Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-31
PITCHERS K|NGP|NS'
Good TWirIers Found Every
Year; Few Hitters Appear.
POSITION AN ALLURING ONE
Fingers Are Always in the Lime
light on Account Of the Impor-
lance Of Their Jobs.

The development OF star pitchers is
proceeding at fearful pece, but the
development of star batsmen seems to
be utterly at q s.andstill, At the way
things are going there will be regiments
OF CLASSY pitchers In few more years,
while the art Of batting will die out az
soon az the present crop Of sturdy old
hitte.s Is extinct On every vacant lot
"a summer you can see ambitious young
pitchers at work, f.ngiag, curving. learn
ing the tricks o. the pitching trade, and
20 completely ove.shadowing the young
betsrnen that big strikeout records have
become the rule. not the exception, Of
school and college.
Il was Jir, Hart, a few years ago, who
told an ambitious youngster to train HIM
sell. for third baseman, not a pitcher,
because pitchers did not last, whereas
infelders could play the game for years
and would always be In demand. Still.
the modern pitcher, with any sort or
good behavior, outlasts the modern in
fielder. Yes. He actually does. Despite
the wear and tear upon his arm. the
modern pitcher is good for a longer dia-
mond life than most of his teammates.
and the records show it, too.
How many men are now on the Giants
who were there when Mathewson be-
gan? Big Six has seen legion OF them
come and go. and is still good for many
years WiItse, a lefthander. has been
pitching a long, long time, and Is stu
capable though the old idea was that
lefthanded pitcher soon broke down.
Among the Highlanders Jack Chesbro
only failed last summer after career
that outwore most of the men with whom
he started playing ball. Look through
the other league teams and see how the
pitchers have outlived the felders VIII
helm of Brooklyn was pitching at col
lege before any man on the Dooger team
save Bill Dahien. the new manager. put
on a uni .orm. Brown, the great pitcher
of the Cubs, has outlasted an army OF
in and out field stars.
Clark Griffith pitched. little league and
big. for twenty years, and could PROBABLY
work effectively again II he desired
Sparks of Philadelphia was pitching be-
fore his present teammates were off the
lots. How many of the Pittsburgs have
longer careers than Lever, Phillippi and
Willis, pitchers all three, and still husky?
We all know that good old Cy Young
began his twentieth year of big league
pitching last spring, and Uncle Cy IS
SLOUGH, either. Where is there
man who played in or outfcio on the
Cleveland team of 1S9o-where Cy began
who is now an active factor in the game?
Bill Donovan of the Tigers was pitcher
before most of the Detroits were even
minor league recruits. Powell. Howell
and Rube Waddell of the ST Louis
Browns antedate a host OF their compan-
ions. while Hughes, A'trock and TannehiH
got through last summer. after many,
many years of pitching.
Pitchers instead OF breaking early, out
las. their pals. Moreover. it seems easy
for the younger pitchers to acquire the
tricks OF the old ones. while the batters
seem to fade into tinidity and oblivion.
One thing that seems evident TO an old
timer is this: That the modern batsnen
in most cases do not try 20 get the pltch-
er's goat the way the veterans did. Inc
veterans were more terrible by far when
il came to facing a hurler. Today there
are a few goat-setters. but not many. The
grin, and massive front put by WaRner.
Crawford and Lajoie scares many a pitch
or. while the confidence and mocking
eagerness Of Cobb also scares them These
fellows act as the o,d-timers did, but most
Of the modern ba tsmen simply stand at
the plate in a half-apolopetic wa" hoping
against hope that they may scratch out
single or draw base on balls
Twenty wears ago II was an impressive
scene when Arson. Brouthers or Pete
browning came to bat with bases full.
These giants of the game toted up huge
hats of bulk and dented fiber-dentHd by
the impact of hundred mighty drives.
They gazed upon the pitcher with a grim
smile a look of total confidence. with alb
solute belief in their own stperiority. and
the pitcher. facing these nonoliths OF the
game. felt. in a word, just as the bats
mon do today in front of Brown. Such
difference. gentle boys.
There will never he anv rafting slug
2ing against the confident and assertive
modern pitchers until the modern hatters
go after the slabmen's goats the way
Arson and Browning did. and the way
Cobb and Wagner do today. Don't go up
there as if you were begging the pitchers
"a rd6r1. Don't go up wondering If YOU can
get anywhere near sDitball OF an out
breaking curve. Draw up a big stick,
haw-haw coarseiy at the man upon the
slab and don't hit like a gentle darling. If
you are free swinger blaze away at one
as though YOU were sinking the AK in
tree Even though you miss YOU are like
" to impress the pitcher. If you are a
short. clloppy batter of the Keller style.
snap the bat at once with all the speed
and ouickness you can muster. The pitch
~ will be worried then and the moment
you get the worry transferred from your
ego to his you have him going.
Confidence Is everything. The modern
pitcher is chuck full OF confidence gally
yeggman. contem ptuously boastful
The modern batter. or 20 per cent Of him.
IL afraid even to look mean at the pitcher
But there IS nobody who will go up in the
air SO quickly as a pitcher when you get
him stung-;here is goat easy to
capture as that Of the pitcher, il you only
show little nerve.