from practice.  A boy who really desires to become proficient in his position will try to avoid changing from one position to another, but decide which position he likes to play best or is best fitted for and try to get all the practice possible.  An excellent opportunity will come from studying the methods of a good player in the same position, noting carefully what he does on each play, how he backs up the other players and how he fits in the general plan of team work.

It is a great advantage to any player to learn as much as he can about the skill and methods of his opponents.  Some men cannot hit a low ball or a high one, some will flinch when the ball comes close to them, giving the pitcher a chance to deliver a straight, swift ball over the inside of the plate, which the umpire will call a strike even though the batsman devotes all of his energy to getting out of the way.

A left-handed thrower will seldom make a success as a ball player except as pitcher or on first base.  Left-handed batsmen, however, are a distinct advantage to a team, as nothing will so disconcert a green pitcher as to have batsmen standing first on one side of the plate and then on the other.

Every boy who plays baseball must know the rules thoroughly to be a success.  It is in this way that advantage of every fair opportunity can be taken.  Nothing is so disheartening to a team as to lose a closely contested game on a technicality of rules.

Batting and base running are two departments of the game where one member of the team is as important as another.  A good batsman must have a quick eye and a quick brain.  When he decides to strike at a ball he must not change his mind and simply swing at it feebly after it is in the catcher’s hands.  The best batters are not those who hit the ball the hardest.  Judgment in placing hits is far more important than trying to knock out a home run every time you are at the bat.  You must remember that the pitcher is studying your batting methods and you must try just as hard to deceive him as he is trying to deceive you.  Many a game has been won by a man who knew how to wait at the bat instead of swinging wildly at everything just for fear of having strikes called.

When you hit the ball there is only one rule—­run.  You will very soon find out whether the ball is fair or foul or whether there is any chance of making first base.  A base runner should never stop trying to make a base until the ball is in the hands of the baseman.  One never can tell when a ball may be fumbled or muffed.

A baseball diamond should be a part of a town just as is the public square or a town hall.  The distance between the bases should be ninety feet and the four base-lines should form a square and all the angles should be right angles.  The three bases should be canvas bags filled with sawdust and fastened to their positions by pegs that are driven into the ground.  The home plate should if possible be a piece of whitened rubber.  A board securely fastened will do.