The Washington times., 1909-03-12
RICE TAKES A FLYER
INTO PSYCHIC FIELD
Personal Equation and Subconscious Phenomena Enter
Into Learned Discussion of Hit and Run Game
Gossip From the Camp.
TO WASHINGTON FANS-NO
By THOMAS S. RICE.

GALVESTON, March l2.-CHF Blank
enship. the Washington catcher, pro
pounded a problem the other day, and
one that is well worth careful consid-
Grafton by bc,h amateur and profess
sional PLAYERS
BIankenship's query was: Why is II
that a man who is trying to work the
hit and run game, even if a weak
batter. mas a dispropcrtionate amount
of successful attempts not only in land
ing fairly ct the ball, but IN sending it
where he desires?
When YOU come to think of it. this Is
not an unreasonable Interrogation. for
as a matter os fact, there are many
decidedly Indifferent stickers who work
the hit and run gag with great success.
The answer is that the batter Is sig
nailed 10 hit a certain bail. no matter
whether it is wide or close 81, and sets
himself VIII the deliberate intention Or
landing on that particular shot, even il
he has ia disU 8y. .. rea Il like :, tele
graph pole. The doUbt about whether
he is to swing at it is settled in adj
vance. and he applies his mind exclu-
sively to connecting With II in the most
batter loses his self-consciousness, mis-
fear OF the pitcher, his sense OF CD
preston in the face or a great reputa-
ton. and devotes himself exclusively to
watching the bali, irrespective Of its
propening force or the existence OF pre-
vious failures.
This is a part of the psychology Ct
baseball Most batters spend entirely
too much time trying 40 figure what tho
pitcher is going to do instead Of max
/ ing UP their minds to swat the fourth
I or fifth OF third ball shot at them, ever
/ if they have to break A belt in reaching
| for it They waste their opportunities
solving puzzles instead Of fixing theil
| determination upon an act OF their own
/ This readjustment Of the players men
tai attitude necessitated by the hit-and
run situation is a highly important fac
| tor, and the man capaoIe If it may b.
a valuable batter. although having Z
low percentage in safe hits. There ar
many ssluggers entirely unreliable il
this bit Of teamwork. while there ar
other men shy OF the ia mark who cal
reasonably be counted upon TO slap tn
ball wheTe the fielder i not Likely e
be, If the said lowly swatter is toll,
that he must whanE the sphere at
given time.
Willie K9eler, Larry I-ajoIe, and othe
first class batters, after getting a cOu
pie of strikes are almost certain t
connect with anything short Of viii
pitch. and they seldom strike out. The
decide to hit that next ball, If fl Is any
where in the same neighborhood wit
the plate. They concentrate their at
tention or the ball. not on the pitches
II might be a good scheme for som
batters tn decide TO hit at the second
third, and fourth shoots sent them re
CARELESS Of whether they were good c
: bad.
Bob Unglaub's first intination tina
Boston had sold him to Washington las
summer came when he was at the ba
in Boston, with three balls and tw
, strikes on him A newspaper man VIII
could read the Morse code heard IN
! closing Of the deal come over the wire
and yelled Hey, Bob, you are sold
! Washington Just then the pitcher Il
go and Unglaub got his third strik
: and quietus-
To show how reform is running wi
in Texas, a little story is not out
i ! place here. For some time there hs
I ! been a violent agitation against SUI
: | day ball in this State. Should the NOV
, | ment succeed il viii mean the deaf
! | OF the Texas League, and the pra
: / teal confscation Of the plants, 10 sa
E nothing of throwing large numb,
Z / Of Ieople out OF profitable SUNNI,
. ! ernpl0Vment. One Of the leading new