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HERE’S WHAT THE "BIG FIVE” OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE ARE HITTING RIGHT UPTO DATE
COBB 330 140 .424 SPEAKER 348 136 .391 JACKSON 337 125 .371 LAJOIE 216 72 .333 COLLINES 312 102 .327
T ?* r i? th- l ,a< ? of ? 3 P°'" tß ° ver Speaker, while Jackson is I Collins has struck his stride again and is likely to boost his average during the week. Today ho is 97 points behind tho leader. It be-
53 points behind the Georgia Peach. Lajoie is still out of the game and will have to do a lot of hustling to give Ty a race this year. I oins to look now as though Cobb is sure of again carrying top honors with the wagon-tongue.
BRADt CARDED
TOHDRLTDDAY
AGAINST BILLS
MONTGOMERY, July 22.—Charley
Hemphill led his Crackers into this
village today for a series with the Bil-
Ukens. The Atlanta Chief predicted this
morning that it is right here that his
team will start climbing and that noth,
ing will stop 'em until they get right
Into the first division.
Brady is carded to do the hurling for
the visitors this afternoon, and as he
Is now in t|ptof> Condition he is sure
to give the local batsmen a peck of
trouble if he gets the "breaks."
The Crtrckers came over from New
Orleans. They were scheduled to play
the Pelicans a double-header yester
day but it rained hard and Charley
Frank was forced to postpone the bat
tles.
The Cracker-Bllllken series is sure to
prove a red-hot argument. McElveen
says he will play the best ball of his
career here and show that Dobba made
a fatal mistake when he traded him to
Atlanta.
There is bitter feeling between the
two teams over the McElveen-Dobbs
fist fight in Atlanta, but no trouble is
expected on the field daring the series.
THE BASEBALL CARD.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE.
Games Toaay.
Atlanta in Montgomery.
Chattanooga in Birmingham.
Nashville in Mobile.
Memphis in New Orleans.
Standing ot the Ctuß».
W L. fC. W. I*. PC.
B'ham. .54 35 .607 C'npoga. 41 43 .488
Mobile . .49 43 .533 N ville. .39 44 .4.0
M'mphis. 43 41 .512 Mont ..39 49 .443
N. Or. .40 39 .512 Atlanta 3o 46 .432
Yesterday’# Reauite.
New Orleans-Atlanta, rain.
Mobile 1. Chattanooga 0.
Memphis 4, Birmingham 2.
60UTH ATLANTIC.
Game* Toda*.
Savannah in Albany.
Columbia in Jacksonville.
Columbus in Maron.
Standing or tne Club*.
W. 1, • W.L.PC
C'bus. . 14 6 .700 Macon . .11 10 .»24
Sav .13 7 .650 Albany . 7la .318
J’viile. . 12 9 .571 Cola. . . 6 16 .273
Yesterday’s Results.
No games scheduled.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Games Today.
Chicago in New York.
St. Louis in Philadelphia,
petroit In Washington.
Cleveland in Boston.
Standing of the Clubs.
W I. !•“ W. L. P.C.
Boston . 61 27 .693 CTand. .43 46 .483
Wash. . 54 33 .621 Detroit .43 46 .483
Phila. . 50 29 .562 N. York .25 56 .309
Chicago 45 40 .529 S. Louis 25 59 .298
Yesterday’s Results.
No games scheduled.
NATIONAL LEAGUE.
Games Today.
Boston in Pittsburg.
New York in Cincinnati.
Brooklyn in Chicago.
Philadelphia in St. Louis.
Standing or the Clubs.
W. L. P C. W. 1.. PC
N. York 62 21 .747 Phila. . 45 46 .495
Chicago .51 32 .614 S. Louis 34 45 .430
P'burg. .47 34 .580 Br'klvn. 29 53 .354
Lnati. . 44 41 .524 Boston . 22 62 .262
Yesterday's Results.
New York 12. Cincinnati 6.
Chicago 6. Brooklyn 1 (first game.)
Chicago 11. Brooklyn 4 i second game.)
St. Louis 3, Philadelphia 0.
Pittsburg-Boston, off day.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION.
Games Today,
Columbus in Milwaukee.
Toledo in Kansas City.
Indianapolis in St. Paul.
Louisville in Minneapolis.
Standing of the Clubs.
„ W L. P.C W. L. P C
bus. . .64 36 .647 M’w'kee 44 58 .43?
M apolis 63 36 .636 S. Paul 42 58 .424
Toledo . .61 37 .622 L'ville. .37 59 .385
k City 50 48 .510 I'apolis. 35 65 .350
Yesterday’s Results.
Kansas City 5, Toledo 1.
Milwaukee 7. Columbus 1.
Minneapolis 4, Louisville 2 (first game.)
Louisville 4, Minneapolis 2 (second
game.)
St. Paul 5. Indianapolis 0.
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE.
„ , Games Today.
Baltimore in Montreal
Providence in Toronto.
Newark in Rochester .
Jersey city in Buffalo.
Standing of the Clubs
~ u W. L. P C W. L. P.C.
.51 37 .580 Newark. 44 41 .494
Brnore. .46 36 .561 P’dence. 39 48 .448
[orono. .47 40 .641 Buffalo .37 46 .446
City 45 43 .511 M»treal .35 53 .398
Yesterday's Results.
No games scheduled.
COTTON STATES LEAGUE.
Games Today.
'dumbus 1n Jncknon.
lazoo City in Vicksburg,
inly two games scheduled.
Standing of the Clubs.
W. L. P.C. W. L. P.C.
pdian 18 8 .692 J’ckson 13 12 .520
...hibus 15 11 .577 G’wood 10 14 .417
' k sb g 14 11 .560 Y. City 519 .217
, Yesterday’s Results.
Jackson 6. Columbus 4.
..'eksburg 11, Meridian 1 (first game).
• lerldlan 1, Vicksburg 0 (second game).
APPALACHIAN LEAGUE.
, . Games Today.
Asheville In Bristol.
' leveland in Johnson City.
•Morristown In Knoxville.
Standing of the Clubs.
K’xVGl 3 ,tU A'eville Yi 31 358
l‘ <■ 26 659 C’v’l’d 25 30 .465
•' City 27 39 .482 | M'town 26 35 426
.. Yesterday’s Results.
No games schedule*!
Chief Meyers Tells of “The Job of a Catcher”
Heavy-Hitting Backstop Reveals Inner Workings
By John (“Chief”) Meyers.
SOMETIMES on a hot summer aft
ernoon when I’m there behind the
plate all weighted down with an
iron mask and a. big protector and a
four-pound mitt and shin guards—and
the boys come sliding in, spikes first,
regardless—l think that being a base
ball catcher is no business.
The boys don't care much for you
when they’re headed from third to
home. And they've got the right of
way, you know. You’ve got to stand
there and duck the spikes and the col
lision. and put the ball on them first—
outpoint the fast ones, loaded down as
you are.
And you’ve got to stand behind the
swinging bats (and get one pnee In a
while) and pick up foul tips on the end
of your bare fingers, and you’ve got to
do more work than anybody on the
club, considering that you’re on the
job every day, and the only harder
working fellow, the pitcher, goes in only
every four or five days.
But I wouldn’t trade my job as a
catcher for any other I know of, at that.
To my mind, it’s the most interesting,
most exciting of all. You see more,
know more, learn more about the game
behind the bat than in any other po
sition. And the game is still the big
thing to me.
I am going to try to tell here just
what ' the job of a catcher” is, from the
inside viewpoint, the catcher's—just
how he works, what he has to do, how
many things he has to watch.
Work Starts in Morning.
We’ll start, then, in the morning.
That s the beginning of the catcher's
day. Say we’re at home and are to
play the first game of a series with a
visiting club that afternoon. Before
doing anything else, 1 get with the
pitchers and we talk over these fel
lows we've got to deal with, beginning
with the top of their line-up and going
all the way down.
What can they hit? Or, rather, what
can't they hit? That's our problem.
What are we going to serve them? We
talk over each of the eight men down
to the pitcher. We don’t usually bother
about him, for pitchers are notoriously
poor hitters, although I'll bet many a
National league battery in the morning
discusses Old Doctor Crandall, of our
club, who’s the Larry Lajoie of twirl
era. However, that’s incidental.
How do we know what these visitors
can or can't lay their bats on? We
have to study every man. That's a
catcher's job all his catching life. When
I broke into the big vague the old
catchers and pitchers on the New York
club taught me all they knew about the
other chaps. Once In a while I have
got tips on batters' weaknesses from
friendly mask men of other clubs, but
not often. Nearly always it is a matter
of close study.
When there is a new man in the op
posing line-up whose weakness hasn’t
yet been got at. of course, we're up
against it. There’s nothing to do but
try him out. Perhaps for a few times
we'll serve him something which is just
what he wants. He whales it and
laughs at us. That's why, because of
the undiscovered weak point, many a
youngster splurges .400 in the big show
for a time and then drops back to .200.
We get him.
Like General Laying Plans.
You see, then, the theoretical part of
the game comes first. It's like a gen
eral laying his plans before the battle.
How those plans are going to work out
is tho big question that only the game
itself can settle.
Before the bell rings in the after
noon the man who is going to pitch has
talked over with me the first three or
four or five of our opponents again. As
the first man walks out swinging a
couple of bats we know just what we're
going to offer him. And ho knows that
we know that.
"Play ball!”
Now, this fellow, say, is a low ball
hitter. That means he can land on a
ball served between his waist and his
knees and lift it far and fast. His
weakness, then, is a high ball. There
fore. the first one coming to him is one
high up around his neck —In the hope
that he may take a swing at it. If he
lays his bat on that one at all, it will be
a weak blow. Well —he doesn’t. Bail
one.
The next one, then, comes a trifle
lower —enough lower, maybe, to fool
the batter into making a try for it, or
to fool the umpire into calling it a
strike. The clever fellow knows this,
and lets that one go. He's getting us
in a hole. "Two and nothing."
Now one must be handed to him
within his hitting range—say, a ball
about his waist —but with .a curve that
breaks toward him or away from him.
We must see whether or not he can be
fooled that wayi
Bang!
There it goes! A pretty single to
right and he’s safe on first.
Now my job gets exciting. In my
opinion, the toughest situation for a
catcher is "one on and none down."
Especially if the runner is a clever,
brainy fellow. He's going to try to
worry me. And so Is the next man up
at bat. Bescher Is a bad worrier who
comes to my mind just now. A couple
of others are Lobert and Paskert. Any
one of these boys will make me a lot of
trouble.
The base runner dances off while my
pitcher is getting ready. Is he going
down? If he is. I have to call for a
"pitch-out"—a ball delivered straight,
fast, away outside the plate and just to
my right shoulder, so that I can get it
THIS ATLANTA GEORGIA:* AND NEWS. MONDAY, JULY 22, 1912.
standing up and snap it to second. I've
got to judge, before the ball leaves the
pitcher's hands, whether that break of
the runner is a real one or the "bunk.”
If he fools me, and it’s a fake start,
and I have called for a pitch-out,
there's a ball wasted' on my pitcher
and handed as a gift to the batter. And
he's trying to fool mo every time.
The next time, knowing that I'll hes
itate before wasting another one, the
clever runner may go down and force
me to try to nail him after having
caught a difficult curve ball in an awk
ward position. He's trying to outguess
me. I to outguess him. It's a pretty
battle of wits.
The successful catcher is the one
who learns to pick out the genuine at
tempt to steal from some little foot or
body movement of a runner, and to
know these characteristics of each op
ponent, and to remember them.
A big thing, too, is the throw to sec
ond. Now, a catcher need neither
know nor care who's going to take that
throw. Most of the time he does not
know. He throws for the bag, not for
the basemen. The perfect throw to
second starts from a point about six
feet high (above the catcher’s shoul
der). just to the right of the plate, and
goes on a straight downward line to a
point about two feet over the bag. so
that It can be put on the runner with a
swift downward sweep of the base
man’s hands.
The second baseman and shortstop
decide between them who Is going to
take the throw. I generally know
whether it’s to be Doyle or Fletcher,
from thflr movements; but it doesn't
make any difference. One is always
there to back up the other anyhow.
Well, in this case, say I’ve out
guessed the runner; Matty or Mar
quard or whoever Is pitching has given
me a perfect pitch-out; tho baseman
has put It on the opponent at second —
and we’re all mighty relieved. I can
turn my attention to the batter.
He turns out to be one of the easiest
kind to handle. Tho easiest kind is the
batter who makes up his mind that
he's going to strike at a certain bail; or
that he is not going to strike. I mean
a man who, when he is going to swing,
gives some little sign. He pulls back
the shoulder nearest to me, for In
stance; or he digs in the ground with
one foot to get a better "toe-hold,”
There are many such batters. I’ve
spotted lots of them from just such lit
tle things. If I see that he is not go
ing to swing, I signal, or “sign," as we
call it, for a fast one right in the
groove. He isn't set —and it’s a strike.
Then, when the pitcher Is getting
ready for the next one, the batter dues
set himself. I sign for a bad one "to
his weakness.” He goes after this and
we’ve got him in a bad way—two
strikes and no balls, and nervous or
rattled. I’ve often got such batters
on three pitched balls.
But the great majority of players
give the catcher no such welcome tip
as to what they’re going to do. And a
few of the real good ones have no
known weakness. Os course, every
body’s heard the old story about the
new pitcher who asked the veteran
TEXAS LEAGUE.
Standing of the Clubs.
W. L. P.C. W. I*. P.C.
H’ust'n 63 34 .650 B’mont 41 53 .436
S. An'io 61 39 .610 Austin 43 56 .434
Waco 57 41 .582 G’v’sfn 38 58 .396
Dallas 49 51 .490 F. W’th 38 58 .396
Yesterday's Results.
San Antonio 4, Waco 3.
Galveston 4, Dallas 1.
Fort Worth 3. Houston 2 (first game).
Port Worth 3, Houston 2.
Beaumont 9, Austin 4.
CAROLINA ASSOCIATION.
Games Today.
Charlotte In Greenville.
Winston-Salem in Spartanburg.
Anderson in Greensboro.
Standing of the Clubs.
W. L. P C W L. P C
A’ders'n 45 27 .625 Sp'b'rg 32 40 .444
C’rlotte 43 29 .597 G’sboro 32 40 .444
W.-S'm 40 35 .533 G'nville 26 47 .356
Yesterday’s Results.
No games scheduled.
1 elesraph rasiM
There is something
compelling about a
telegram.
It commands instant attention. It
is never laid aside to be read later.
No man is too busy to stop and read
a telegram.
Let the Western Union handle your
business letters by telegraph.
Information by Telephone.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY
backstop what Hans Wagner's weak
ness ivas, and was told: "A base on
balls, old top!”
Refuses to Take Chance.
Well, there are two down. The
worst of the worry Is over for a time.
But we don't take a chance. I sign the
pitcher against the third man’s weak
ness (or, if he is one of the older pitch
ers. I don't have to sign him; he
knows). This fellow "stops” a drop
ball, .it bounds easily to short, and a
quick throw to Merkle has him beaten
by a yard.
As soon as we reach the bench the
pitcher and I sit side by side again and
go over the next lot of batters to come
up. Every single one is talked over.
He may be a high-ball hitter, a wide
ball hitter, a close-ball hitter, a low
ball hitter. He gets, first, what we
think he can’t hit.
Here we are to the second inning.
The other club's "clean-up man," ,
fourth on the list, is at bat. He hasn’t
any particular weakness, and he wal
lops a long double to the fence. He ■
goes to third on a short single by the I
next man to left.
Now comes up a play that puts gray i
hairs on top of the catcher's head. That
man on first is going to go. or pretend i
to go, down to second, where another I
single will score both him and his i
mate. He is going to try to draw a |
throw from me to the middle bag,
which may allow his mate to come
home with a run before the throw
back reaches thp plate.
It is up to me to stop them both if I
can; at all events, to stop the run, and,
if there is one of the two to he put
out, to get the man on third.
There are variations of this play, and |
here I need the fastest and brainest i
kind of help from my Infielder who i
takes the throw. I have to judge |
quickly whether or not the man on ;
third is coming home. If he apparently
is. and if he has a fairly good lead off
the bag, 1 will make a bluff throw to
second, and, instead, throw to third,
trying to get him in a “run-up" be
tween Snodgrass and myself. Between
us we'll probably nab him.
Different Kinds of Throws.
If I think he is bluffing or hasn’t
got a good start, or isn’t a very fast
man, I will make a full throw to second I
base. But it will be a different kind of i
a throw from the one I made with a I
single runner o.nl base. This will be a
high throw, which the infielder will
take “coming in,” and take at his 1
shoulder height, so he can whip it back i
to me low, so I can put it on the fellow
coming home.
Or, there may be a "delayed steal”
bluff by the man on first, in which
there may be no throw at all, and both
runners will stay where they are.
This play provides a ticklish, excit- i
ing situation which I'm always glad to i
get out of. We beat it oftener, I think,
than not So the game goes on.
The game of baseball, of course, be- !
gins and ends at the plate. The batter
starts there and tries to finish there.
And so the catcher sees the whole
game spread before him.
I have read many articles about in
tricate systems of signalling, and I
must say that most of that sort of talk
VIRGINIA LEAGUE.
Games Today,
Petersburg in Norfolk.
Richmond in Newport News.
Portsmouth in Roanoke.
Standing of the Club*.
VV. L. P C. W. L. PC
P'sb’rg 49 35 .583 R’annke 36 35 .507
P’sm’th 47 39 .547 N. N'ws 35 46 .432
Norfolk 43 39 .524 R’hm'd 34 50 .405
Yesterday’s Results.
No games scheduled.
FIGHTS FOR KENOSHA AGAIN.
CHICAGO, July 22.—Promising four !
high-class battles to interest the Chi
cago fans, John Keating, of Kenosha,
has declared positively that the game
would be reopened In the Wisconsin
city within six weeks. Keating has
tentatively signed Packey McFarland
and Eddie Murphy, Eddie McGoorty
and Billy Papke or Bob Moha, Johnny
Coulon and Frankie Burns, and Charles
White and Joe Mandot.
is foolish. I have very few signs.
There is one for a fast ball, one for a
curve and one for a pitch-out. Those
three are the only ones I use constant
ly, and with some of our pitchers I can
work almost without anything bitt the
pitch-out sign. Occasionally I give a
sign for the pitcher to snap-throw to
first to catch a runner far off. But
mostly he works that play himself.
Signals Are Never Stolen.
I have never known any of our signs
to be stolen, either by a batter looking
around, by a coacher, or by a runner
on second base. If ever we think the
other boys are getting wise to us we
can shift signs h, a fceeond.
The easiest club for a catcher to
work against— to help his pitcher, and
that's Ills main job—-is a club where
the majority of batters have the same
weakness. Brooklyn, for instance. Out
of their eight regular men, Seven—all
except Daubert—are high-ball hitters,
so we serve them low balls regularly.
That's why I think we cen beat them
easier than any other club.
For the Cuba nnd the Pirates and
some others we have to “mix ’em up,"
and that’s hard going.
Ho, you see, the job of a catcher is no
easy one. He must be a big, strong
fellow, able to take hard knocks, able
to work through eighteen Innings of a
double-header on a July afternoon with
all his heavy junk upholstery, and able,
above all, to keep his head working
every minute of the time.
Ho doesn't get the glory a pitcher
does, though he's getting more credit
than he used to and the fans are com
ing to realize that he must be a pretty
responsible and capable sort of a fel
low.
SEASHORE EXCURSION
VIA
SOUTHERN RAILWAY,
MONDAY, JULY 22, 1912.
$6 Jacksonville; Limit 6 days
$8 Tampa; Limit 8 days
$6 Brunswick; Limit 6 days
$6 St. Simons; Limit 6 days
$6 Cumberland; Limit 6 days
TICKETS GOOD RETURNING ON
REGULAR TRAINS WITHIN LIMIT.
Tickets to Jacksonville and Tampa
good only on special trains leaving At
lanta 8:00 p. m. (Pullman sleeping cars
only) and 8:30 p. m. (coaches only).
Tickets to Brunswick, St. Simons and
Cumberland good only on regular trains
leaving Atlanta 9:30 p. m. Both phones,
Main 142. Write James Freeman. D. P.
A., Atlanta, for further information.
SDr. Hughes
SPECIALIST
Nerve, Blood and
Skin Diseases
I treat successfully
ail private diseases,
Kidney. Bladder and
Prostatic Trouble.
Blood Poison (in
herited and otherwise), Piles, Fistula
and Nervous Debility. I give 606 suc
cessfully. I cure you or make no
charge. FREE examination and con
sultation.
Hours: 8 a. m. to 7 p. m.; Sundays
10 to 1. Call or write.
DR. J. D. HUGHES,
Opposite Third National Bank.
16i/ 2 N. Broad St., Atlanta, Ga.
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ULI 11 IWril REDUCED ILLUSTRATION—ActuaI Size 8 3-4x7 Inches
Crackers* Batting
Averages, Including
Saturday's Game
These averages include all games
played to date;
Players. G, AB. R. H. AV.
Becker. p. 3 8 1 3 .375
Hemphill, cf. . . . 78 296 35 93 .314
Harbison, SS. . . . 29 95 10 2'J .305
Alperman, 2b. . . 83 31 5 4 1 89 .283
Bailey, cf 83 295' 51 82 .278
Donahue, c 32 100 9 25 ,250
Callahan, If. . . . 41 171 20 40 .234
McElveen, 3b. . . 89 327 39 76 .232
Graham, c 31 92 9 21 .228
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In our truss department we have
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