PRACTICAL HINTS 
 
 GV 867 
 .F53 
 Copy 1 
 
 ON 
 
 — : — * — — 
 
 BASE BALL PRACTICE. 
 
 PRICE, 25 Cents. 
 
PRACTICAL HINTS 
 
 ON 
 
 BASE BALL PRACTICE 
 
 BY JAY M. FISHER, 
 
 BRADFORD, PA. 
 
 {Copyright Pending.) 
 
 1 90s 
 
 THE GAZETTE PUBUSHINy CO. 
 ST, MARY8, PBJSrarA. 
 
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 1 &- Ata Not 
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 COPY B» 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 ti 
 
 ^ 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PITCHING. 
 
 Distance for throwing. 
 Developing the arm. 
 Accuracy in throwing. 
 How to hold the ball. * 
 Pitcher's swing. 
 
 . CURVES. 
 How thrown. 
 
 KINDS. 
 
 Straight raise. 
 
 In shoot. 
 
 In straight drop curve. 
 
 Straight dsop curve. 
 
 Straight out curve. 
 
 Out raise curve, 
 
 Straight raise curve. 
 
 A new curve. 
 
 How to use curves or brainy pitching. 
 
 Pitchers taking rest. 
 
 Caution against pitchers drinking while warm. 
 
 Over confidence reverses. 
 
 Text book as an aid. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CATCHER. 
 
 How <to' catch a ball with the glove, 
 
 How to catch a runner by the combination play. 
 
 LC Control Number 
 
 (») 
 
 tmp96 026365 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 BATTING. 
 
 Kind of bat. 
 
 How to strike the ball. 
 
 Batting to rattle the pitcher. 
 
 Team practice. 
 
 Benefit of good batting. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BUNTING. 
 
 What it is. 
 
 When to bunt during game. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 When to start. 
 How to slide. 
 
 BASK RUNNING. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIELDING. 
 
 How to catch a fly. 
 
 Long flies. 
 
 Backing up the infield. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TRAINING SYSTEM. 
 
 Developing muscles. 
 
 When and how to take a bath. 
 
 Proper food while training. 
 
 What to eat. 
 
 What not to eat. 
 
 Fast practicing. 
 
 (3) 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 This is not a book of rules. It is an arrange- 
 ment of the fine points of the game in what is 
 believed to be a systematic and progressive order. 
 Most base ball books are written on such general 
 principles that no one but a professional can under- 
 stand them. 
 
 This book is written to instruct the small boys, 
 as well as the amateur and professional base ball 
 players. The main object is to present good, prac- 
 tical points that are not found in other base ball 
 books, making them so plain that a boy of ten will 
 understand. This makes it so much plainer for the 
 amateur or professional player to understand. 
 
 J. M. F. 
 
 (4) 
 
STRAIGHT RAISE JUMP BALL. 
 
 Position to throw the straight raise jump 
 ball with the high long arm swing. The short 
 swing straight raise jump ball is thrown the 
 same way, except the hand does not go as high. 
 The jump ball should be thrown as near as pos- 
 sible like the drop ball, the in shoot like the 
 out curve and have no swing for one curve 
 without having practically the same swing for 
 the opposite curve. 
 
DROP CURVE BALL 
 
 Position to throw the drop curve ball with 
 the high long arm swing. The short arm swing 
 drop ball is thrown the same way, except the 
 hand does not go as high. 
 
CHAPTEE I. 
 
 PITCHING. 
 
 Pitching is difficult and hard work, but if you 
 have the needful qualifications, stick to it through 
 thick and thin, even though at times discouraged. 
 By hard and regular training you may succeed in two 
 or three years. (If you are not sure that you are 
 especially qualified for it, drop it at once and play 
 some other position.) It happens quite frequently 
 that promising young amateur pitchers, after several 
 years' work, are obliged to resign in favor of some 
 young upstart, who is a better pitcher. There must 
 be some reason for this. During their youth they 
 throw nearly all the year around, thus keeping the 
 muscles of the arm solid and in good shape to start 
 pitching in the spring. The older a man gets the 
 less he exercises himself. The same is true with the 
 pitcher who has been through a season or two of hard 
 work. As a consequence he is not in as good trim as 
 the young pitcher who has a well developed arm. 
 Too much practice is practically impossible in base 
 ball, as in billiards, chess and other games of skill. 
 Ask a successful musician how much time he devotes 
 to practice ? He will tell you that for years he has 
 devoted ten hours a day to it, and that he is still 
 practicing much every day and expects to continue 
 doing so as long as he is actively engaged in the pro- 
 fession. The best base ball players would rather 
 play than eat. They are gluttons for practice. The 
 more practice, the more skillful the man. To keep 
 the arm in condition it is necessary that it should be 
 regularly exercised, even during the time that elapses 
 between the seasons of actual work. During that 
 time the practice need not be as often nor as rigid as 
 at the beginning of the base ball season. Once out 
 of practice means that the arm is out of condition 
 and must have the same careful treatment that a be- 
 ginner has to bestow upon his arm. To keep the arm 
 
 (5) 
 
in condition, it is necessary to practice at least twice 
 a week, making each period about an hour long. 
 Increase the practice gradually as the season ap- 
 proaches, so that the arm may become stronger and 
 the control more certain. The necessity of practice is 
 best shown by the saying of the venerable Mr. Glad- 
 stone: "Excellence in any department of life is ob- 
 tained only by patient and persistent effort." It is 
 especially true of the profession of pitching. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARM. 
 
 The beginner should remember that the arm may 
 easily be hurt or the shoulder thrown out of place 
 during the first season of practice. It is necessary 
 that special care should be taken in the gradual 
 development of the arm. 
 
 ACCURACY IN THROWING. 
 
 The first principal to accomplish is accuracy. 
 Accuracy first and speed next. The two combined 
 mean a great stride in the right direction. In learn- 
 ing to throw accurately, make this the rule: "Each 
 time you throw the ball, aim at some particular ob* 
 ject; 1 ' the catcher's glove, knee, elbow, or any other 
 spot. Never throw carelessly. 
 
 DISTANCE TO PRACTICE THROWING. 
 
 When you practice pitching only a short distance, 
 say forty feet for a month, then go into a regular 
 game, the batter will seem far away. Your speed 
 will be less and you will have poor control. Practice 
 throwing five to ten feet more than pitcher's distance 
 for a month, then go into a regular game. The batter 
 will seem very close, your control will be excellent, 
 and you will be surprised to see how much your 
 speed has increased. Always practice throwing at a 
 distance of five to ten feet more than pitcher's dis- 
 tance. Practice regularly at this distance until you 
 have enough control to throw an average of 15 out ot 
 
 (6) 
 
17 over the plate; then and not until then begin the 
 practice of curve pitching. 
 
 HOW TO HOLD THE BALL. 
 
 The first essential of all pitching lies in the true 
 
 grasp of the hand on the ball. To throw a curve or 
 
 a straight ball, always use the same grip. In order 
 
 { to get an intelligent grasp upon the ball, first notice 
 
 ; that the cover is composed of two equal parts. 
 
 j Blacken one of these parts and naime one end "A," 
 
 J the other "B," then the middle or narrow part "C," 
 
 ;]SText take the ball in the left haud with U A" on top, 
 
 pB" on the bottom and "C" pointing towards you; 
 
 then place the first two fingers of the right hand on 
 
 "A" half an inch from the end of the blackened por- 
 
 !tion, with the first finger on the seam to the left, and 
 the second finger on the seam to the right of U A," 
 still keeping them half an inch from the end of the 
 blackened portion; then place the thumb and third 
 finger on a B" half an inch from the other end of the 
 blackened part, with the thumb on the seam to the 
 left of "B," exactly under the first finger, and the 
 Jhird finger on the seam to the right of "B," directly 
 under the second finger, still keeping them half an 
 inch from the end of the blackened part. This gives 
 a firm hold. It is the most natural and reasonable 
 way to hold a balL This firm hold prevents the ball 
 from slipping, more than any other hold, so it is well 
 to make the grip exactly as given. 
 
 pitcher's swing. 
 
 Always have the gloved hand on the ball between 
 it and the batter, so that he cannot detect just what 
 kind of a twist is to be given. As the ball is drawn 
 back lift up the forward foot, which is already two 
 feet ahead of the rubber, and bring it up to the other 
 knee by the time the ball is even with the shoulder. 
 Then take the foot that is up, together with the free 
 elbow, and fling both forward, placing the foot about 
 
 (7) 
 
three feet six inches ahead of the other. The free 
 elbow merely raises up and forward, and as the ball 
 starts ahead, fling the free elbow down. As the ball 
 starts forward, spring towards the batter, and just 
 before releasing the ball, throw the right leg forward 
 as quick and as far as possible, not less than four 
 feet. At the same time throw the right shoulder 
 ahead rapidly. In fact, the whole object is to throw 
 the right shoulder ahead with a terrific movement, 
 even if you wish to throw a slow ball. Exertion is 
 apparent, but it is necessary in this case. This is a 
 natural scientific swing; natural because it is easy, 
 scientific because the movement not only hides the 
 intended curve, but it also gives better speed than 
 any other. 
 
 CURVES — HOW THROWN. 
 
 Hold a ball out in your hand; the farthest point 
 of the ball from you is called the guiding point. 
 When you throw, if that point goes up fast, the ball 
 will curve up, called an up shoot; or it may be 
 thrown in such a way that it will be an up curve (not 
 up shoot). If the point goes down fast, the ball will 
 curve down. If the point goes to the left fast, the 
 ball will curve to the left, an out curve. There are 
 the variations between the points called out drop, out 
 raise, in drop, straight raise and in raise. 
 
 STRAIGHT RAISE. 
 
 To throw a straight raise shoot (not curve), take 
 the regular grip on the ball as before stated. Throw 
 over-hand and as you let the ball go, have the back 
 of your hand horizontal. Let the ball roll under the 
 first and second fingers, pull back and twist the hand 
 up to make the guiding point twist up faster. This 
 curve will take time to learn. The point will twist 
 upwards, not a little to the right. If you can 
 make it twist the right way, even if it does not shoot, 
 you can be encouraged, for it will soon come to you. 
 Practice throwing the up shoot at some mark as high 
 
 (8) 
 
as a man's head. A good way is to have some per- 
 son hold his glove directly behind the plate, about 4 
 feet 6 inches high, with his little finger pointing over 
 your head at an angle of 45 degrees, his thumb 
 pointing perpendicular, and holding the glove so you 
 can just see a little of the palm. He should also 
 hold his other hand still at his side. This makes the 
 best kind of a mark. He must hold his glove still 
 until after you have let go the ball. After you have 
 mastered the up shoot, then you can try the in shoot. 
 (Not in curve). 
 
 IN SHOOT. 
 
 Grasp the ball the same way and when you let 
 loose your first finger will be directly over the second. 
 Make a backward pull and twist to the right. This 
 will make the guiding point twist fast to the right, 
 making the desired in shoot. Practice this in shoot, 
 as well as all other shoots and curves, until you are 
 able to throw twelve strikes out of fifteen throws — 
 not only strikes, but they must be at a certain height. 
 
 IN STRAIGHT DROP. 
 
 You ought now to be in condition to try the in 
 straight drop (not curve) . Before you try this, learn 
 to throw straight balls directly under-handed with 
 accuracy. To throw the in straight drop, grasp the 
 ball the same way, but throw straight under-handed, 
 (almost straight under-handed will not do). When 
 you let loose of the ball the back of your hand will 
 be horizontal. Let the ball roll out on the inside of 
 the first and second fingers, pull back and twist the 
 guiding point down. This will give the desired shoot. 
 
 STRAIGHT DROP CURVE. 
 
 This curves the same way as the in straight drop, 
 only it is a curve and not a shoot. Grasp the ball 
 the same way, throw over handed and when you let 
 loose of the ball have the back of your hand perpen- 
 
 (9) 
 
dicular. Eoll the ball over the side of the first 
 finger, near the end for a quick -curve, and as far 
 from the end as possible for a slow curve. In this 
 straight drop curve, the guiding point turns directly 
 downward. 
 
 STRAIGHT OUT CURVE. 
 
 Hold the ball in the regular grasp. Take the 
 regular pitcher's swing, only instead of the over 
 hand, take the long horizontal swing. Twist the wrist 
 so that when you get the ball in a line with the plate 
 ready to roll around the middle of the first linger, the 
 back of the hand will be nearly down and the first 
 two fingers will be nearly perpendicular, leaning a 
 trifle to the right. This would naturally make an 
 out curve with a little raise, but gravitation pulls it 
 down a trifle so it will be a straight out curve, not 
 shoot. Any curve will curve more by turning well 
 around and taking the regular pitcher's swing, than 
 if you only take a short swing. 
 
 OUT RAISE CURVE. 
 
 Throw it like the straight out, only throw more 
 under handed and twist the guiding point up more. 
 
 STRAIGHT RAISE CURVE. 
 
 This is a straight raise that is thrown by using 
 the out curve method. Grasp the ball the same as 
 for all other curves. Throw under handed. You 
 should master the in drop shoot before trying the 
 straight raise curve. When you let loose the back 
 of your hand will be flat towards your forward knee, 
 the back of your first and second fingers will be 
 towards the ground. Twist the guiding point up 
 very fast or the ball will not raise. The earth's 
 gravitation has a tendency to pull it down. You 
 must be able to throw directly under handed or you 
 cannot throw this straight raise curve, not shoot. 
 Most pitchers cannot throw it. After you have prac- 
 
 (10) 
 
ticed for one mouth, you should be able to mix up 
 the curves (always mix up the curves in practicing 
 for control and always practice for control) and put 
 15 out of 18 throws over the plate. You can then 
 consider yourself on the road to success and not until 
 then. 
 
 A NEW CURVE. 
 
 This new curve should be mentioned now. But 
 for your own sake do not try to throw it until you 
 have mastered all the other curves and shoots. This 
 new curve at first curves out with only a little drop, 
 then it takes a quick drop. A young pitcher once 
 threw a stratght raise curve. The batter struck it 
 shoulder high about 2 inches from the end of his bat. 
 The ball went directly over the pitcher's head. As 
 it came nearer he saw it was an out curve, but when 
 it was nearly upon him, to his great surprise, it sud- 
 denly took a quick drop. For the hext week that 
 qucik drop was on his mind day and night. It even 
 haunted him in his dreams. He tried every day to 
 reason it out. One day he experimented with an 
 apple with a string running through its centre. He 
 would turn the apple and hold the string and study 
 how the ball had to turn to throw the different kinds 
 of curves and shoots. Once he held the string with 
 his right hand up, and his left hand down, while the 
 apple was turning fast. He swung his right hand 
 down and his left hand up, and the apple kept turn- 
 ing. But it had been turning to the right, now it 
 was turning to the left. Heat once concluded that 
 the man who had batted the drop curve had turned 
 the axis of the ball part way around, just like 
 he, himself, had turned the apple around on its axis, 
 and as the ball, which the man struck had been turn- 
 ing out, by some way the bat had caused the sudden 
 drop curve to occur. Then for weeks he tried to 
 throw an out curve in such a way that as it was going 
 the axis would change ends, or nearly change ends. 
 
 («) 
 
This led him to try all kinds of twists of his fingers, 
 wrist, arm and shoulder. In time he threw an out 
 curve under handed, but just as the ball was leaving 
 his hand he would with all his might tiy to turn his 
 hand to throw a drop curve. The underhand throw 
 had been changed as he released the ball to a side 
 overhand throw. This, if thrown right, will curve 
 out as you first start it, but if you have been skillful 
 in the effort to change it to a drop just in the nick of 
 time, you will be pleased to see that it quite suddenly 
 changes from an out drop to a straight quick drop 
 curve, not shoot. Any good pitcher can throw an 
 underhand out curve, or straight drop curve. It is 
 easy for you to see the advantage of being able to 
 throw all curves and shoots, underhand as well as 
 overhand. Even if you do fail when you practice 
 this new curve, it will be a benefit because you will 
 be able to throw a much better drop curve than you 
 could before. An Indian club swinger, after he has 
 drilled for a long time on difficult movements, finds, 
 when he goes back to the simple circles, he can do 
 them much easier and better than before he practiced 
 the more advanced work. 
 
 HOW TO USE CURVES, OR BRAINY PITCHING. 
 
 If you have good outfield and poor infield play- 
 ers, keep the jump balls high, and the batters will be 
 more apt to bat flies to the outfielders. If you have 
 poor outfielders and good infield players, keep the 
 in drops low, and the batters will be more apt to bat 
 grounders. Always have some particular spot or 
 place to try to throw to. You may decide to throw 
 an inshoot close to the batter's neck, or a drop curve 
 that will nearly hit the plate, or an out drop that 
 looks as if it would strike the batter in the neck, but 
 it curves down and out until it passes over the plate 
 a good strike. It is best to keep mixing up the 
 curves. Never throw a common straight ball. It is 
 the worse thing you can do. A straight ball that is 
 
 (12) 
 
Position for a long, hard drive. Bad form. 
 Hands too far from the body. Otherwise, cor- 
 rect position for a long, hard drive. 
 
LONG SWING. 
 
 Position to pitch when no men are on bases. 
 The ball is held well in front and the body 
 leans well forward. This gives a free, long 
 swing, which is a great rest from the short arm 
 throw which is necessary when men are on 
 bases 
 
thrown waist high, a good strike, is a wild pitch. A 
 concealed change of pace is necessary, but that does 
 not necessitate or allow you to throw a straight ball. 
 It is poor policy to ever throw an inshoot so that it 
 looks as if it would be a ball, and then have it carve 
 over the plate a good strike, because when a batter 
 does strike at such a ball, he is almost sure to make a 
 good safe hit. It is much better to throw an in shoot 
 even with the batter's neck as if it would be a strike, 
 then have it curve in close to his neck. It is proper 
 to sometimes throw the in drop as if it would be a 
 strike, as high as the batter's knee, then have it curve 
 in near his ankle. It is not as successful as the neck 
 inshoot. It is a very good plan to keep all curves 
 and shoots high, but it is better to mix the curves up 
 and throw them high, low, close or wide. A golden 
 rule: u Keep the in raise close and high, and keep 
 the out drop and straight drop low; also keep the in 
 drop low and close, and above all, always keep the 
 straight in raise high." 
 
 PITCHERS TAKING RKST. 
 
 Train very careful. Never throw over 15 min- 
 utes without a few minutes rest, even if you do not 
 feel tired. Train only enough each day to make you 
 stronger on the following day, because if you throw 
 too long without rest, it will weaken instead of mak- 
 ing you stronger. If you should ever happen to 
 overtrain, do not throw any on the following day. 
 You would weaken your arm, even if you did not 
 ruin it for life. A young pitcher, who was in good 
 training, pitched a strong game on Saturday, then he 
 pitched a much better and stronger game on Monday. 
 (He pitched only the last five innings). He had 
 fine control and twice as much speed as usual, but 
 his elbow pained to bend it. He finished the game, 
 his arm did not trouble him at all after the game, but 
 he did not recover his speed for more than two 
 months, just because he pitched hard before his arm 
 
 (13) 
 
recovered from the first game. It may not hurt you 
 the first time, or perhaps uot the second time you 
 overtrain, but a pitcher that goes to the well once too 
 often gets broken. It may not hurt yon as bad as it 
 hurt hirn, but it may cripple you for life. Always 
 throw slowly until you are warmed up. It is a good 
 plau if you have not taken your short run, to throw 
 with the other hand until you are warm. It is in 
 warming up where the pitcher is in danger of hurt- 
 ing his arm. After you are all warmed up, it is not 
 always necessary to throw with all your might, ft 
 is not the great things we do that make us strong and 
 scientific, but it is the little things w^e do well. 
 
 CAUTION AGAINST SELF PRAISE. 
 
 When you play well do not tell about it. That 
 is considered bragging by most people. Your friends 
 Avill surely tell about your fast playing, and the least 
 yon say about your own playing the better it will be 
 for you. You can praise other players, but never 
 praise yourself. Leave that for other people. 
 
 CAUTION AGAINST PITCHERS DRINKING WHILE WARM. 
 
 You know that it is natural for a pitcher when 
 all heated up by the hot sun and the great exertion 
 caused by pitching, to drink large quantities of water. 
 Never while very warm swallow more than an ounce 
 at a time. Never' drink ice water (oatmeal water is 
 better) when warm, only rinse out the mouth. It 
 you must drink, never swallow more than a mouth 
 full between innings. A young man feeling extra 
 well, started one beautiful warm summer day to ride 
 his bicycle 15 miles home. He rode quite fast, as he 
 felt fine, for about five miles, then he took a long 
 drink of cool, pure spring water, and before he 
 started on, five minutes later, he took another pleas- 
 ant drink. He had only ridden a short distance be- 
 fore he felt weary and was still thirsty. He hurried 
 to a spring a half mile, and after taking a good, long 
 
 (14) 
 
drink, he again started for home. He soon felt more 
 weary, tired and very drowsy, and rested every half 
 mile. He was now obliged to exert all his muscle to 
 keep going on a smooth, level road. He now realized 
 that it was the effect of his drinking water when 
 warm. His skin was no longer covered with beads 
 of prespiration as it had been. It was now dry and 
 he felt more drowsy and chilly. He tried to get 
 warmer by riding faster. It took him five hours to 
 ride home that 15 miles. It was a long time of care- 
 ful training before he fully recovered. Experience 
 is a good but hard teacher. He will never forget that 
 experience. Many games are lost because one team, 
 and especially their pitcher, drink water while they 
 are warm. Only allow a team to rinse their mouths. 
 
 OVER-CONFIDENCE REVERSES. 
 
 Even the very best pitchers are sure to have a 
 day off. Just as a pitcher thinks he is dandy, then 
 perhaps, some poor players, or even some boys, will 
 bat him all over the field. When you lose a game, 
 whether to blame or not, you will be blamed by ev- 
 erybody, even your friends will think you cannot 
 pitch as well as they thought. You will get discour- 
 aged a great many times. If you want to succeed as 
 a pitcher, or anything else, you must be patient and 
 stick to it for years and years. Keep up practice the 
 whole year. Never play ball on Sunday, because 
 this is God's Holy Day. See all the good games you 
 can and profit by their mistakes. 
 
 TEXT BOOKS AS AN AID. 
 
 Get all the books on base ball you can buy or 
 borrow, no matter who the author is, because you 
 may learn a valuable point from a poor author, or 
 even from poor players, that may help you very 
 much. Give all the information you can, then other 
 players will be more apt to give you pointers. If 
 you never help others you will never get much help. 
 
 (15) 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 CATCHER 
 HOW TO CATCH THE BALL WITH THE GLOVE. 
 
 A great catcher may make an indifferent pitcher 
 fairly effective. The greatest pitcher that ever lived 
 could not make a good catcher out of a poor one. 
 The star catchers are used in every game possible, 
 therefore, they have a better chance to study batters 
 than a pitcher, because a pitcher could not stand to 
 pitch a game or two every day. The catcher must 
 have a strong arm and get his arm in front of the 
 ball. He must not reach to either side of it unless 
 absolutely necessary. He must lose no chance to 
 compel base runners to hug their bases. The most 
 important thing for the catcher to remember is not 
 only to throw to bases with all his might, but he 
 must lose no time in returning the ball to the desired 
 point. When anyone throws to the base, unless 
 close, he should throw with all his might, that he 
 can put in a quick throw. A foxy catcher can often 
 catch a man leading off first base if as soon as he 
 gets the ball he either makes a quick, hard throw to 
 first, or slips the ball quietly under his arm, and 
 as the man leading off may be only a foot from 
 the base, turns his head away, then makes a quick, 
 hard throw. The first baseman must not move to 
 catch the ball until it is close, then he should snatch 
 it and touch the man all at one movement. One 
 catcher caught a great many fairly good amateur 
 players napping at first base, because they would be 
 so close to the base that they thought of no clauger. 
 It cannot be repeated too often that the catcher must 
 lose no time to throw quick and hard to bases. He 
 must like his position or he cannot make it a success. 
 Above all, he must be cool in any and all excitement. 
 He must try to keep the pitcher from seeing the 
 crowd and hearing the tumult, because the pitcher 
 must be cheered up to keep his composure. The 
 
 06) 
 
catcher must never insist upon the pitcher throwing 
 a straight ball. The catcher should, give the signal 
 that he thinks should be thrown, but if the pitcher 
 wants to throw something else, the pitcher should 
 rule, because if the pitcher does only what the catcher 
 says, he would have no chance to use his own head 
 work, and if he is batted all over the field the pitcher 
 is blamed, when the catcher is really to blame. A 
 good many pitchers lose not only games, but they 
 lose their own positions in this way. But if the 
 pitcher rules and he throws what he thinks best, and 
 he is batted all over the field, he is the only one to 
 blame, and he is the only one blamed. This is a 
 very important point, because this is where the 
 pitcher can use his head work. A pitcher can some- 
 times tell better where to throw the ball by the bat- 
 ter's expression, by seeing him face to face, than the 
 catcher can by only seeing his back. The catcher 
 has the most dangerous position on the team. He 
 should use every precaution to make it less danger- 
 ous. Always see that your spikes are clean and that 
 you have a good glove and breast protector, also wear 
 an elastic suspensory. Work in harmony with your 
 pitcher, because you may worry and make him pitch 
 poor, or he may throw a contrary curve, which might 
 cripple you. You know that most foul tips go over 
 the bat and not under it, therefore, always take the 
 precaution to hold the glove, when the ball is over a 
 foot high, above the right hand. Never hold (this is 
 for the catcher only) the right hand above the glove 
 as many do, without thinking that nearly all fouls 
 pass over the bat and not under. It may seem awk- 
 ward to hold the glove correctly at first. It will soon 
 come natural and you can catch better, besides you 
 will save many a broken finger. 
 
 HOW TO CATCH A RUNNER BY THE COMBINATION PLAY. 
 
 When your opponents have a man on first and 
 third, the following is a good play. Pitcher will watch 
 
 (17) 
 
the man on first base, then he will throw a straight 
 hard ball over the catcher's right shoulder, where 
 the batter cannot reach it. The centre fielder backs 
 up the second base. The catcher makes a quick low 
 throw to sesond base. The second baseman comes in 
 between the pitcher and second base, the shortstop 
 .covers second base. If the man on third makes a 
 dash for home, the second baseman catches the ball, 
 above his head, and because he is half way to the 
 X>itcher, he has plenty of time to throw the man out 
 at home. If the man on third does not mahe a dash 
 for home, the second baseman steps to one side and 
 lets the ball pass on to the shortstop, who has plenty 
 of time to catch the man at second base. In this play 
 the pitcher must be sure that the batter cannot hit 
 the ball, for nine times out of ten it would be a safe 
 hit, because your infield players are all out of their 
 positions. If the other team ever tries to play this 
 combination on you when you have a man on first 
 and third, have your man try to steal second just as 
 if there were no runner on third base. He should 
 have a good lead, then dash for second and slide if 
 necessary. The man on third should make a bluff to 
 steal home and yet be able, if the catcher should 
 throw quick and hard to third base, to get back to 
 third base safely. As the man starts to steal second 
 base, have the batter, if possible, make a hit through 
 the infield, because your opponent's infield are out of 
 their natural positions. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 BATTING. 
 KIND OF BAT. 
 
 To bat well you must practice constantly. Get 
 a good light bat with a large handle. The large 
 handle gives a better hold, and you can handle a 
 light bat better than a heavy one. It is the ability 
 to bat the ball where you try and not the heavy 
 
 (18) 
 
slugging that wins the game. A pitcher once struck 
 a man out a couple of times in practice, and the 
 batter became so enraged that he struck the bat over 
 a rock. It split the bat its whole length in three 
 pieces. The centre piece of about an inch in 
 diameter remained to the handle. With this 
 he stepped up to the plate and said, "Let them 
 come." The pitcher did let them come and tried his 
 best to strike him out. To the crowd's great surprise 
 he struck every one. Then the pitcher decided to 
 always use a light bat that is springy and light 
 enough so that when you hit the ball the bat will 
 spring its whole length. Do not get it too light. It 
 should be 34 inches long. Paint it black, because 
 each game is played with a new white ball, and if the 
 bat is white you cannot tell if you should raise or 
 lower it a little to make it meet the ball fairly. 
 
 A young man once bought a new white bat. He 
 missed a good many nice strikes with it, that came 
 over the plate without much speed and without curv- 
 ing. That night he lay awake until nearly daylight 
 trying to account for missing the ball so often with 
 the white bat. He also tried to account for not being 
 able to tell whether he had struck under or over the 
 ball. It was broad daylight when he suddenly awoke 
 from dreaming of batting with the new white bat. 
 Eecalling that he had always batted the best with the 
 Spaulding black end bats, made him think of the 
 baseball being white and the Spaulding black end 
 bats being partly darkened by the black end and also 
 by Spaulding's trade mark, making a contrast be- 
 tween the white ball and the partly darkened bat. 
 He darkened the bat with a lead pencil and to his 
 great satisfaction he did not miss the ball once in 
 half an hour. Then he missed it intentionally and 
 could tell each time if he had struck over or under 
 the ball. After reading about this black bat, you 
 will say that when you bat you do not watch the bat, 
 but you do watch it, although unconsciously. Use 
 
 (19) 
 
a black bat and by careful training you can cultivate 
 the eye to steer the bat by keeping your eye on it 
 until it meets the ball fairly. Sometimes you can hit 
 the ball fairly by raising or lowering your bat as you 
 see it is necessary when the ball is almost to you. A 
 young man tried a black bat before a fine, speedy 
 pitcher. The pitcher fooled him on the first one 
 which came over the plate about shoulder high, 
 like a cannon ball, without his striking at it. The 
 next one was a ball. Then the pitcher threw another 
 strike like the first one. The young man struck at it 
 with all his might and tried to bat a liner over the 
 second baseman's head, but as it was only his second 
 strike he did not take the precaution to watch his bat 
 as he should have done. He missed the ball and 
 could not tell whether he had struck under or over it. 
 He was now in a bad hole, having two strikes and 
 only one ball. The next one was the same thing, but 
 this time he watched his bat with extreme care and 
 again tried to bat a liner over the second baseman's 
 head. As the ball and bat came near each other he 
 saw that the bat would certainly pass about two 
 inches under the ball. He raised the bat so hard and 
 quickly that he could feel it strain the muscles through 
 his whole body. The bat met the ball fairly and it 
 went over the second baseman's head, a very swift 
 grounder to centre field, and as the fielder fumbled 
 it the men on first and third bases scored and the 
 batter reached third base safely. All because he 
 watched his black bat. This is very important to 
 have your bat black. This same young man has tried 
 it for seven years and has not been struck out during 
 the whole seven years of quite hard baseball playing. 
 
 HOW TO STRIKE THK BALL. 
 
 Have a person, a small boy will do, throw a ball 
 for you to bat an hour or two every day. Do not miss 
 a day. He should stand only about 40 feet from the 
 plate. The reason for standing closer than the pitch- 
 
 (20) 
 
Position for a bunt or place hit over the 
 infield. Good form for a man who cannot hit 
 hard, or who is not trying for a long, hard 
 drive. 
 
SHORT SWING. 
 
 Position to pitch when men are on bases. 
 The ball is held well behind the shoulder and 
 the body leans well back. Holding the ball 
 and shoulder so far back saves the time of 
 drawing them back before you pitch. And 
 time saved when men are on bases is very im- 
 portant. 
 
er's distance is that it makes you quicker in judging 
 a ball and you also get used to a pitcher's standing 
 close. It would be dangerous for a man who had 
 never had any batting practice to face the swift de- 
 livery of even an amateur pitcher. Try it if you 
 have never batted on the opposite side and faced a 
 hwift pitcher and you will soon be convinced of the 
 great danger you will be in. If you have practiced^ 
 on both sides you will feel at ease on either side. A 
 man tried batting on the wrong side. The first ball 
 that the pitcher threw came directly at him. He did 
 not know which way to dodge, and while finding 
 out, the ball struck his ribs over the heart and nearly 
 killed him. If practice makes you better able to tell 
 where the ball is coming it certainly will make you 
 better able and quicker to judge if you practice 
 batting with a pitcher a little closer than pitcher's 
 distance. It would be wrong for reasons given be- 
 fore for a regular pitcher to practice pitching so close. 
 After you practice batting at this distance, then when 
 you do get into a regular game the pitcher will seem 
 to be far away and you will have much more time to 
 judge the ball than you have had during your prac- 
 tice. You will bat much better than if you had 
 practiced pitcher's distance. Stand one foot from the 
 plate and from one foot to eighteen inches behind the 
 plate. The reason for standing behind the plate is 
 that it makes you a little farther from the pitcher, in 
 regular grame, and that gives you a better chance to 
 hit the ball, because it has been proven that putting 
 the pitcher back a few feet helps the batter very 
 much. It has been said batting makes the game 
 interesting to the spectators and without batting there 
 would be no game at all. It w^s in obediance to the 
 public demand as voiced by the press throughout the 
 country, about ten years ago, that it was resolved to 
 curtail the power of the pitcher by increasing the dis- 
 tance from the home plate to the box. It gave the 
 batsman just that much more time to gauge the ball, 
 
 (21) 
 
and the batting powers of teams improved very much 
 with the change. Another reason for standing be- 
 hind the plate as far as you are allowed is that by 
 having the plate in front of you it gives you a better 
 chance to judge what part of the plate the ball is 
 coming over, if it is coming over at all. The reason 
 for standing a foot from the plate is to allow an in- 
 shoot to pass between you and the plate and 
 be called a ball. If you were standing close to the 
 plate and a high inshoot were thrown close to you 
 and you struck at it, you would miss it, or it would 
 strike the bat close to your hands and you would most 
 likely get put out. If you did not strike, a strike would 
 be called. In practice, when the boy throws good 
 strikes try to meet them fairly. Try to bat the ball 
 to some particular spot. When he draws back 
 his arm, raise your foot nearest the pitcher and 
 place it ahead a few inches, count one as 
 you place it ahead, then place your rear 
 shoulder back and call that two, start your bat which 
 is already just balanced on your shoulder and call 
 that three. Then you are ready to strike the ball if 
 it is a good one. Remember these counts come in the 
 same breath. Then do not pull the bat back further 
 just before you strike. The best modern batters 
 merely strike from where the bat is already balanced 
 on the shoulder without first drawing it back to get 
 a long swing. Never sidestep from fear of being hit. 
 Lajoie, who is the best batter that ever lived, once 
 said that successful batsmen are not afraid of being 
 hit by the ball, but steps up fairly to the plate. 
 Willie Keeler, the next best batter, once said: "Keep 
 your eye clear and hit them where they ain't; that's 
 all." Ever to be temperate as these words suggest 
 will keep your eyes clear like Willie's. In a regular 
 game when you step up to bat, stop and think where 
 the widest opening is, then try to bat the ball where 
 you have determined and like Willie, where no one 
 can get it in time to put you out. But of course the 
 
 (22) 
 
true science of batting is to forward base runners 
 around the bases, and send in runs regardless of sac- 
 rificing your own record. The best way to practice 
 batting is in a regular game. Another good plan, 
 especially if yon are a left handed batter, is to stand 
 as close to the pitcher as you are allowed, then try to 
 hit the ball just before it curves and by your being 
 ahead of the plate you are so much nearer to first 
 base, and every inch counts, very much. This stand- 
 ing ahead of the plate is said to be right by some 
 great players, but for reasons here given it is better 
 to stand one foot from and one foot or eighteen inches 
 behind the plate. Batting is like everything else, 
 you must keep in form by practicing. Even if your 
 grandfather was a good batter you cannot rest from 
 batting even if you have been a good barter. Prac- 
 tice is necessary if you are to bat well. The famous 
 McGraw once said: "I think I will be the best play- 
 er in the world, because I will work." He has train- 
 ed and trained, and look at him now. He is one of 
 the star players, just because he had persistence. 
 There was a football team which, every time they 
 won a game, stopped practicing and the next game 
 they wonld be sure to lose. Then they would train 
 hard again and win the next game. They had just 
 won a game and as usual rested on their laurels until 
 they played against a very strong team, and of course 
 they lost, the score being about fifty-four to four. 
 The defeated team returned home and declared that 
 they would get together ami train hard and defeat 
 the other team. In the next contest, which took 
 place in about ten days, some college men who heard 
 of their trouble gave them a lecture as only college 
 men can give. They did train down hard, and they 
 learned some new tactics. Perhaps the other team 
 rested on their laurels. When the game was played 
 the team that had just defeated them was badly 
 beaten. What is more, they defeated them worse 
 than they had been defeated. This was all because 
 
 (23) 
 
they trained and did not rest on their former ability. 
 As soon as a man say that he is at the top of the 
 ladder, and crows, he always begins to slide down 
 the other side. Practice is necessary in order to bat 
 well. "Excellence in any department of life," says 
 the venerable Mr. Gladstone, "is gained only by pa- 
 tient and persistent effort." Never lose your temper. 
 It is fatal to good batting, or anything else, except 
 getting you into trouble. 
 
 BATTING TO RATTLE THE PITCHER. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances it is always best 
 to have each man do his very best to get his base on 
 balls. Give a man more credit for getting his base 
 on balls than for a base hit, because it counts nearly 
 as much and shows that he is willing to take a greatei 
 risk of striking out by taking perhaps two strikes 
 with the fond hope of helping his team to win the 
 game by getting his base on balls. Besides, it is 
 hard on the pitcher. It may cause him to lose his 
 head, and if he does for five minutes, the game is 
 yours. Have your coach and all your friends yell 
 and make a racket just as the pitcher draws his hand 
 back, because all .pitchers take their aim just as the 
 ball starts forward and not before. 
 
 TEAM PRACTICE. 
 
 Have your players take turns batting, fifteen 
 minutes each, instead of having a sub bat grounders. 
 Have your pitchers change off every twenty or thirty 
 minutes. Throw all strikes shoulder high. Each 
 batter should bat first to the first baseman, then to 
 the shortstop, then bunt to the pitcher. Then bat to 
 the second baseman, then to first baseman, then be- 
 gin at third again. This kind of batting gives the 
 batter confidence. It helps to prevent the shy foot 
 and trains them to place the ball, which is very im- 
 portant in a regular game. Every time the ball is 
 hit the batter starts for first base for about five 
 
 (24) 
 
steps, then comes back and bats again. During this 
 kind of batting practice, as well as all other batting 
 practice, all the infielders should back up each other 
 and talk the game up. Some fast teams favor this 
 kind of batting practice very much. 
 
 BENEFIT OF GOOD BATTING. 
 
 It is just as necessary for your team to make 
 scores by extra good batting as it is to keep the other 
 team from batting the ball all over the field and mak- 
 ing scores against you. Many fast teams have five 
 sheets of heavy cloth put up and have a batter in 
 front of each. One boy will chase the fouls for the 
 whole five. The batters can have the throwers closer 
 than pitcher distance, but regular pitchers should 
 never practice closer than pitcher's distance for rea- 
 sons given before. The batters will change around 
 every five hits and two bunts. Never leave out the 
 bunts. This kind of drill will give them much bat- 
 ting practice in one hour. Then put them through a 
 little fast team work, infield and outfield work. Then 
 have a real hard, fast practice game, all doing their 
 very best. Even the pitchers must do their very 
 best for three innings only. After six innings, which 
 has warmed up your four best pitchers, besides warm- 
 ing up the whole team, take a bath and change the 
 clothes. There must be no delay or some will catch 
 a cold. 
 
 BUNTING WHAT IT IS. 
 
 To bunt a ball is to have it strike your bat in 
 such a way that the ball will only go a few feet in 
 front of the home plate, or roll slowly down towards 
 first or third base. 
 
 HOW TO HOLD THE BAT AND BUNT. 
 
 There is nothiug that will rattle the pitcher and 
 infield players so quickly and effectively as a few well 
 timed placed bunts. No team can hope to win the 
 
 (25) 
 
pennant unless they can bunt well. The question 
 arises how to stop and drop a few feet in front of the 
 plate, a ball that comes with nearly the deadly speed 
 of a cannon ball, besides curving in any direction. 
 You have often noticed that you can stop a swift ball 
 with your hand and it will fall close to you. You 
 could easily bunt with your hand if it did not hurt, 
 by merely holding it out, and when the ball is close 
 pull your hand back with the ball, The ball does 
 not rebound, it merely stops. Use your bat the 
 same way. Place the bat on the right shoulder, with 
 your right haud as far from the left as convenient, 
 and when the pitcher draws his hand back, step 
 ahead with the left foot directly towards the pitcher, 
 straighten the right arm, slide the hand down to 
 within six inches of the end of the bat, and nearly 
 straighten the left arm. Now the bat should be a 
 little above the hip and parallel with an imaginary 
 line between first and third bases, and when the ball 
 gets close, if it is a good one, guide the bat and catch 
 it on your bat as you would on your hand by draw- 
 ing it back an inch with the ball. Practice this on a 
 floor if possible, and in a week you should be able to 
 stop it so that the ball will not roll more than one or 
 two feet, and then when you get out doors on the 
 diamond you will never have any more trouble to 
 bunt as well as the very best bunter. 
 
 WHEN TO BUNT DURING THE GAME. 
 
 As a rule it is best to bunt with a man on first 
 and no one out, but if you are much behind it is al- 
 ways better to hit and run, and even then it is best 
 to try and place the ball at the same time that the 
 man tries to steal second base. But with a man on 
 first and second, with no one out, it is always, with 
 no exception, best to bunt. Then if the worse comes 
 you have a man left on third and second. Because a 
 man who has practiced this way, by drawing the bat 
 back with the ball in a room, can always make a suc- 
 
 (26) 
 
cessful sacrifice bunt and perhaps a hit. The old 
 question arises, should you try the squeeze play with 
 a man on third or three men on bases and one or no 
 men out? It sometimes works successfully but more 
 times it fails, for if the man on third comes nearly 
 home and the batter tries to bunt and should happen 
 to miss it, not an unusual thing, you would lose all 
 chance of that score. It would also be wrong to try 
 for a single, because you would be apt to bat into a 
 double play. A better way is to bunt with a man on 
 third or three men on bases, unless two men are out. 
 The runner on third takes a big lead each time with 
 the pitcher's arm and yet be able to get back safely 
 if the catcher should throw quick and hard to third 
 base. (All men on bases should lead off the same 
 way.) The batter bunts the first good strike. The 
 runner on third by taking such a big lead will often 
 get safe at home, and while they are trying to get 
 him, the batter will get to first. But if the batter is 
 a poor bunter, but a good heavy hitter, let him try 
 for a long line drive, which is apt to go over the 
 fielders' heads, because they play in close with three 
 men on bases. But even if it is caught, the man on 
 third can still score. But if the batter fails, let the 
 next man try it; if he fails, the next man tries for a 
 single, which would bring in two runs. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BASE RUNNERS. 
 WHEN TO START. 
 
 There is more science in running bases than most 
 players think. As soon as you hit the ball start to 
 run. It is like the 100 yard dash man. If you get 
 a bad start you cannot make good time. A great 
 many times a man will stop to see if it is a foul, or if 
 some one will catch it, and he loses time if it hap- 
 pens to be a fair ball, and time is everything in run- 
 ning bases. This is important, to start as soon as 
 
 (27) 
 
you hit the ball, or have three strikes, even if you 
 feel that you cannot make your base safely. Even if 
 you bat a nice grounder to the pitcher and are sure, 
 (you never can be sure), that you have no chance to 
 reach first base safely, make a quick dash and run 
 with all your might. Sometimes it looks as if a man 
 would surely get out, when by a good sharp run, 
 aided perhaps by a wild throw, or sometimes by the 
 first baseman muffing it, or it might be thrown to 
 another base, or even if the ball is batted easy to a 
 man he might make a fumble and you make your 
 base by fast running. It is very hard to teach a man 
 so that he will always run as soon as the ball is hit. 
 Some good players neglect this necessary precaution. 
 As a rule you should not slide going to first base, but 
 an inexperienced umpire will call you safe quicker if 
 you do. If you have made a hit past the infielders, 
 always make a bluff to run to second base, and after 
 you have made a good turn and are twenty or thirty 
 feet towards second base, then if the fielder throws 
 the ball anywhere except to second base, run to sec- 
 ond base. When you make such a bluff towards 
 second base, some inexperienced fielders might throw 
 the ball to first base, short stop or third base, then 
 you can easily make second. But if the fielder throws 
 to second, go back to first. Be sure the pitcher has 
 the ball before you again leave the base. Always 
 know where the ball is. Even if you are not playing 
 watch the ball all the time, or it may hit you on the 
 head. If you are not interested enough to watch the 
 ball, keep away from the game. An agent who was 
 not much interested in base ball went to see a game. 
 He stood around and evidently did not watch the 
 game or the ball, for suddenly it came his way and 
 he went to eternity not knowing what had struck 
 him. After the pitcher has the ball, take a good 
 lead, experience will tell you how far and yet get 
 back safely. Get about seven feet back from the line 
 and take twelve feet or more lead towards second 
 
 (28) 
 
GLOVE AS A MARK. 
 
 This makes a good mark for a shoulder 
 high (never lower) straight raise jump ball. 
 For a real mark, the glove must not be moved 
 until the pitcher has let go of the ball, because 
 rt is the last moment that the pitcher takes aim 
 and the slightest movement of the glove at the 
 last moment entirely spoils the mark . It would 
 be better not to have a mark than to have it 
 move. 
 
Position to catch an outfield fly over the 
 right shoulder, knees slightly bent, ready to 
 line the ball to second base. 
 
base, then, if the pitcher throws to first base you 
 rush and slide back, not directly towards the base, 
 but to the left, the length of your arm, and if you 
 have time shoot out your right arm and grasp the 
 base firmly. But if you reach the base a little too 
 late, let the baseman swing around for you, and as 
 soon as his hand with the ball gets past you, then 
 shoot out your right arm and grasp the base firmly, 
 and then be very sure that the pitcher has the ball 
 before you take any lead. When you do make up 
 your mind to steal a base, have a good lead, then as 
 soon as the pitcher starts to draw back his arm, you 
 must not wait for his arm to get back, make a dash 
 for second base and slide head first, unless the sec- 
 ond baseman blocks your path in a brutal manner, 
 then slide spikes first. Do not slide directly towards 
 the base, but to the right the length of your arm. 
 You must strike the ground in such a way that you 
 slide several feet without getting hurt. Grasp the 
 base with your left hand and let your body swing 
 around. Never be a selfish player. Always do wh'at 
 you can that is honorable to make your team win, 
 even if you must make a sacrifice. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIELDING. 
 HOW TO CATCH A FLY. 
 
 Many first-class fielders make their start as soon, 
 or a little before, the ball is hit. The man who waits 
 for the ball to get well started before he moves, will 
 never make a good base ball player. The first im- 
 portant point to catch a fly is, as soon as the batter 
 strikes at the ball, make a quick move the way you 
 think the ball would go if he did hit it. You can 
 usually tell by the position of the ball and bat when 
 they get near each other which Avay the ball would 
 be most likely to go. When you dash for a fly keep 
 your arms down and get under it as soon as possible. 
 
 (29) 
 
Then if you have time enough, get in the following 
 position to catch the fly: Have your left foot one 
 step forward, your knees slightly bent, and your 
 weight on the balls of your feet. Stand so the ball 
 would just pass over your right shoulder, and then 
 when you catch the ball you are in the best position 
 to throw it. 
 
 LONG FLYS. 
 
 Have one man bat fiys to • each outfielder. 
 Have them number off and stand together in 
 close enough so you can bat flys far enough over their 
 heads so that they cannot quite get them. Have 
 number one hold up his glove so you will know that 
 he is to take the fly. Have him come in fast on a 
 grounder, because he can depend on the other out- 
 fielders to back him up. They should always back 
 up each other. It will not only teach them to make 
 a quick start, but it will give them plenty of experi- 
 ence of the right kind and develop their lung ca- 
 pacity. When a fly goes over a fielder's head, he 
 should turn quickly and dash in the direction of the 
 fly. It is the quick start that makes the fast out- 
 fielder. When the fielder dashes for a fly over his 
 head, the nearest fielder should run with him and 
 say "back, back," until the very last instant, and 
 then call out "there you are." He turns instantly 
 before he takes another step and catches the ball, 
 which is about to take him in the head. If he has 
 been running to one side, the other fielder would have 
 called "to the right, to the right," or "to the left, to 
 the left," as the case would have required. With 
 plenty of this kind of practice it is wonderful what 
 long runs and fine catches can be made. Bat to each 
 one until he has one fairly good chance to catch a fly, 
 then go to the next man. Never let one catch the fly 
 that was intended for the other. Do not always bat 
 the same to each man. A good way is to bat a liner, 
 and if it is a grounder, bat it over, theu whether he 
 
 (30) 
 
catches it or not, give him a long fly so that he must 
 make a quick, long run to catch it. If possible, 
 catch long flys the same as short flys, in the proper 
 position as stated in the beginning of Chapter VI. 
 Then as he catches the long fly he should bend back 
 and raise up the left knee and keep his right elbow 
 nearly at his side. Then start a forward circle with 
 the right hand and get as near as possible the right 
 hold of the ball as mentioned in Chapter I, under 
 "How to Hold the Ball/' only do not pay any atten- 
 tion to the way the seams are. When you have 
 made half of the circle and the hand gets down so 
 that the arm is straight, complete the circle by a full 
 arm swing, reaching up as high as possible and throw 
 over-handed, the same as for the straight raise jump 
 ball spoken of in Chapter I. This will mate the 
 ball carry up because it has a tendency to raise and 
 it will keep it from curving sideways. When the 
 arm starts up in a full arm circle, spring all you can 
 from the right foot and place it about four feet ahead 
 of the left foot. This will take time to learn to place 
 it far enough ahead, and when you learn it, you will 
 have more speed at your command. From the out- 
 field, as from any other place in the game, always 
 aim at the player's belt when you throw for him to 
 catch. In a long throw always sacrifice a little time 
 to get the proper swing and speed, but in a short 
 throw always sacrifice swing and speed for quickness. 
 
 BACKING UP THE INFIELD. 
 
 The third baseman plays ten feet from the bag 
 and three feet back of the line. He runs in fast on 
 all slow grounders, takes everything that comes his 
 way, cuts in ahead of the shortstop on everything 
 that he can get both hands on. Shortstop plays 30 
 feet from the second base and fifteen feet back of the 
 line. He backs up third base; he is back far enough 
 to give the third baseman plenty of room to cut in 
 ahead of him on all grounders. If the third baseman 
 
 (30 
 
misses, then there is still another chance for the 
 shortstop, because a hot grounder travels so fast that 
 he still has time to throw the man out. There is a 
 chance that the third baseman will knock the ball 
 out of line and spoil it for the shortstop, but if the 
 shortstop played up on the line and the third base- 
 man stayed at third, suppose the shortstop spoils the 
 grounder for himself, then there is no possible chance 
 for anyone to back him up in time to throw the runner 
 out at first. The shortstop playing so far back of the 
 line gives him a better chance to catch line drives 
 and pop flies over the infield and by the second base- 
 man playing 30 feet from the second base and fifteen 
 feet back of the line, the same as the shortstop/ and 
 the first baseman playing ten feet from first base and 
 fifteen fgfet back of the line, and the outfielders play- 
 ing in quite close, makes it next to impossible to make 
 a hit between the infield and the outfield. A grounder 
 over second base, which the pitcher cannot stop, 
 is tried for three feet in front of second base by the 
 second baseman , then it is tried for three feet back 
 of the bag by the shortstop. Center fielder comes in 
 fast and the right and left fielders back him up. The 
 more men to back up in all plays the more sure you 
 are to win. The pitcher takes all slow grounders or 
 bunts that he can handle; he makes one more man 
 after the ball, besides he can throw to first without 
 straightening up. A grounder between pitcher and 
 first base: the pitcher tries it, if he gets it he throws 
 it to the second baseman who covers first. If the 
 pitcher misses*it he covers first and the first baseman 
 tries to get the ball. If he misses it, the second base- 
 man tries it and if he misses it there is still time for 
 the right fielder, who has come in fast, to throw the 
 man out at first, The shortstop covers second. This 
 makes a combination and gives you four chances to 
 get your man, and every chance might win. 
 
 If each man leaves the play for someone else, 
 oftentimes it is not taken by anyone. The pitcher 
 
 (32) 
 
watches first base himself; he also has a signal with 
 the catcher for first base. With a man on second, the 
 pitchef watches the shortstop without turning much. 
 The shortstop, who is back of his man, makes two or 
 three fake moves, then suddenly makes a dash to 
 second and because he has the first jump he can beat 
 the runner to second. The pitcher can often catch 
 his man by getting used to the shortstop. He also 
 has a signal with the catcher for second base, because 
 sometimes the second baseman can make a couple or 
 three fake moves, then dash in and by the .catcher's 
 signal the pitcher will often catch the man. With a 
 man on third, when the pitcher catches the ball from 
 the catcher, he gives the third baseman a signal. The 
 pitcher can look at second or first, but he does not 
 look at third again. The third baseman keeps well 
 away from third base, but when the pitcher starts to 
 draw back to pitch and the runner starts in towards 
 home, the third baseman makes a dash to third and 
 catches the ball on the run. With plenty of practice 
 a pitcher can often catch a man on third, which hurts 
 the other side very much. Practice this every day, 
 you cannot have too much practice throwing to bases. 
 Do not throw to bases often in a regular game, but 
 when you do, make it count. When you catch a 
 man between bases, if possible chase him back toward 
 the base he came from, dash after him as fast as pos- 
 sible. Make a continual fake throw so he will not 
 know just when the ball is thrown. As soon as the 
 other man gets the ball he sprints after the runner as 
 fast as he can. Never hesitate to back up just be- 
 cause someone else is backing up, because every extra 
 man who backs up a play makes it just that much 
 safer. Back up whenever and wherever you get a 
 possible chance. For instance, if you are playing, 
 no matter where, even in the right field, and if the 
 catcher should be backed up on the particular play, 
 and no one else backs him up then it is your place to 
 do it. Let the coach talk to the player, after the game, 
 
 LOFC, (33) 
 
who should have backed up the play and see that 
 he backs up uext time. The people and your man- 
 ager will appreciate your backing up that way and 
 you will feel better over it. The pitcher should 
 usually back up the first base/ catcher third base and 
 wherever he is most needed. For instance, if a long 
 throw from over first base or right field is to be made to 
 third base the pitcher, shortstop and left fielder should 
 all back up third base. Each get about fifteen feet 
 behind the other. With three meu backing up third 
 base there is not much danger of a man scoring on 
 the throw, even if it should be wild. The 
 man who is to make the throw, knowing that third 
 base is backed up so well he will not hesitate to make 
 a quick throw with all his speed aud is more apt to 
 make a successful throw. If the other pitcher is wild 
 have each man take two strikes. This makes the 
 pitcher work harder and will often weaken him. 
 When you get a man on base, each man should know 
 what the other men will try to do. If the man on 
 first w r ants to run on the first or second ball he 
 can give the signal. If the second ball, then 
 the runner takes an extra big lead off the base. 
 He wall not get caught leaning the wrong way 
 because he has his mind made up to get back to the 
 base at the least sign of the pitcher and the batter 
 watches who starts to cover second base. This often 
 causes the pitcher to waste one ball in the hope of 
 catching the man at second, but now as the {fitcher 
 is in a hole he will most likely put the next one over. 
 Thi^ time the runner has not quite so much lead, but 
 he is leaning towards second base and at the least 
 movement of the pitcher he dashes for second base. 
 The batter bunts or bats a hot grounder toward where 
 the player stood who started to cover second base. 
 On a bunt, when they try to throw the runner out at 
 first base, the runner from first should always try, 
 and can most always, get to third. If the runner on 
 first don't give any signal he goes down fast part way 
 
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every time with the pitcher's arm aud the batter hits 
 the iirst good one. With a man on 1st and 2d with one 
 man out, if yon try for a single yon are apt to bat into 
 a double play. Try the double steal. The runner 
 on second gives the signal to steal on the first or 
 second ball, as he thinks best. When the play is 
 tried the batter strikes, but misses the ball, and gets 
 in the way with the bat and his body to hinder the 
 throw to third as much as possible without in the 
 least appearing to do so. Even with two out this 
 play is often successfully carried out. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TRAINING SYSTEM. 
 DEVELOPING MUSCLE. 
 
 Indian club swinging is much more help to the 
 base ball player than most players think. Indian 
 clubs should be used at night and in the morning. 
 It expands the chest and keeps the joints of the arms 
 and shoulders well oiled. After using the clubs you 
 can almost feel the shoulder muscles grow in strength 
 and agility, and they help to produce a restful slum- 
 ber. Eest from eight to nine hours. Take a long 
 morning walk, but do not take a bath after it. If 
 you are perspiring freely, merely take a rub down 
 with a coarse dry towel, and then, of course, put on 
 dry clothes. After dinner, sit or lie down for thirty 
 minutes. It is wonderful how much thirty minutes 
 rest just after dinner will rest the body and build up 
 the system. Then take a walk until nearly the hour 
 when your games usually begin, then put on your 
 suit carefully. Always wear a good suspensory and 
 see that it is on right. Have your spikes clean. The 
 men who look after these little things are the men 
 who succeed in base ball or in anything else. Take a 
 slow run of half a mile before you begin your base 
 ball practice. This should not give you a hard sweat 
 but should only warm you up a little. Now you are 
 
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iii conditio a to begin real base ball practice. Never 
 stop exercising from this minute until after yon have 
 taken your bath and ended with a rub down. Prac- 
 tice fast and put your whole heart in the work for 
 two hours. By this time you should be very tired, 
 but the instant that the practice is over, even if you 
 do not feel like it, take another slow half mile run 
 and end with a short sprint. You should now be 
 perspiring freely. Hasten at once to take your bath, 
 because it would be very dangerous to wait a minute 
 for any cause and run the risk of getting chilled. 
 
 WHEN AND HOW TO TAKE A BATH. 
 
 You are now, as just stated, very warm and in 
 just the condition to take your shower bath. At first 
 regulate it a little hotter than hike warm, pass back- 
 ward and forward under it, rubbing yourself all over 
 with your hands as fast as possible, then regulate the 
 bath two degrees colder, then two degrees still colder, 
 etc., until it feels quite chilly, not real cold. This 
 should not take you over three minutes from when 
 you first step under the water until you are using the 
 towel. When 3 7 ou leave the water take a quick rub 
 down with the hands for about a minute. This will 
 remove most of the water. Then take a large rough 
 towel and give the whole body a good rub down. Be 
 careful that the hair on your head, under your arms, 
 etc., is particularly dry. End by rubbing and pat- 
 ting the muscles with the hands. Dress as soon as 
 possible. This whole process, from when you first 
 entered the bath room, should not have taken 
 over fifteen minutes. After the bath do not get in a 
 perspiration again the same day. 
 
 PROPER FOOD WHILE TRAINING — WHAT TO EAT. 
 
 Eat beef, mutton, eggs, beef tea, plenty of milk, 
 beans, peas, prunes, fruit of all kinds, take plenty of 
 sound sleep, and if you are slender, drink cocoa and 
 use more milk. Never worry. It is worry that wears 
 
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out and kills people and not work. Worrying will 
 always reduce your weight, besides it makes you ner- 
 vous. Use plenty of sugar, eat bread aud chew it 
 well. Never drink too much milk or eat too much of 
 anything j list before a game. It \£ill hurt the stomach, 
 make you drowsy and will lie on the stomach like so 
 much lead. Food does not digest well when you are 
 taking violent exercise. Two dogs born, raised to- 
 gether and fed the same until six mouths old. One day 
 they were fed the same kind of food and one was put 
 in a small dark room and the other was tied behind a 
 buggy which he had to follow for two hours. Then 
 both dogs were instantly killed and their stomachs 
 removed. The stomach of the one left iii the room 
 was found to be empty aud in good condition. The 
 stomach of the other dog, which had run behind the 
 buggy, was found to be very full and very badly con- 
 gested. For the last meal beford a hard game, one 
 glass of milk aud one slice of toast is enough for any 
 man, especially the pitcher, 
 
 WHAT NOT TO EAT. 
 
 Altogether the most harmful food is pork in any 
 form, because it is so hard to digest. Use no veal, 
 tea, coffee or alcohol in any form, and never drink 
 ice water, because it will not only hurt your stomach 
 but it may stiffen you just at the time in a game when 
 you most need to be active. 
 
 FAST PRACTICING. 
 
 When you play you should play fast. It is not 
 how long a man practices, but how fast he can play 
 with a cool and fast thinking brain to govern his 
 playing. It does not pay to practice playing without 
 snap in the game. If you always practice a snappy 
 game with snappy players it will make you a much 
 faster and better player than if you only practiced 
 slowly without ginger and with slow players. This 
 is very important, not only in base ball, but it is also 
 
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just as important in football or basketball. All 
 players must always have ginger in these games or 
 they will not make them a success. 
 
 READY TO BUNT. 
 
 This is after you have moved from the position for a bunt. 
 When the white ball gets within an inch of your blaek bat, 
 pull the bat back quickly about an inch. The ball will strike 
 the bat as you are pulling it back, which makes it impossible 
 for the ball to bound back more than a foot or two, or at 
 most not over ten feet. You can bunt it harder if you wish by 
 not pulling the bat away so fast from the ball. 
 
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■BuMmS 11 ™ 8 * 
 
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