How to play base ball . ssful work in every way behind the bat has been done bymen of all heights and weights, but excessive weight naturallyhandicaps activity. The old idea that the backstop must be amountain of flesh in order to take speedy deliveries withoutbeing carried off his feet was exploded long ago. He must havegood general health, however, and a body strong enough tostand the severe shocks and hard knocks that go with the posi-tion. I have heard of ball players who cared nothing for thegame, but the money it brought them. I think none of them wasa catcher. By mid-season the catcher
How to play base ball . ssful work in every way behind the bat has been done bymen of all heights and weights, but excessive weight naturallyhandicaps activity. The old idea that the backstop must be amountain of flesh in order to take speedy deliveries withoutbeing carried off his feet was exploded long ago. He must havegood general health, however, and a body strong enough tostand the severe shocks and hard knocks that go with the posi-tion. I have heard of ball players who cared nothing for thegame, but the money it brought them. I think none of them wasa catcher. By mid-season the catcher who is doing his shareof work has the trademarks of a good many balls imprinted onhis body and limbs from foul tips, besides the regular allotmentof painfully damaged fingers. His skin, as a whole, might passfor a sample of the various shades of red, purple, black and blue,and each spot is as sore as a boil. Yet he is in the game dayafter day, but it is only through love of the sport and because hisheart is in his How to Play Base Ball. 5 3 One of the catchers prime necessities is the ability to throwwell. This ability must be natural, like those ot thinking andacting quickly, and cannot be taught by anybody. Anson oncesaid he could make a ball player of any man who could throw,but that the man who lacked that qualification would better stayout of the game. I think this applies specially to the catcher,though up to date managers have no use for glass arm men inany position. The catcher must be able to throw swiftly andaccurately without waiting to steady himself after receiving theball, with arms extended or body inclined. One of the thingshe should know is to place himself in position to throw beforereceiving the ball, but this cannot always be done- A wild pitchor an extra wide throw draws him out of position, and he mustthen use his agility to make up for the disadvantage. He cannotspare the time for a swing of the arm, but must snap the ballto the point it should go.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbaseball, bookyear190
