt sit
nation 1 would advise attempts to
steal at ovory opportunity provided I
tho team Is uhend or only one run be
hind. If more than two runs behind t
stay nt second und wait for hits, the ,
chances of Hcorlng on short passed I
bnllB, wild pitches, or fumbles that
would not permit Bcorlug from second
aro too small to bo counted ou The
only Justification for stealing third
with two out, in my mind, Is that tho
runnor Intends to bump or Interfere
with tho third baseman and strive to
forco him or scare him Into lotting tho
ball go past far enough to permit
scoring. This ovldently was McG raw's
Idea In at leant two cases during tho
InBt world's series olthor that or his
baBO runnors blundered most aston
ishingly. Stealing homo Is justifiable only un
der tho most desperato conditions ox
against u pitcher who palpably is so
"rattled" that ho is blind to every
thing except tho man nt tho plate and
ullows tho runnor a Hying start. Then
an Instant of hesitation by the pitcher
may make tho steal u success. It Is
good judgment, at tlmeB, for n fleet,
daring man who Is n good slider, to
steal when the batter Is helpless be
fore a pltchor and when two aro out.
The double Bteal, executed with run
ners on first and third Is, according to
the closost students of tho game,
proper under tlio following conditions:
When two men aro out and a .weak
batter or a slow runner Is at tho piuto,
and when ono run Is needed to win tho
game the play In tho latter case be
ing Justifiable with no ono out, or with
two out but not with only ono out.
Many judges object to tho play unless
two nre out hut last season I saw
It worked repeatedly by clover teams
with no ono out. Willi runnors on
Ilrst and third nnd a decent catcher
working, tho double steal worked to
get a runner ovor tho plate, ought
not to succeed In moro than two cases
in seven.
In the defensive end of the game
every situation Is a study of the bat
ter, and, going beyond the individual
butters It Is a study of the stage of
the game. Tho great problems of tho
gamo are When to play tho infield
close, to choose between attempting
a double play when runners aro on
first and third and letting the run
count, und above all to place tho out
fielders with regard to the stages of
the game.
Tiie commonest blunders of really
great managers and players arc made
In the disposition of the outfield. A
great many captains who arrange
their infield carefully pay little atten
tion to tho Bccond line of defense, and
really they rely moro upon tho In
dividual brain work of tho outfield
than thoy do of tho lnflelders. This
la partly because they arc more close
ly In touch with the infield und partly
because of tho fewer1 chances for the
outfield to get Into a vital pluy.
Tho outfield problems really are
more vexing than those of tho Infield
Tho situation mnlnly Is forced upon
the Inlleld. With a runnor on third and
ono or none out, und the run means a
tlo or defeat, tho Infield is compelled
to come forwnrd. In tho early stages
of tho game tho manager is forced to
decide whether to allow tho run to
scoro, or to try to cut It off, and must
baso his judgment on tho ability of
his pitcher to hold tho other team to
a lowr score, and of his own hitters to
bat In enough runs to win. Teams
such as Detroit and tho Athletics,
hard-hitting nnd free-scoring teams,
can afford to let tho other team gain
a run, rather than risk its getting two
or three, as thoy can scoro more later.
Teams such as tho old Chicago White
Sox, "tho hltless wonders" of the
American leaguo, could not allow the
opposing team a run and had to play
tho closest Inside gamo
Many of the better mnjor league
teams, that is, those possessing fast
Inlloldors, will vary tho play when
runners aro on first and third, ono out
and a run to bo cut off from tho plate
by playing the first baseman and third
baseman close, nnd bringing the Bhort
stop and second baseman forward
only part of tho way holding them
In position either to make a long fast
throw to the plato or to try for tho
double play from second to first. 1
have seen Evors and Tinker make the
double pluy from second to first even
when both wero playing closo, chang
ing their plan like a flash, covering
second and relaying the bnll to first
at top speed, although thoy had played
in to throw to tho plato. ,
One of tho greatest variations of. the
plsiy I ever witnessed was made by
Mclnnis of the Athletics. Collins and
Darry were playing perhaps twolve
feet closor to tho plato than they ordi
narily do, runnors wero on first and
third, one out and a run needed to
beat tho champions. Collins and Bar.
ry intended to try tho double pluy II
it was possible nnd to throw home II
it wus not. Mclnnis and Baker were
Connie Mack.
drawn clo3o with indent to throw to
tho plnte. The ball wns hit to Mclnnis
on tho second abort bound, or rather
to his right, nnd as ho was coming for
ward and scooped the ball perfectly,
ho had an easy play to tho plato. In
stoad of throwing thoro ho flushed tho
bull like a shot to Barry at socond
base, whlrlod, rucod for first and
caught Barry's return throw on top of
the bag, completing tho"doublo play.
It wus a wonderful pluy both In
thought and exocutlou, but I do not
udvlso any other first basomnn to at
tempt It.
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BM "A, iHHK
IBEu x.J:I& HI
MAJ. M'CLAUGHRY'S HUMANE METHODS
i i
mas day every man should have tur
"These men we call criminals have souls. They have tho same passions,
likes and hatreds inside the walls they had outsldo. Somo people seem not
to realize that. Always when a prisoner was brought before me, I thought of
his family and tho probable future of tho man himself, when his term was up.
"If a man was morose I put him in a cell with a cheerful fellow. If ho
was Inclined to bo suicidal, I put him in a cell with one whose talk was full
of hope. I have Installed Saturday afternoon baseball games. Tho men look
forward to them like kids and behave themselves. For if they do not, tholr
baseball tickets aro taken away from them."
NEW COLLECTOR OF
John Purroy Mltchel, Independent
Democrat and president of the board
of aldermen of New York, has been
appointed collector of the port at that
city to succeed William Loeb, Jr.
Tho selection brought what the White
House termed "a happy solution" to
a contest in which state leaders of
every wing of the New York Democ
racy had takon a lively part.
Mr. Mltchel was acting mayor
after the shooting of Mayor Gayuor
by J. J Gallagher Aug. 9, 1910, until
Mr. Gaynor was able to resume his
ofllclal duties.
Candidates for the post, which
pays $12,000 a year and carries with
It the appointment of an army of em
ployes In the country's biggest custom
house, wero numerous from tho start.
For a time political circles ex
pected a break botweon the adminis
tration and Senator O'Gorman. Re
cently, however, friends of Mr Mit
chel, whose cundidacy had been
dropped at his own wish some timo ago, renewed their efforts in his behalf
and when tho president went to the Capitol to talk with Senator O'Gorman
about It, the New York senator himself suggested Mr. Mltchel as tho best
man for tho position.
Mltchel was born thirty-four years ago in Fordham, N. Y.
After graduating from Columbia university and tho New York Law
school, ho entered tho office of William B. Ellison, a lifelong friend and tho
counsel of Mltchel's uncle, Henry D. Purroy.
CALHOUN PREDICTS
houso of deputies rules. All these dissensions grow out of a fear of a too
contrnllzod power.
,"I don't look for any bloody war in China. The politicians will fuss
about, but it will all como out peacefully. Neither do I. see any war clouds
between Japan nnd China."
FILIPINOS' RESIDENT COMMISSIONER
When In November last tho selec
tlon of u successor to Benito Legnrdo,
tho resident commissioner from tho
Philippines at Washington, became
neceBsary, tho Filipinos promptly
choso Munuel Earnshaw of Manila.
This election was held according
to law, by the Philippine commission,
acting Jointly with the Phlllpplno as
sembly, tho goneral legislative body
of tho Philippines.
It was a matter of Ilrst Importance
to tho Filipinos, this election. Tho
JoneB bill, which looked to the Inde
pendence of the Islands at the end of
eight yenrs. though dying with con
gress on March 4 laBt, la standing,
resurrected, at tho door of tho com
ing oxtra session, eager to take Its
chancos with n congress beyond doubt
far moro favorable to It than tho coiii
greBS that has Just passed. Tho im
mediate futuro Is pregnant with some
thing for the Philippines.
Tho position of rosldent commis
sioner, to which Mr. Earnshaw was elected last November, is pno of great
delicacy. Ho is accredited m'edlum of intercourse between tho Filipino
pooplo and, tho Amorlcan people. IPs true functions aro moro nearly thoao
of a minister from a foreign country than of a represei tative participating
in a common government.
Maj It. W. McClaughry, who has
boon warden of tho federal prison at
Leavenworth for fourteen years, re
signed his position n few days ago.
He is seventy-four years old.
Discussing his treatment of pris
oners, tho major said: "Tho question
of proper imprisonment resolves itself
simply to this: Is it better to beat n
man through his prison term and turn
him out a criminal, or mako him do
good, honest work, nnd keep his mind
off of mischief and. endeavor to re
form him? Tho philosophy of that
theory acting on tho convict himself
Is helpful. It's up to him if ho doesn't
get along all right.
"I have sought always to eliminate
aristocracy lnsldo the bars. I hav6
long contended that one man should
not have more thnn another, simply
because his friends ore belter fixed,
financially, than tho poor prisoner. If
one man was to have turkey Christ
NEW YORK'S PORT
PEACE FOR CHINA
William J. Calhoun, tho retiring
American minister to China, arrived
in Washington tho other day. Mr.
Calhoun, accompanied by his wife,
left Peking on Feb. 27, and so is some
what out of touch with current events
in China.
"China is at her crucial point Just
now," suld Mr. Calhoun. "I havo not
been informed as to what has trans
pired recently, but up to date tho
powers of the central government
seem limited. I mean to say that the
powers of tho new government are
not clearly defined yet, and until they
are tho functions of the government
necessarily will be limited.
"Thoro Is a division of opinion
among those in politics In China ns
to Just what tho powers of tho gov
ernment should be. Somo aro :n
favor of tho form of government that
obtains Jn this country, whllo others
like that of Franco, where practically
tho president has no power and tho
t 4?
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