Billy Evans Says - Kid Elberfeld's Baseball Signals - February 5, 1924 - The Southeast Missourian
The Southeast Missourian - Feb 5, 1924
Billy Evans Says:
Baseball managers, major or minor, are a most peculiar lot. No two managers have exactly the same theories as to how a ball club should be run. There are certain fundamentals of the game on which they all agree, but after that there is a wide difference of opinion. Method of play, handling of pitchers, when the hit-and-run play is preferable to the sacrifice, are just a few of the disputed points. Perhaps it is this lack of unanimity of opinion that makes the game so popular. It tends to create the belief in the mind of every fan that he knows as much about the game as manager, player or umpires
However, most managers have certain features of play that have a distinct appeal. John McGraw is always strong for the hit-and-run game. Connie Mack favors players with initiative. This is contrary to McGraw, who does most of the thinking for his club.
Kid Elberfeld, who for years starred at shortstop in the majors, took a whirl at managing the New York Americans and then drifted to the minors, had a peculiar hobby as a big league leader. Elberfeld was strong for system. He wanted a signal for any unusual move that was to he made by his players. The members of the New York Americans during Elberfeld's regime used to do a lot of kidding as a result of their manager's hobby for signals. They insisted it was necessary to pass the "Kid" the proper signal, even if they merely wanted to take a chew of tobacco or a drink of water. Of course that was the bunk.
Wid Conroy played third base for Elberfeld. He tells an interesting story of how a mixup in signals almost resulted seriously. Conroy is now assistant to Arthur Fletcher in the handling of the Philadelphia Nationals.
Back 15 years ago a favorite play that many pitchers tried to make was catching a runner off third base. With the winning or tieing run on third, the pitcher paid as much attention trying to catch that runner as twirlers now do to a man on first. Time and time again the pitcher would throw to third in an effort to catch the runner napping. Seldom is such a play attempted these days. Jack Warhop, then pitching for the New York club, was a wonder at making this play. It was not unusual for him to catch a runner a game off third. In making this play he received much assistance from Conroy. Seeing the runner with a big lead, Warhop would snap the ball to third and it was up to Conroy to make the play.
Elberfeld insisted that some plain signal should be used for this play, so there would never be a mixup as to when the throw was to be made. It was agreed that when Conroy wiped his brow with his right hand, Warhop was to cut the ball to third, knowing Conroy would cover.
The stunt worked fine during April and May, when the weather was cool and the athletes perspired but little. One day late in June it. was very warm and the players perspired freely. Late in the game, with a runner on third, Conroy felt the desire to remove the perspiration from his brow. He had no intention of making a play at third. Warhop, getting the sign, cut the ball loose with great speed. It struck Conroy back of the ear. The ball went into left field, the winning run crossed the plate and Conroy took the count. The next day Conroy insisted on a new warm weather signal.
Billy Evans Says:
Baseball managers, major or minor, are a most peculiar lot. No two managers have exactly the same theories as to how a ball club should be run. There are certain fundamentals of the game on which they all agree, but after that there is a wide difference of opinion. Method of play, handling of pitchers, when the hit-and-run play is preferable to the sacrifice, are just a few of the disputed points. Perhaps it is this lack of unanimity of opinion that makes the game so popular. It tends to create the belief in the mind of every fan that he knows as much about the game as manager, player or umpires
However, most managers have certain features of play that have a distinct appeal. John McGraw is always strong for the hit-and-run game. Connie Mack favors players with initiative. This is contrary to McGraw, who does most of the thinking for his club.
Kid Elberfeld, who for years starred at shortstop in the majors, took a whirl at managing the New York Americans and then drifted to the minors, had a peculiar hobby as a big league leader. Elberfeld was strong for system. He wanted a signal for any unusual move that was to he made by his players. The members of the New York Americans during Elberfeld's regime used to do a lot of kidding as a result of their manager's hobby for signals. They insisted it was necessary to pass the "Kid" the proper signal, even if they merely wanted to take a chew of tobacco or a drink of water. Of course that was the bunk.
Wid Conroy played third base for Elberfeld. He tells an interesting story of how a mixup in signals almost resulted seriously. Conroy is now assistant to Arthur Fletcher in the handling of the Philadelphia Nationals.
Back 15 years ago a favorite play that many pitchers tried to make was catching a runner off third base. With the winning or tieing run on third, the pitcher paid as much attention trying to catch that runner as twirlers now do to a man on first. Time and time again the pitcher would throw to third in an effort to catch the runner napping. Seldom is such a play attempted these days. Jack Warhop, then pitching for the New York club, was a wonder at making this play. It was not unusual for him to catch a runner a game off third. In making this play he received much assistance from Conroy. Seeing the runner with a big lead, Warhop would snap the ball to third and it was up to Conroy to make the play.
Elberfeld insisted that some plain signal should be used for this play, so there would never be a mixup as to when the throw was to be made. It was agreed that when Conroy wiped his brow with his right hand, Warhop was to cut the ball to third, knowing Conroy would cover.
The stunt worked fine during April and May, when the weather was cool and the athletes perspired but little. One day late in June it. was very warm and the players perspired freely. Late in the game, with a runner on third, Conroy felt the desire to remove the perspiration from his brow. He had no intention of making a play at third. Warhop, getting the sign, cut the ball loose with great speed. It struck Conroy back of the ear. The ball went into left field, the winning run crossed the plate and Conroy took the count. The next day Conroy insisted on a new warm weather signal.
