As part of his 1910 series of articles called “How I Win,” syndicated journalist Joseph B. Bowles spoke to Bill Dahlen, manager of the Brooklyn Superbas, during Dahlen’s first season as a big league manager.
Bill Dahlen
“The only theory on which I ever have worked is that every man on a team should work for the common interest, that each man should help out each other one, and that eight men if strong ought to help out the weak one.
“Close attention to every move is essential. Not only should a player watch every change of position of his opponents…The mind must be alert at every instant during a game. There is no room in major league baseball for any except fast-thinking and fast-moving players. I do not mean that a player must be a ten-second man. I mean he must be on his toes, ready to jump in any given direction without the loss of an instant.”
Dahlen said success was all about footwork:
“A man who handles his feet well, either batting, fielding or base running, is a good player, for footwork is better than ability with the hands. It is necessary for a player to be shifty on his feet as it is for a boxer. No one can be shifty unless he is on his toes all the time, and a flat-footed player is as bad is a flat-headed one—and usually the two things go together.
“The batter who is on his toes, balanced and ready for the jump, will hit, for he can shift and swing and still get his weight behind the bat. The shifty runner on first is ready to move either way—to dive back to first or go on to second. In the field, he moves with the ball, and is moving when it is hit, so he covers more ground.”
Dahlen had advice for young players:
“(He) should watch every move of the batter, and poise himself for the start just as a sprinter does. I remember that one of the first things taught me after I joined the Chicago club was starting, and the crowd of great players under (Cap) Anson won many games because they started faster and were readier in seizing an opportunity than their opponents were. Another thing they taught me was sliding to bases, not only so as to avoid being touched, but also to avoid getting hurt or hurting anyone. That slide known as the ‘Chicago slide’ was the invention of (King) Kelly and adopted by (Tom) Burns, (Ned) Williamson, (Fred) Pfeffer and the great players of that day. There is more footwork to that slide than in any other department of the game. It consists of watching the position of the baseman who is receiving a thrown ball and throwing the body in the opposite direction, sliding on the hip with the leg partially bent under and the toe hooking the bag.”
Dahlen
Dahlen’s footwork was not enough to guide four bad Brooklyn teams to a winning season. During his managerial career (1910-1913) the Superbas were 251-355.
Baseball History Daily 
Leave a Reply