The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 5, 1904, Page 14

14 STANFORD TUDYWO years many young at ve suffered such seri- c e been e game 1. time either by the r s * them or a wild ball, or breaks their fingers. Not y long Tommy Leahy, e Iriscos, while playing ger split by a resuited in his » the game for-sev- an Pete Lohman trouble of much the he der is not that behind the bat, but that more are not hurt. positions on 2 team it is the behind the bat who continually runs the grestest risk. He is in dan- ger from the pitcher and in danger e ¥ £ eing retired weeks. s beer n, while he is just as ) - injury in a scrimmage a runner is making a wild dash late. But even in the me his hands have to ble bruising. 1 the science of the sport, all things orde g equal, the game lies altogether ith the pitcher and his catcher. The t catching in the league will be of e avail if the pitching is wild and eliable, while it would be worse than useless to be a past master of curves, drop balls and swift straights if the catcher was unable to receive and hold the delivery. Each depends absolutely upon the other, each must play up to the other and so it is a much mooted question as to which is the most important to a team—the catcher or the pitcher. But, as I want to repeat again, it is the man behind the bat who is the real hero of the game. You will often obscrve if you are a devotee of the game that all ballplay- ers have one or more broken or twisted fingers, but the most crippled of the lot are the hands of the catcher. Just notice the throwing hand of any of them and you will see how all the knuckles are enlarged and distorted. caTCHING If you could be behind the bat for very few minutes and receive one or two, If not more, of a'skilled pitcher's “hot” ones, you would not be at all surprised. Or perhaps you would be. It is the experiencé of a lifetime ip any event. No matter how spectacular the work of the man in the pitcher’s box may appear to the crowd on the bleachers or in the grandstand, or even to the man at the bat himself, it is only the catcher who knows the real velocity of.each ball. He is there to stop it, and many & swift flying baseball has a nasty little habit of playing tricks not intended by the iteher or auticipated by eilher ths Emn or the catchen, ; fi=lie 3 Even when well protected by a strong mask, a stoutly compressed protector and a heavy glove, there is more danger in a “foul tip” or a “cross” ball than the spectator real- izes, though of the two the “cross” is perhaps the most dangerous, seeing that it involves the deception of the catcher himself. All the art and skill of the pitcher has been developed to deceive the bat- That is the reason for the curve, e slow ball, the drop ball and the straight ball; but unless the catcher has been notified by a prearranged signal just what sort of a ball to ex- i Wl runs the grave danger of be- ing badly deceived as the man at !hler bat, with possible injury to him- self. i It is for this reason that each team has a set of signals perfectly under- stood between pitcher and catcher, and In the science of the sport, when the game is at its most exciting period, both make the most careful use of them. It is’then that the pitcher and catcher really control the game be- tween them. It is then that the issue of the game devolves upon them, al- most solely. The figures in the fleld may be sald to be there only for emer- gency. In the papers the necxt day the pitcher gets the credit for winning g | » the game by his bafMing delivery, but it is the man behind the bat, about whom nothing is said, who really should have as much, if not more, o the glory that belongs to the victors. Of course, in the early stages of the game the catcher is in no more dan- " SUGGESTIONS FROM PARENTS' QUESTIONS B | - By WILLIAM J. SHEARER. observations of these anniver- are a source of far greater than most parents think. e remembrance and celebration bring the different members of closer together and small are forgotten. The loving connected with the prepara- mething for'the occasion will uitiply with the passing If you mber a child’s birthday r that you are really at he here. It will never be gotten. You will find that he will great pleasure in remembering during the years which are to embrance may be no more or a bunch of flowers or similar expression of love. ly a boy on his birthday cil from one brother, a gnother, a box of writing paper his sister, some newly- baked gingerczke from his mother and rom his father. Even this was xpensive than need be to prove the day was not forgotten by who loved him and were glad he was one of the family. To those who are absent even a brief note 1 be more highly prized than would ny _presents be under other circum- knife from from will thus be apparent that it is not necessary 1o g0 to great expense. not necessary to have costly parties in order that the day may be properly celebrated. The spirit is the im- portant requisite. Given that, all else may be omitted; without that, every- ing will be wanting. Nine out of ten children are subject- ed to too much restraint. Children should be permitted to do what they wish unless there is good reason for their not doing so. When & child ralses an objection in a proper spirit, it is sometimes proper to give reasons. For mple, suppose a boy is told not to ake the shortest way. He may be told the reason then; or, later, it may be well to tell him you knew there was a cross dog at the corner, and that you feared that he might be bitten. Care should also be taken to express pleas- ure that the question was asked in the way that it should have been asked, and that there was no hesitation about obedience. There is a great tendency to over- training on the part of ministers and others who are intensely interested in the proper management of their chil- dren. The failure of such in the train- ing of their children has almost become proverbial. It is certainly not because of lack of love or interest; but, realiz- ing the importance of proper training there is apt {o be too much training. Then, too, it must be remembered that the failings of these children are likely to be unduly magnified by both parents and others. It is very important that we parents should appreciate the necessity of leav- ing children to themselves, that they may do about as they wish. While the child must be trained, it is not neces- sary that he should be under supervi- sion all the time. If he is, he is likely to become so antagonistic that he can- not be trained as he should. One great mistake, which most of us parents make, is that we are _too willing to take issue with our chil- dren upon every occasion. No pa- rent should hesitate to do so when it is necessary. Such as do will suffer later. However, issues can be avoid- ed by exercising a small amount of tact and common sense. It is espe- clally necessary with children of cer- tain temperaments at times. It is ab- solutely necessary that the parents should strive to avold direct issues. Is it not true that all of us ssy “don’t” to our children too often? One is reminded of the boy, who, when asked his name, said his right name was “Willie Smith,” but it seemed to be generally “Willie Don't.” Many children are completely ruin- ed by the threats which parents make and fail to carry out. How often we promise to do something “next time.” What a mistake! We should do some- thing now, or say nothing. A little punishment or rewarding in the pres- ent is more powerful than ten times the amount, promised for delivery at some future time. As “a barking dog never bites,” so it {s almost certain that a parent who threatens much seldom fulfills the promises made. How soon the child discovers this! Strive never to make threats which® cannot or should not be carried out. Then Y*make good.” There is no place for scolding or nagging in the training of children. Yet how many of us are apt to do so. Some say they do this so that they need not whip their children. But this will have a worse effect on a child’s character than a reasonable amount of whipping, inflicted at a proper time and in a proper manner. If a child has done wrong he should be spoken to in a kindly and, if nec- essary, in a very firm tone. How- ever, it should be done in the natural tone of voice at all times. We are apt to magnify the faults of children. Let us remember that many of the so-called faults are not faults, but are natural actions, which they ghould and will outgrow. ‘When you hesitate as to whether or not you should refuse some request made, do not consider whether the re- quest would have been a foolish one for you, but rather whether it is a proper one for the child. The ckild who finds he is treated in this way will not hesitate to ask for things which other- wise he would get by stealth. Other - things being equal, the indi- vidual who can control himself is likely to be most happy. Whether or not a person is lable to control himself will largely depend upon his training in early life. At times it may require only loving kindness upon the part of the parent; or it may require much firm- ness also. Almost all children can be taught self-control when young. That is the time to help them. Life with them is a constant warfare. We must stand ready to help them battle against self, as well as against outside influ- ence. Don't bribe your child to control bhimself in any way. This is a great mistake, and evil results will have to be borne later by ,both parents and child. ‘We are all very apt to treat with too little consideration the child of quick temper. Many employers prefer clerks Wwho have violent temper. They under- stand that it is a form of energy, and if the temver is controlled the indi- viduals can accomplish a great deal more than those without temper. If a child shows temper much of the time this requires different treatment. Such a child should be kept busy, as much as possible, with some manual play or work. The parent must be careful not to show temper when the child does. It is probable that the child gets his temper honestly, but if the parent is not careful scars of more than one kind may be left, and remain for many years—scars which even future kind- ness can never efface. We must mot forget that the great object of training is not merely to make children obedient. It is not to make them behave. It is not to keep them quiet. ' It is not to make them admired by others. It is not to please our own selfish vanity in any one of many ways. The great purpose of training is to make out of each what the Almighty evidently intended him to be. the Until the man at the bat has ger than any other team. had two strikes or unless there are men on bases he can stand far back from the home plate and let the balls pass him at will, but before the third strike he must move up so close to the plate that the whizzing bat scarcely misses his nose and not only stop the ball, but hold it. It is in this contingency that the catcher makes free use of his secret signals, fof as well as the pitcher he has learned to know the peculiarities of each and every batter and knows best how to act, while at the same time if the bases are full of runners, the ‘neceasity for skillful, concerted play- player on SIGNAN- O SCORVE " ing between bothi VNG PIvEher and the catcher is all the greater. Thus if the pitcher has beem throw~ ing a swift ball for two strikes and the catcher think he can be most readily fooled by a change of deliv- ery, he gives a secret sigaal for a slow ball, which with some teams is shown by putting the tips of all four fingers on the palm of the catching glove. The signal for a curve ball {s two fingers on the palm of the glove with the rest of the hand closed, while for a fast ball .only the index finger of the right hand s used. Likewise when the catcher wants a ball sent directly over the plate he holds his hands straight before him in the catching attitude just before “the pitcher is ready to make his delivery. However, with the exception of this last all of the signals must be given 80 that none of the men of the oppos- ing team on the side lines can see them, and so communicate them to the man at the bat, which is frequently done, notwithstanding that there is a rule of the game against. it. And thus with an appreclation of the velocity of the pitcher’s delivery and the importagce of the secret sig nals it can be very readily seen how’ dangerous to the catcher is the “cross” ball, which means that the pitcher has totally disregarded the signal and deceived the catcher as well as the batter. For instance, if the catcher signals \cne finger on the glove) for a fa ball, which means a straight ball thrown directly across the home plate, and the pitcher sends a curved instead, not only the batter but catcher is liable to bo deceived and the catcher in particular is apt to be hurt. Likewise when he signals for a S\GNAaLS (4 glow ball and a straight n is «sent, he reaches for the ball in : expects it to be dell 4 and t it lands somewh: else upen his own and ysually ‘where he joint or a sprained k kle, might have his ar broken or- be killed outrig! as was the case in a me several years ago 1 struck the catcher full on the pe life instan ut the danger from the batter and er are cuities a r h In & re- »ne of the T se struck 3 agains the leg of the base- n of the brain was the ¥ at the bag was ruised. These, of they i 1 have been awv ed had the baseman not been so “set he phrase goes eball parlance, but m of move- ment and would have In- sured him giving ground in such s heavy Impact. and so saved both the . runner and himse! s rule devolves for unless at all times, er out or the r In throw- as [ bave described. p o Ba-L- OYER g e e FLATE