The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-20

pitchers, yet that exception has been fatal
to the city's pennant hopes. The club
stood ready to pay enormous sums for ono
OF more pitching stars with established
POPULATIONS, but no release of such man
was on the market The st. Louis club
rejected the sum of 81, 500 for the release
Of Breitenstein last summer. Mr.. Robi-
son Of Cleveland announced that $50, 900
would not secure the transfer Of Young to
another city, and he no doubt did not ex-
aggerate. Mr.. Freedman of the New York
club has just gone on record with the as
sertion that an offer Of s25, 900 spot cash
would not secure the release of Rusie, who
is now in revolt, and who denies his serv-
ices to She Giants.
When one realizes how great the profits
of a winning club are and how hard 10 is
to get one Of these winning pitchers, the
wonder ceases at the high value in which
the few are held. If the Philadelphia club
had Nichols and Rusie, the championship
race for this year would be all over except
going through the motion. A lack Of
pitching strength has been Anson's handi-
cap since 1889. He has experimental year
after year with scarcely better results than
a diamond digger In the Transvaal. Many
are called, but few are chosen. Very few
pitchers jump into fame in a single season.
They generally require plenty Of expert
enoe. Lack Of control is usually the new
''phenom's' weakness. Tt took Meekin
four years to "get it over the plate
enough to make his services valuable.
OF the pitchers in the National league
who may be olassed as reliable and ex-
tremely valuable may be mentioned Mich
OILS, Young, Rusie, Cuppy, Mercer, Ken
nedy, Clarke, N1eekin, Hawley, Breiten-
stein, Dwyer, Stein, Taylor, Mcmahon,
Griffith and Hoffer, which are four llsnre
than the number of clubs in the circuit
There are others like Ehret, Killen, Wal
lace, Esper, Rhiues and some of the young
or mon, who pitch we'll perhaps once a
week, but cannot stand regular work and
are sure to go to pieces some time during
the season. The standbys are few and
precious.
Control Of the bnI, courage and good
sense are the requisites of a successful
pitcher He may have all tho curves,
speed and shoots known to the profession,
and yet be dismal failure Nichols has
no wonderful variety of delivery, but his
control is so great that he can put the ball
pretty nearly where he wants it to go. So,
with his grent speed and a knowledge of
the weakness which nearly every batsman
has, Nichols is able to shoot tho ball across
the plate almost exactly where his victim
finds it most difficult to meet it. Young
is another pitcher whose control of the
ball and knowledge Of his batsnen are
nearly perfect Keefe was such a pitcher
ia his day
Coupled with Rusie's mastery of the
ball is his great and incompatible control
Of the curve. In this respect no stands
alone. Most pitchers, when they get in
q holo''-that is, have three balls called
do not have the courage to use the curve,
but have seen Rusia in just that situa-
ton curve three balls across the plate in
succession.
Clarke Of the New Yorks is noted for
mixing thom up on the batter He has
good control as woll as a puzzling slow
ball. Jesse Burkett told me last year
that ne pitcher in the land uses SO many
different deliveries on batsmen as does
Clarke .And ho has such discretion that
We never know what is coming until the
ready for 1t, concluded the champion
batsman.
There have been many pitchers in the
profession who failed solely because they
lacked courage and ability to apply their
talents. A notable instance of this was
Tony Mullane He was a pitcher whose
physical abilities were never surpassed,
but he was quick to lose his courage and
become positively headless IN his work
whenever the situation grew critical.
Hutohison was another pitcher who was
inclined to go up into the air, as the
players called it. ClaEke's enc expensive
fault is loss Of temper. As long as he
keeps cecil he is nearly invincible, but
Dad is quick Co anger, and when he .'gets
his irish Up he losss his valuable judg-
ment. Disaster usually follows. Rusie
does no5 get provoked a9 easily, but I've