Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
COACHING BALL PLAYERS.
Scientific Batting Can Be Acquired by
Persistent Work.

Scientific batterS are rare, but batting
can be taught, and any player who will
conscientiously apply himself can learn
just as he can learn anything else said
an old-time base ball player recently, who
at the same time was deploring the misera-
able outlook the national game has for the
coming season.
Good batters, as rule, are naturally
gated that way, but the poorer ones can
be coached, and their bad faults can be
eradicated If they have been acquired but
some fine base ball players are miserable
batters, and particularly IS this true of
pitchers. One of the fastest men on his
feet in the country. Tom Brown, who
played with the Boston teams of the Ma
tional League, Players League and Ameri-
can Association, lost his grip entirely on
account of his bad form in hitting.
Amy man can be improved in batting if
shown his weak points in proper way"
said the Well-known eX-player, Arthur IT.
win, recently in the Boston Herald. Look
at men like Kelley. Keller, McGraw and
Jennings. all former. members OF the great
Baltimore team They are all students Of
the game. They can hit in any direction,
and can bunt to perfection. They studied
the game and the art of batting. They saw
the necessity of doing away with all super
huous motions when at the bat They
practfced morning after morning, and actu-
ally worked harder in the morning than
they did in the afternoon. They knew
that by doing so they were making them
selves more valuable. These men coached
each other. They felt free to call attention
to anything in a comrade that looked like
bad form"
The most difficult thing in the world is
for managers to develop the minor Lacquer
batsman must learn to hit all kinds of
pitched balls. That is the secret of bat
ting. The great thing in base ball now
adays Is team batting. The men must work
fno t1,nr
to do his part in this sort of thing mill
tates against the. discipline and success Of
his club. Generally the minor Lacquer
has had no coaching at aid. The veteran
picked up by himself and through observa-
ton. Nowadays the youngster can profit
by this sort Of thing, and can find out the
weak points of which he Is perfectly obliv
no idea" says Arthur Irwin, how difficult
1t is to coach some men. You can't get
them to believe that there is anything
wrong with their form. Why, I had to
lustrate to him through prints wherein
he was lacking before I could get him to
believe that everything he was doing was
not all right.
"It is a wonderful thing" continued r.
win, with the immense population Of this
country, with players developing from
cities, towns and colleges, with the interi-
gence OF the professional ball player on
ball tessers. Yet I believe that there are
as many first-class players outside the
ranks as are in the game today. The man
who has the best chance to develop Is the
man with speed. The public always looks
approvingly upon speed. 1t was speed that
took Patsy Donovan off an express wagon
and put him into the game"
According to Mr.. Irwin, who has had
more experience In college coaching than
any other professional, the college man has
a big advantage rs far as coaching goes.
Pennsylvania has q trained professional
coach from THE middle Of January. To
show what coaching will do. Collier. the
second basefHan and captain-elect of the
University of Pennsylvania team came to
Pennsylvania in 1899 from a preparatory
school. He played eight games in his first
years on the, varsity and made one hit.
This was without any coaching. Last year
he played all season and ran his batting
average up to- .6OGE consider him the best
college player on ,fhe field today and fast
err to first base than any man I ever saw
play ball. Collier has had plenty Of offers
to play professionally, but will not make
any decision as to his intentions until he
graduates. Should he decide to accept
professional engagement he can get big
money" 80 all
McGraw was for two seasons substitute
on the Baltimore team before he was taken
on regularly When he left Davenport
Iowa. to go to Baltimore he said: II think
will be the best ball player in the world
because / will work.