Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-05-03

a good change of pace can make
joke of the batsman who is swinging
bat too heavy for him. Use a bat
of medium weight. one that you can
swing so hard. either. All that is
needed is to meet the ball fairly, to
get the weight of your body back OF
ii at the moment you land.
Study the pitcher. He is studying
you all the time, and irving to find
your weakness. Go backat him Find
out what is lis fayorite ball what he
tries to do with it, how he delivers it.
See if he has any popularity in the
way of pitching his curve, his fast
ball, his slow BALI If you can master
any of these points, you have gone
big distance toward getting his num-
Der.
Ignore Foxy catchers.
Pay no attention to the catcher, and
keep your mind on your task. Many
foxy catcher has a trick of talking
to batsmen to distract their attention.
Don't listen to the fellow behind the
plate. Neither worry yourself by kick
ing to the umpire over bad decisions
ON balls ard strikes. No faulty de-
cision can do half the damage to your
chances of a hit that will come IL
you are all flustered and upset
Never take either Your mind or your
eye off the pitcher.
The drop ball, the curve, the spit
ball, can all be hit to better advan-
tage If the batter can meet them be-
fore they break.
But in stepping into a ball it is i'm
portant to remember that ii may not
be a curve. The pitcher may have
crossed you by shooting a fast one
over the plate. In this case, be on the
alert to dodge, or there may be an
ether accident like that when Tame
hill hit Danny Hoffman on the head
with a pitched ball and nearly killed
him, in Boston. a few seasons ago.
With the exception Of a few very
strong hitters like Wagner and La
joie, most players no longer hold the
bat way down at the very end. BY
coming up on it Il few inches, "chok-
ing" as the expression goes, you are
in a better position to get direction.
and you can also shift your position
better to get a shot at a ball that is
making some unexpected break.
Short, snappy Stroke Advised.
A batter can get as much drive on
a short, snappy stroke as on a swing
Men like Crawford and COBB don't
the same.
Keep the enemy guessing. If you
are going to bunt. don't show the fact
either in the position of your feet,
your hands or by looking either in
the direction OF third or first. as Il
trying to pick out the place TO dump
the hall.
Shift suddenly. If the third baseman
rushes In to handle a bunt, you can
often shift quickly, hit the ball on the
nose and drive il past him. A hard
hi bsa11 Of af efn Il
of a third baseman or first baseman
when he is drawn in is almost impOs
sible to handle, and even il driven
right at him is likely TO bound off
his hands and get away.
The curved ball is the best to bunt
1t comes slower and has a twist on
it that makes it fall to the ground
dead, very much like the reverse in
billiards
a fast ball jumps off the bat much
too fast to be good for bunting pur-
poses. In bunting loosen the fingers
just slightly as the bat comes in con-
tact with the ball. This helps to keep
it from travelling very far.
There are certain rules about the
direction in which to hit that help a
whole lot.
A ball over the heart of the plate is
a good one to hit straight over, either
over second or through the box.
If ball is what the ball players
call ION the outside" that is, on the
corner of the plate furthest away from
you. then push it into right field. If
ii is close to you, then swing quickly
meet il a little more than half way
and drive it into left Hooking it, is
the ball players term.
Rule Reversed for Left Handler.
But if you are a right handed hit
ter. don't make the mistake of trying
to hit a ball ION the outside" into left
field or one con the inside" into right
field. You can't do it successfully. OF
course. the rule just reverses for a
left handler. He hits the ball ION the
inside" to right and the one con the
outside" into left.
Don't forget that it isn't always the
long drive that nets the extra bases.
The ideal hit, to my mind. is the one
that shoots over either bag 1t is
then likely to curve into foul terri
tory and before the fielder can chase
it back TO the infield is good for two
bases and often for three.
Don't be impatient. Don't aim at a
bad ball Get a base on balls wher
ever you can, for in many instances
the walk upsets a pitcher and the 9TH
err team far more than a succession
of hits.
But, above all, practicel