Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-10
SOME EXPERTS TALK
ABOUT SLUMPS IN BATTING

Cant see load OF hay with a pair of
field glasses"
Hitting any7'
Couldn't hit the top of a beer keg with
mallet," was the promp and onhand re-
ply.
1t should be remembered that some of
these ball players OF known prowess have
habit of rubbing IL in on themselves a
bit too severely in private conversation.
and that Sans wasn't anything like as
bad as he stated IL. lie had merely fallen
of bit in his hitting-just enough to con- .
stitute mild whacking slump and TO make
him sore about IT, Since then he has been
bombarding end fences in every town the
Detroit club has visited and his batting
lamps as big as automobile
searchlights.
We'll. how do you explain this in-and-
out thing?" Crawford was asked
Life is too short to try to uneon an ex-
PLANTATION for such a fool thing a bat
ting slump. he replied. I'D go mad and
begin to gibber like somebody hobbled up
In BOBBY hatch If tried TO un-avel that
problem. The only way for a fellow to do
when he finds himself in the middle OF a
batting slump is to traipse up and take
his medicine like a little man, never mind
ing the profound depression of his friends.
and just let the squeenchy old thing
itself out The slump tears holes IN a fell
lows grand hitting average for the sea-
son, of course, and It's particularly aggra-
waiting when you're up around close TO the
But there's no remedy"
Hickman's Batting Slump.
Charlie Hickman of the Nationals could
write a pretty large tome about these bat
ting slumps. He's had a lot of bitter ex-
perience in the off-hlttlng business. but, OF
course he can no more analyze "A batting
slump than any OF the others. Although
his batting style is just a mite clumsy.
Hickman is natural hitter. and Washing
ton fans well remember how scsndalousiy
he performed with his willow on many a
memorable day last season. Then. right on
top of one OF his best days when he'd been
minglng doubles and triples and home
runs up In a way to make the scorers per
spre, he'd come back the next day without
the ability to make a noise like even tho
echo of a single
Hickman's batting slumps come upon
him without the slightest warning. and he
is victim OF the visitations when he Ia
feeling at his very best. When Hickman was
with the Detroits last season / saw an ex-
ample of this, being then attached to the
Detroit club as war correspondent for a
Detroit newspaper. Hickman In the
batting doldrums when the team got to
Philadelphia and couldn't get thing. al
though the rest of the team did well In
Philadelphia with their sticks.
On the last day In Philadelphia Henley
was In the box for Philadelphia. and the
Tigers lathered his stuff all over the place.
while Connie Mack sat on the bench and
"A
paste at the Henley line OF tossing but
Hick. Hlck couldn't see one OF 'em with
binocular. and he was dismally whitfield
or skied every time he rolled up to the
plate.
The next day the Tigers were playing In
Boston, and Cy Young who by that time
going at his top speed, was on the
mound for the Collins troupe.
Cy had the Tigers tied In hgure-of-eight
knots from the beginning OF the seance-
all Of them except c. Hickman, ESQ. Hick-
man lit on Young like a wildcat hopping
out OF tree on the back or sheep. He
splattered showers OF seam-busted base
balls in every part of the garden where
there wasn't anybody to go after EN-, and
the fielding folks were painting around the
plot with their tongues lolling out trying
to find the Hickman-planted spheres Young
struck out nine of the Tigers that day, and
nary one of them ever reached the second
way-station but Hick. Hicks portion was
six hits some of them looking like hoe
cakes shot out of stXteen-inch guns. and
he his game for his club. The next
day the Tigers had their troubles with
Jesse Tannehill-all except Hickman. Hick-
man slaughtered him to make a Boston
holiday. The next day Bunker Hin day In
Boston in the presence of about - 900 fans,
Hickman won the morning game by show
ing Bill Dineen up, and Bill, at the same
time was showing all Of Htckman's team
mates up. But Hickman won the game for
the Tigers with his little toothpick. And
all of this top OF a week In other towns
when Charlie couldn't have hit a trolley
car with a pickax' 4 his life had depended
upon 1t.
Hickman perfectly agrees with the other
noted commentators on batting slumps In
expressing the opinion that the thing can't
be accounted for.
In view of all of which. 1t does seem
as IL the bunch who jeer and howl at a
hitter who's doing the best he can to
wlggle out of the slump he finds himself
in. who mock and deride him every time
he manfully walks up to the plate-it does
seem as If this sort of thing Is bit un-
generous, doesn't 1t? c L. Z.