Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!hoxna!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!matthew
From: matthew@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Getting to 1st without a hit, revisited
Message-ID: <3642@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 17:35:19 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.3642
Posted: Fri Feb  1 17:35:19 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Feb-85 04:50:16 EST
References: <263@ihu1m.UUCP>
Reply-To: matthew@ucla-cs.UUCP (Matthew Merzbacher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 19
Summary: 

In article <263@ihu1m.UUCP> (Gadfly) writes:
>--
>Well, *can* you steal 1st from 2nd?
>-- 


In the earlier days of baseball, there was no explicit rule against stealing
first from second.  However, nobody ever thought of trying it.  One day, some
fairly incredible baserunner (name escapes me) got to first (on a single), 
with a man on third.  He tried to draw a throw from the pitcher by stealing 
second.  When the pitcher didn't try to throw him out, he tried to draw a 
throw again by stealing first from second.  Within a week or two, the rule was 
changed, and now runners may only steal in "forward" progression.
  This is all verifiable in a baseball trivia book I have at home.
Unfortunately, my memory for book titles is about the same as my memory for
old baseball players.

Matthew Merzbacher
matthew@ucla-locus