ds a tall man. Such a one, by his longer reach, will
not only save many wide throws, but, because he is a good mark to throw
at, will inspire confidence in the throwers. He must be able to catch a
thrown ball, whether high, low, or on either side. As to the surest way
of catching, opinions differ; but as to the best way, everything
considered, I hold the same conditions to be true here as in the case of
the catcher; that is, for a high thrown ball the fingers should point
not toward the ball, but upward, and for a low thrown ball, just the
reverse. If the throw is off to either side, the baseman must shift his
position so as to be able to reach it, and if it is so far wide that he
must leave the base, he should not hesitate to do so; he should not
imagine that he is tied to the bag. Start was the first man I ever saw
who knew how to leave the base for a wide throw. He never took the
chance of a long reach for the ball, unless, of course, the game
depended on that one put-out and there was no time to leave the base and
return. He believed, and with reason, that it was better to first make
sure of the ball and then touch the base, than, by trying to do both at
once, see the ball sailing over into the side seats.

It is a difficult play when the throw is to the baseman's left, in
toward the runner, because of the danger of a collision with the latter.
To the average spectator who may never have had much experience on the
field, these collisions between players may seem trifling affairs, but
they are not so regarded by the players themselves. In the history of
the sport many men have been seriously injured in this way, and a few
killed outright. For two weeks once I was obliged to sleep nights in a
sitting posture as the result of a shock of this kind, and it was months
before I recovered entirely from its effects. To avoid a collision when
the ball is thrown in this way many good basemen stand back of the line
with the right foot touching the base, and allow the runner to pass in
front of them. There was one first baseman who used simply to reach in
his left hand and pick the ball from in front of the runner with as much
ease and safety as though it were thrown directly to him. I mean
McKinnon, poor Al McKinnon! What a flood of affectionate recollections
his name brings back. Kind-hearted, full of fun, manly, honest, and
straightforward to the last degree, he was one whose memory will always
be green in the hearts of those