The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-22

There are good hitters and hard hiS
ters. Sometimes the words are synon
ymous; sometimes they are not. Tho
good hitter is not necessarily a hard
hitter-hard being used in the sense
of driving the ball away from the ba
hard. hitting it with great force. There
are good hitters who do not send tht
ball away hard, but who are proficient
with the club because they are skill
ful and make many hits-because theg
make big averages. The hard hitter
however, Is likely to be a good hitter
because the torcible impact OF baf
against ball often drives the ball witt
such speed that II gets BY the fielders
Little men produce their share
hard hitters AS with the big men. 81
may be because of hard swing 81
because of an accurate swing that
meets the ball squarely and thus
makes every ounce of exerted muscle
tell Willie Keeler is an example OF
a player who is a good hitter rathal
than a hard hitter. He beats out q
good many infield grounders with his
speed in getting to first base, and he
taps many safe hits TO unguarded
spots. Fred Tenney Is another who
makes fewer long hits than hits 'in
between just over the infielders an1
just inside the outfielders.
Stone Hits Hard.
George Stone, the American league's
champion baisman, is a ferocious hi.
ter. He swings hard. though there
Is no great length 10 his swing, and
from his crouch gets so much woighi
Into his swing that when he meets Q
bah flush II fairly huns. He make
many a line drive through the dia
mond: his squarely met grounders 3,
with such force that they are difficult
TO handle, and when the ball lifts Is
force Is likely to carry IL over th'
Folders head
There is no harder hitter in baseball
than Justin Clark. the ball-hreakini
lcatcher OF the Clevelands. He Is
lpowerhil batsman. He times the ap
lproach of the ball from the pitche
beautifully, makes the bat meet II 81
las to get the greatest resistance an
Just far enough from the end OF IN
bat TO impart ali the force OF IN
swing.
Wagner, a fine batsman and one
Those free hitters who connect vii
ANY kind Of ball, IS another OF whoI
Ia may be said that he sometimes hit
La ball too hard for distance. The bal
having been reversed by the bat, ma
lgo straight as a bullet but haNlh
.stsrted at a downward slant describe
no arc at all and tears into the groun,
This naturally rohs II OF some Of y
speed and converts into one-oase h
lwhat would have been a two-Dageer 9
better had the ball gone up q ~fiile z
In left the bat. But the Dutchma
LANDS 50 hard that what would be a
out fora ball struck with less fore'
Hbuf in precisely the same way, d
MONIES al base hit with him,
WagnSr's hard qitving proves
further shown by N NAY BIS cuiHll
Ifv balls carry Whell lherf Is any so'
lof soudity to the hit. A three-qnartf
limpact-the ball being struck pelo
/. Inc middle-would be an ordinary on
field fly and sure out II made by an.
lhodv putting less force Ia the nlo
. Than does the hurley Teuton wa
lner however. does not always take
long swing. He can shift his style an
lchop a ball. but he generaly ssl
force and therefore makes more M
III halls hit on the handle tnan. mo-
nlavers-that Is, ball hst ca "
handle by him Is more likely 70
safe than II made hy a less r"pn
B slammer
I.aioie is en- easy hard Inter 80