Evening star., 1909-01-24
FAvOR|TE SPOTS
Of BALL PLAYERS
Umpire Evans Writes of ''H00-
doc" Cities and
Pitchers.
By Umpire Billy Evans.

such notions, prominent among them be-
ing the fact that the average ball player
is more or less superStitiOus Another
GOOD reason is lack of confidence. OFTEN a
player meets with poor luck under certain
conditions and in certain cities. The III
luck continues and the first thing the
PLAYER knows he has lost confidence in his
ability against such conditions.
The peculiar belief Is carried even fur-
tner than with reference to cities. Often
players regard themselves as helpless
when hitting against certain pitchers.
Eddie Summers the pitching recruit Sc
cured by Detroit from Indianapolis year
ago jumped into the lmelight at once as
teams hoodoo.
Before the pitching of Summers the
Athletics were practically helpless last
year, and failed to win single game
from the Tigers with him twirling- Sew
ersl times 1t looked as If the Athletics
We're sure to beat Summers. when q bad
break in luck would suddenly change the
aspect of the game and put the Tigers IN
the lead.
Late last year the Athletics were play
ing the final series i'm Detroit. The four
games scheduled were important ones.
and Mack's team was anxious to put De-
troit out of the running. Up to that time
Summers had worked four games against
tie Athletics and Won them all Connie
Macks team was full of ginger and ready
to make the Tigers step some.
Nnen summers started out 10 "dGHH up
the visiting players began to tell now
often Summers had beaten them and how
the luck always favored him. When he
went out 10 start the game the players
we're still wondering If the run of luck
would continue. Connie Mack was eNl-
IDENTIFY bit SIlperStitiOus himself. for he
sent one of his youngsters to work the
game.
A big southpaw named kellogg did
;he heaving and was holding his own
4
hobbies in the seventh and then he
grew wild. Five runs resulted on hit
or two. coupled with the other mis-
takes. and the game was over. Summers
expressed a desire to work the second
game, and repeated l to i'm eleven
innings Twice it appeared as if the Atll-
letics were certain to score the winning
run. but each time the jonah worked
and Summers prevented a score.
Addie Joss. the star twirler of the
Maps. is one player who has n decided
dread of officiating in any games against
the Athletics. especially if the contests
are to be played in Philly.
Somehow or other the Athletics take
kindly to the offerings of the Nap pitch
er. no matter what he serves. Well do 1
remember a game Joss worked against
Philadelphia three years ago He opened
the game with terrific speed. and had 1t
throughout the contest. his curve ball
was thing of beauty and his control
L
show any more stuff than Joss did on the
cay in question. While the Athletics
didn't hit him hard. the binges were
all timely. and practically every one of
them played part In the scoring. The
Maps were easily trimmed, although they
made enough runs that afternoon to
ordinarily win a game.
Until that day Addie hated to admit
that the Athletics were the real hoodoo
hoys for him. but after the contest he
frankly said that If he could not win with
the stuff he showed that day, he was con-
tent to let some of the other twirlers take
chances against Comics sluggers
Now on the eastern trip Joss is gem
orally worked so that he misses officiat-
ing in Philadelphia, while Dusty
Rhoades. who is unusually successful
against Philadelphia as a rule works
twice in that series
Little Jimmy Dygert can come west and
do wonders against Chicago, Detroit and
ST. Louis in particular. but against
Cleveland he usually looks like a novice
His spitters. so elusive to most of the
other western batters, are always choice
picking for the Maps, and the little twirl-
ers victories against Cleveland have been
mighty few.
Big Ed Walsh of the White Sox. who
established such a wonderful pitching
record last year, would have probably set
record for years to come had Jones not
worked him against Cleveland. The Maps
beat Walsh with more consistency than
any other club in the league. That Cleve-
land was his Jonah club was proven when
he struck out fifteen Maps in eight innings.
hut was forced to lose his game. I to a.
because Addie Joss shut Chicag go out with
out hit or run, and didn't allow a man
TO reach first base.
Walter Johnson, the pitching phanom
unearthed by Joe Cantillon has been a
thorn in the side of the New York Ameri-
can League team ever since he broke into
the big league. Against this club Johnson
has worked six games. and in five Of them
the New Workers failed to score a run
while the other contest was lost TO /
due to poor fielding rather than bad
pitching on the part of johnson. On one
occasion Johnson made something of a
record by shutting the Yankees out i'm
three successive days. allowing only nine
hits in the series.
Barney Petty, the clever pi; cher of the
Sc Louis Browns. has always been
stumbling block in the path of the Cleve-
land team. Last year was an off season
for Petty Things broke badly for him
throughout and victories were mighty
few. Against Cleveland however, he was
effective, although he met with success
against no other team. The nearest the
Maps came to trimming him was when
theE compelled him to go fourteen in
nines Decoration day morning to win.
Ball clubs that have a majority Of left
hand batteries on their team always face
a southpaw twrler with more or less fear
Several years ago. when the ST. Louis
team had Pickering Hemphil, Stone,
Niles and Hartsel in the regular lineup
the appearance of a southpaw on the rub
Der caused much gloom. The veteran
Jack OConnor one day got a big laugh
from real truth, when. In commenting
on the weakness of the Browns against
left-handers, he said:
Why, our team likes southpaw pitch
ers SO well that the boys can tell you
three weeks in advance when they are
going to oppose left-hander"
Last year the Washington club, with
Ganley, Clymer, Milan. Pickering and
Freeman hitting from the left side of
the plate bumped into more than it's
share OF southpaw pitching. Most of
the clubs saved their southpaws for the
Nationals and often worked them out of
turn. When playing Detroit it was a
case of Killan twice, when against Chi
cago White and Altrock, with ST. Louis
they usually drew Bailey. Graham and
Waddell twice, against the Athletics Ed
die Plank was usually worked two times
during the series and against Boston they
always drew Burchell.
Left-handers are certainly mighty fine
to have about. but when team has five
or six of them the club is fed so much
southpaw pitching that when an off-side
twirler is announced to work the play
ers start TO feel as If they wished they
were at dinner
Brownie" Gessler, who did such fine
work for Boston last year, always liked
to hit against "Bilr Donovan, while he
always dreaded the appearance of George
MulIin i'm the box With his fast SWeeD-