®lj* ^ase Tgr—^y 3all BY L. A. SEAMSTER BENTONVILLE, ARK. 1911 Price 2 S Cents (Sty ase 3all oacber BY L. A. SEAMSTER u BENTONVILLE, ARK. 1911 Benton County Sun Print, Bentonville, Arkansas 1%^ ©CU290460 LC Control Number tmp96 026231 (F THE TRAINING |THE very first thing to do, is to learn the ■^ rules of base ball. This work is too short to enclose them here, but you can procure them from your local sporting goods dealer or he can tell you where to get them if he does not keep them. After you learn them and especially learn the rules, about the position you are going to play, then comes the training and you should train according to your physical ability. You should work off all surplus flesh by running and throwiug, batting and punching a punching bag or any kind of exercise. You must not over- work yourself at any time and especially at the beginning, do not run too long or throw too much so as to make you so sore that you will not be able to work for a week or two. But begin easy and do a little more each day, and you will naturally grow in good con- dition, as a small blade of grass grows to a large bunch. Don't exhaust yourself before you stop but 2- always stop while you feel good, then you will be anxious for training time to come. Some have to train a month, while others, who are light and thin, can get in good condit- ion in ten days. Always, after training or a game, take a good warm bath just before re- tiring. This will keep up circulation and keep you from getting stiff, by rubbing yourself down good all over as a good horseman does his horse after a long drive. This will keep you limber and in good shape. THE SIGNALS. ^THE whole team should work like machinery, ^^ every man on the team should know what ball the pitcher is going to throw. The catcher should give the signal to the second baseman and he, in turn, give it to the rest of the team. Team work consists of the team knowing the signals well and being able to give them, so the other side will not catch on or find out the signals, and of being able to execute the plays when you have the chance. The catcher can give the signals to all of the in- field and the first baseman give it to the right fielder. Second baseman to center and third baseman so left field. You should not rely on a single code of sig- nals all the time, not for any one game. If the other team finds them out you will have to change them, but not unless they do. Heretofore the amateur teams have relied on the pitcher and catcher to do all the signal- ing, or that their signals were all that was nec- essary but that is not the case. The whole team should know what the pitcher is going to throw. First, the catcher should know, so he would be able to catch it, if the batsman misses the ball, or fails to strike; but the batsman does not always fail to hit, and when he hits is when the rest of the team should know what the pitcher throws, so they will know where to play for the batted ball or where the batsman is most likely to knock it. Hence, if the pitcher throws a slow ball close to a right hand batsman he is most likely to knock the ball toward third base, or if he hits a fly ball, into left field; a left hand batsman would knock it, most likely, by first base, or in right field. . But if the pitch- er should throw a fast ball on the outside or far corner of the plate from the batsman, the left hand batsman would probably knock it where the right hand batsman would if it had of been slow and close to him And the right hand batsman wou