Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-02-18
WHIMS OF BATSMEN.
Pitcher Cy Young WieIds the Long,
est "Wngon Tongue"

est "Wngon Tongue"
"Where do all the bats that the man
agement and players of baseball team
purchase every spring go tor was ask
ed recently of Il baseball club secretary.
"You have got me. l suppose that
the club management and players
bought over 200 bats during the last
season, and | doubt If there are TWEEN
ty Of those left A few are broken, but
the most are either given or thrown
away"
The truth Of it is that baseball play
ers are, as a rule, extremely finicky as
to their bats. Some players will have
an assortment Of two dozen bats at
the start of the season, every bat war
ranted to contain batting average Of
over 300. One by one however, the
bats are discarded, and it Is no uncom-
mon sight to see the fastidiOus player
pav visit to the visiting clubs bench
prior to a game and ask the players OF
that club if they have any bats that
are good that they do not want.
Laioie uses one of the longest bats
used by any player, thus enabling him
| to reach for those wide out curves that
so many twirlers like to give the cham
| pion batsman when men are on bases.
Another Cleveland player also used
Larrys 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
nv CIV Young. the Boston twirler, go
ing nearly to the limit In having his
I bat turned out.
"The three biggest cranks in the
league. when it 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 it home with him and
locks 1t up in the apple bin. Should
another player take up that bat Elmer
worries himself thin until it 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
to our bench and size up our bats"
an my mind" said Charley Hick
man. at is Lave Cross. Lave started
the season with nearly fifty bats, and
of these he selected nearly a dozen
which he carries with him throughout
the season. Kip Setback is another
that is always begging bats from other
plavers. never being quite satisfied
with his own So Brad says | am one
of the biggest cranks, does he? Well
p I certainly want the bat to be the righ
weight.
Eyes. guess l try out about thirty
in season. give most of them away
Along that line do you know that wheI
I went to Detroit found the Detroi
players using six Of my bats-bats tina
I had given them earlier|
"All ask" says Manager Larry, Ii
that the pat Snuu Dc lLll ~ -hNO ihNHN
long and the right weight. One bat i
all that | need. Some players have L
' have one bat for slow pitchers, anothe
; bat for fast twirlers and third 70
bunting. One bat answers all purpose
to me-"
An amusing incident occurred las
}, season. While in Washington one o
j the Cleveland players either stole o
begged q small black bat from the Sen
u ators. Three Of the Blues-Bay, Lus
and Turner-would not use any othe
bat for weeks until finally one da
Turner broke it.
) 81 never saw bat that contained S
many base hits as did that little blac
bat" said Cotton Top when mournln
his loss. While Cy Young, the larges
player in the league, uses the longes
bat, Harry Bay and Willie Keller, tw
+ Of the smallest players in the league
e use the smallest bats.-Boston Herald