Meyers signed for a pitchout, and Byrne was caught ten feet from second. Wiltse on the bench had really nailed the base runner. As soon as a sign is discovered it is communicated to the other players, and they are always watching for it, but try to conceal the fact that they recognize it, because, as soon as a batter discovers that his messages are being read, he changes his code. From these few facts about signals and sign stealing some idea of the battle of wits that is going on between two ball clubs in a game may be obtained. That is why so few men without brains last in the Big Leagues nowadays. A young fellow broke in with the Giants a few years ago and was very anxious to make good. He was playing shortstop. "Watch for the catcher's signs and then shift," McGraw told him one day. It is well known in baseball that a right-handed hitter will naturally push a curve over the outside corner of the plate toward right field and over the inside he will pull it around toward third base. But this youngster was overanxious and would shift before the pitcher started to deliver the ball. Some smart player on another club noticed this and tipped the batters off to watch the youngster for the signs. When he shifted toward second base the batter set himself for a ball over the outside corner. For a long time McGraw could not understand how the other teams were getting the Giants' signs, especially as it was on our home grounds. At last he saw the new infielder shift one day and the batter prepare for an inside ball. "Say," he said to the player, rushing on the field after he had stopped the pitcher, "do you know you are telegraphing the signs to the batters by moving around before the pitcher throws the ball?" Bill Dahlen, formerly a shortstop on the Giants, used to shift, but he was clever enough to wait until the pitcher had started his motion, when it was too late for the batter to look at him. Ball-players are always looking to steal some sign so that they may "cross" the enemy. In the language of the Big Leagues it is "signs," never "signals." And in conclusion I reiterate my former sentiments that all is fair in love, war and baseball except stealing signs dishonestly. VIII Umpires and Close Decisions _Ball-players and Umpires are Regarded by the Fans as Natural Enemies, and the Fans Are about Right--Types of Arbiters and how the Players Treat them--"Silk" O'Loughlin, "Hank" O'Day, "Tim" Hurst, "Bob" Emslie, and Others, and Close Ones they have Called--Also Some Narrow Escapes which have Followed._ When the Giants were swinging through the West in 1911 on the final trip, the club played three games in Pittsburg, with the pennant at that time only a possibility more or less remote. The Pirates still had a chance, and they were fighting hard for every game, especially as they were playing on their home grounds.