Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 292, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1916 — BASE STEALING FALLEN OFF [ARTICLE]

BASE STEALING FALLEN OFF

Are Players Slowing Up, or Are Catchers Becoming More Proficient in Checking Attempts? *~h A decided Change has come over the base-stealing ability of players during the past few years' and gives rise to the question: Are the base runners slowing up, are the catchers becoming more proficient in check! xig attempted steals, or has the straightaway steal given way to the sacrifice hit and the hit and run play? In both the National and American leagues there has Wen a marked falling off in base stealing, a feature of the game that has done much to add to its popularity. No team in baseball today even approached the New York Nationals of 1911,* 1912 and 1913, the three-time pennant winners. The old team averaged 320 steqlk a season over a stretch of three years, while this season the team that passed the 200 mark is the exception rather than the rule. In the National league base stealing has been falling off for some time, but the American league kept up well until this season. In 1911, six teams in the . American league stole more than 20® bases during a season, and in each of the three succeeding campaigns five teams went above thia mark.