The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-03-02
WHfMS OF BATSMEN.
Pitcher CT Young Yields the Long.
est "WaGOn Tongue"

Pitcher Cy Young Yields the Long,
est tsWagon Tongue"
"Where do all the bats that the man
agement and players of a baseball team
purchase every spring go tor was ask
ed recently of baseball club secretary.
''You have got me. I suppose that
the club management and players
bought over 200 bats during the last
season, and l 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
pay visit to the visiting clubs bench
prior to game and ask the players Of
that club if 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
so 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, fhe 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 twirler, go
ing nearly to the limit in having his
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
that he did not come over
to our bench and size up our bats"
''In my mind" said Charley Hick-
man, ut is 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 bis 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 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-bats that
| had given them earlier?''
All ask" says Manager Larry, sis
that the bat shall be thirty five inches
ong and the right weight. One bat il
Ill 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
10 me-
An amusing incident occurred last
reason. While in. Washington one Of
he Cleveland players either stole or
begged small black bat from the Sen
ltors. Three OF the BluesABay, Lush
ind Turner-WOuid not use any other
,at for weeks until finally one day
Turner broke It,
never saw bat that contained SO
nany base hits as did that little black
,at,' said Cotton Top when mourning
lis loss. While Cy Young. the largest
,layer in the league, uses the longest
'at, Harry Bay and Willie Keller, two
t the smallest players In the league,
Use the smallest bats.-Boston Herald.