Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-09-16
WtiIMS OF BATSMEN.
Pitcher o. Young wieIds the Long.
est "Mngon Tongue"

Pitcher - Young Mieids the Long.
est "Wngon Tongue"
"Wherc do all the bats that the man
ngemcnt and players of baseball team
purchase every spring go tor was ask
ed recently of Il baseball club secretary.
"You have got me. suppose that
the club management aud players
bought over 300 bats during the last
season. and | doubt IL there are TWEEN
~ of those left \ few ARE broken. but
the most are either given or thrown
away"
The truth Of ii is that baseball play.
FRS are as a rule. extremely iincky as
To their bats. Some players will have
an assortment of two dozen bats at
the start of the season. every bat war
rantcd to contain batting average OF
over 300. one by one. however. the
bats are discarded. and il IL no uncom-
mon sight to see the fastidious player
pay visit to the visiting clubs bench
prior TO game and ask the players OF
that club II they have any bats that
are good that they do not want
Lajoie uses one OF the longest bats
used by any player. thus enabling him
to reach for those wide out curves that
50 many twirlers like to give the cham
pion batsman when men are on bases
Another Cleveland player also used
Larry's bat
This was Earl Moore. the length of
the stick allowing the big pitcher to
stand farther away from the plate
when batting than he would have had
TO had he used another bat.
The longest bat used by any player
OF the league however. is that used
by Cy Young, the Boston twirlcr. GO
ing nearly to the limit In having his
bat turned out.
The three biggest cranks In the
league when 1t comes to bat" said
Bill Bradley. are Flick. Hickman and
Burkett. They are never satisfied.
When Flick gets one that approaches
his idea OF what the correct bat should
be-. he takes II home with him and
locks II up In the apple bin. should
another player take up that bat Elmer
worries himself thin until il Is back In
the row unbrOken.
ED Delehanty was another big crank
about his bat. and he never came to
Cleveland that he did not come over
10 our bench and size up our bats"
'In my mind" said Charley Hick-
man. 1T il Lave Cross. Lave started
the season with nearly fifty bats. and
OF these he selected nearly DOZEN
which he carries with him throughout
the season. Kip Setback Is another
that Is always begging bats from other
players. never being quite satisfied
with his own. So Brad says am one
OF the biggest cranks. does he? Well.
I certainly want the bat TO be the right
weight.
'Yes. guess try out about thirty
In n season. give most of them away.
Along that line do you know that when
I went TO Detroit found the Detroit
players using six OF my bats-bnts that
] had given them carlier?"
"All ask" says Manager Larry. "is
that the bat shall be thirty-five inches
long and the right weight. One bat is
all that need. Some players have TO
have one bat for slow pitchers. another
bat for fast twirlers and a third for
bunting. One bat answers all purposes
to me-
An amusing incident occurred last
season. While In Washington one OF
the Cleveland players either stole or
begged n small black bat from the SEN
ators. Three OF the Blues Bay. Lush
and Turner would not use any other
bat for weeks until finally one day
Turner broke Il.
Il never saw bat that contained so
many base hits as did that little black
bat" said Cotton Top when mourning
his loss. While Cy Young. the largest
player In the league. uses the longest
bat. Harry Bay and Willie keeler. two
Of the smallest players in the league.
use the smallest bats Boston Herald.