The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 23, 1928, Page 8

Ty UL WU RU ee TN e Hokum of. Inside~Baseball " Most of the So-Called an a r— Strategy COMEON AlcyY-YOu EM Sunn a A “io “TAKE IN A Coop Billy Evans. “Don't take your baseball too seriously when ’ players get their heads together.” By BILLY EVANS: ONFERENCES between ath- letes of the diamond are as much a part of baseball as the ball and the bat. As long as the game is played there will be the usual number of tedious interrup- tions as a result of these confabs. In the eyes of fandom these talkfests at some important moment in the game teem with “inside baseball.” The best possible way to get out of the ticklish situation is gone over, some strategic move is finally decided upon as the proper way to cope with the situation. W5ile I cannot vouch for. the truth - of the statement, I have it on the very best authority that the much dis- cussed: and not very popular huddle system in football is merely an out- growth of the diamond conferences that have been: a: part of baseball since the game was inaugurated. There are times when these dia- mond conferences bristle with smart baseball. However, in a majority of cases, far m, re bunk is passed out than the so-called inside “Get in there and show me something. “Don't t ease up on this fellow even if you don’t get one near the plate—and remember he ii is a sucker on Backstop O'Farrell - . went back to his place, held on to three important strikes. DEEP STUFF ana Illustrations by DON WOOTTON ‘ Alexander the Great. . « “That’ The infield gathered round, Nat'S buzzed ponderously . . . just what it . o i : “Keep your tightened up and prevented any was," I re- herr piter ified went through several loosening- up motions. The veteran had worked the day before and doubt was expressed as, to whether he would be at his best. As Alexander threw the regu- but any time cither side threat- ened, Bender or Johnson simply a low curve ball on the outside.” lation five warm-up balls to soars 1 ap aitis Aen shirts on, boys.’ That is often the gist of what the catcher O'Farrell, the stands fairly buzzed rele tebe shane ven Lyeted says, as he struts out to the pitcher's box, wear- with chatter. The fans wondered between the shortstop and ply couldn't disillusion the senator. ing his most intellectual expression, what the players had told Alexander pitcher or the pitcher and However, the laugh was really on us, for the Possibly the shoystop and the third sacker and what he had said that finally catcher. Not an inning had ame went 15 innings. It was 7:30 when “ have butted in on the confab and offered a few 80 broke up the conference. After Alexander had struck out the dangerous Lazzeri, Tony taking a swing at every pitch, thereby get- ting out of one of the toughest situa tions into which any world scries pitcher was ever dropped, I was a bit curious myself and after the game wandered set to the Cardinals’ dressing room and engagéd one of the players in conversation as to the he di - logue that passed as Laz- zeri was at the bat. “All of us apes An ander were a bunch of passed without a couple of ahd: the. steak was-cold and meetings of this self-appointed board of strate; wach one of these conferences tended to delay the game. reached Harvey's, gems of onan such as these: tough. “Bear down, old boy; give this guy every- ae you have, and nothing doing on the fast *“Rajah" Hornsby. . . . He summoned Alexander from the bull pen, saw the big flag won. ‘OQ doubt the great majority of baseball N fans think that every play in a game— except those that result from Haare might be called the breaks—is signaled for by the ger of the team at bat, that almost every at it players make is the expression of ball. | me “if T had as much stuff as you and this big bum ever made a base hit off me, 1 would wire in my resignation at once. IEW who were at the final game of the 1925 world series between pip Ya SéE THE 3O ITH two men out, in the last half of the eighth, the bases filled and three balls and two strikes on the batter, it just occurred to me that we were likely to fin- ish an inning without having the = aloud me n suddenly fences. When I made my debut, a team that held a one-run lead as late as the fifth inning was regarded as having a fairly comfortable work- ing thargin. A four-run lead today, by way of comparison, is about the same as a one-run lead was 25 years Tiere’s a lot of bunk in this idea, too, for managers differ widely as to their policies. John McGraw dominates the Giants; almost every play the club makes is determined by his signals. the New York Yi auhaes and the St. Louis Cardinals will ever forget the tenseness of the situa- nerves,” he said “T cag't ago Umpire n. who was e Bee tl , except in tight : tioy as Grover Cleveland even remember what I said Putting one run across calls for working with me, yelled “time” Nae I eens i ae of ae a: Alexander was summoned to him but I know it . J far more smart bascball than get- ting them in clusters, the result of a batting rally. The steal, the sacri- fice, the hit and run, picking the nak ball on which to try any of plays and perfect execution on part of the batter and base- runner, usually make for “‘a-run-an- inning” baseball. Today, the sole thought of most players is to have a healthy cut at and motioned me into foul ter- ritory for a ‘conference. I couldn’t imagine what was the matter. “What's the big idea, Jack?” I asked when we got together. “Just this,” he replied, “those counterfeit ball players have been making themselves look wise all afternoon with gene The late “Hughey” Jennings, the Detroit manager whose “Ee-yah” and grass pulling an- tics made him one of the famous figures of the diamond, got a great kick out of the fact that the fans long supposed his antics and his vocab- ulary of unintelligible words were really signals -—inside baseball. As a matter of fact his be- havior on the sidelines had nothing to do with the manner of play. from the bull pen in far feft field to relieve the “ fast weakening Haines. The score at the time was 3-2 in favor ot the Cardinals. If hat one run margin could be held for twe more innings, the world championship and a lot of couldn’t have been very helpful as all I could think of was, if Lazzeri makes a base hit it will almost surely mean ball game and the series. “That is the way all of us felt about it, except Alexander. Apparently he realized none of us were as lucie svould be tie , efhcient in that state of ever ball. The baseball their conferences. 1 simply On one occasion Jennings signaled for a bunt 9 pert on of “the St. Lous mind as otherwise and he world, fans and players, both seem made up niy mind they wouldn't and the player socked the ball over the fence club of the National broke up the confab and to have fallen strong for the Babe have a thing on us. Where will and out of the park. After the game, Jennings { League, : restored confidence. to all Ruth style, of “hitting "em where we cat?” asked the man what he pers by ignoring the Haines, who had sev- of us when he 4 they ain't. In those days Harvey's was signal and fined him $100. “I thought I was just carrying out your or- ders,” replied the player, who knew ‘unwrit- eral times been in tiouble, “Keep your shirts on, finally. got himseli into. a. hole that Manager an excellent place to cat in boys, we still have a one-run lead and the best Rogers Horasby believed too deep for bim to pitch out of A hurried call was sent for Alexander the Great. No melodrama ever ‘tad a more thrilling set- ting. ‘The bases were filled, two were ‘out and the’ dangerous Tony ‘Lazzeti, one of the best snen in a pinch on the Yankee club, was up. “Poosh ‘em up, Tony!” Peosh ‘em up, ony Th housnds of frantic Yankee supporters kept chanting Ttalian | battle cry, that aces become. a pact of Lazzeri's every appearance at the plate. Out in left Eeld, with a la stride an a player garbed in the the St. Louis Cardinals. It was ee Hornsby had “Who is it?” of fans, far ie- moved from the shambling figure, asked of each the eMsWhy, i's Alexander!" exclaimed {ans familiar with his peculiar gait and his careless style of wearing his cap. HEN. he paral 6 the pitcher's a the four ay aeoeu of the St. Louis infield as well .as O'Farrell were waiting there to ee CES week a chee shee sie ines I have no ar was an ominous silence as ers conferred for a minute or more and then all of them ran back to their positions as Alexander ‘ j aor of ORTH, THT = =: = = = rE = = = =; os = 3 = 4 & FS 5 zy. indifferent the relief way to hold it is for me to try my best to set ‘the Wop" down on strikes.” He then proceeded to dg that very thing, snuffing out the Yankees’ big opportunity, there- by checking a rally, saving the game, and giving St. Louis its first world championship. ‘N, baseball, as in all. other things, the im- - ortance of the so-called inside stuff is per- too strongly stressed. In a majority of cases hs ¢ best way ty win ball games is nape ability. ‘There is no move potent factor than he old base ‘hit to suppress the ition. Speed has its place i in the game ut as an old- time star once said, “You just’ can’t steal first base and your speed isn't of much value sntil you get there.” Smart stuff won't win any ball pod unless the club has real power. Great ball clubs, as a rule, are poral be pa ching and batting. Ficld- ing plays an important pei of course, but you can’t make runs while in the field. You may cut ‘off the opposition’s tallies but no‘ ball tlub ever won a ball game without sea a run. It is my opinion that baseball as pla doesn’t call for 60 per cent of the ry ecg la ef into the American League back in 1906. reason, to way of elite, can -be given in two words—lively ball. One run means nothing in these days of the lively ball and short ’ A i O I warn you, don't take your baseball too seriously, as far as the strategy of the game is con- ° Washington and | suggested we go there. Satishied with such an arrangement, he «in- ten law of taking a rather healthy swing at the ball if he saw the first baseman and the third cerned. Don't let your curiosity c quired as to what we would baseman moving up in anticipation of a bunt. run away with you as the players Yankee Tony Lazzeri . |. . eat. To apprcciate all this, “l anv right fielder creeping in on me, so I ‘confer with each other or sur- couldn't “‘poosh ‘em up” in you must remember the bases smacked it round the umpire and berate one one of baseball's prettiest - eee eligi. tc. oul aed Jennings saw the humor of the situation and of his close decisions. The conrersation that is spilled may or may not be highly strategic. The odds - are that the aibiees are simply pulling the old stereotyped stuff. Content yourself with the thought that you can well imagine most of the wise talk that is being pulled. While the conversation, as I have said, is rarely highly intellectuél, there are times when it is de- cidedly humorous. 1 have gotten many a laugh, some of which have stayed with me, out of the so-called wise conversation of the athletes and "umpires, - In the 22 years I have been calling balls and strikes, I doubt if any incident better illustrates the thought that you shouldn’t take diamond con- ferences too seriously, than one in which I figured some years back. Here are the facts: Philadelphia was playing Washington in the latter city. Chief Bender was ened Wales Johason. - It was a pitchers’ battle. C jing into Get one. To was 2) in favor of n going great. There were men on the bases in every inning (Copyright, 1923, NEA Magazine). — inches. three balls and two strikes emitted the fine. on the batter, a crisis in the 20 We Went oe 5 game. *Since I was rather hungry, I ventuied the spire that a sirloin steak, au gratin potatoes, lettuce. new peas, apple pic a la mode ani calee wouldn't be half bad. He agreed. Ma- Jeserally he summoned the announcer at the ball park and confided to him thusly: “Go ‘out and phone John, the headwaiter at Harvey's, order a sirloin steak for two, pota toes, peas, lettuce salad, apple pic « la mode and coffee to be served at gbout six-thirty.” Walking back to his position back of the plate with a most important gesture announcing he was ready, Egan shouted: “P| ay.” That evening in the lobby I got my biggest kick out of the incident. Bumping into the present Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, who was @ then a representative, he greeted me thusly: “I imagine that was some real inside stuff you and Egan eae off, when you iad that conter- pisabse! Pa inning. “1 wish 1 might have me ~ PUMA UL a . 4 ae SMILE Mu I & = => = = = = =>