The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-07-26
DATSkEN TAKE
LESS OFACHANCE
N Old Days Pitchers Would 60
rar - nafn Aduanta~n
Ial u ualll AuIdlIlages
IT'S VERY DIFFERENT NOW.

Ever With the Change IN Method the
Batter Is In panssr-Many Instances
Where Being Hit b. Ball Affects
Playing ABILITY.
When Frank Chance. manager OF thu
Chicago Nationals. was struck On tie
head b. a bail hurled by Pitcher Gas
per Of Cincinnati recently it recalled
the fact that many star baseball play
ers hare losE their effectiveness through
being hit BY thrown balls.
That more batsmen are not injured
By being bit By pitched balls speaks
well for the skill Of the present day
pitcher II the old days the pitcher
would not infrequently let one 60
straight At the batter's head in order
to drive him away from the plate.
Such proceeding is rare nowadays
Working the edges OF the plate seems
70 have proved more effective Never
theIess the IRE the batter faces is dan
gerous
One Of the worst cases Of head hit
ting was that Of Hugh Jennings. now
manager Of the Detroit club. ty Amos
Rusie. Jennings. with Baltimore then.
was noted for his close hugging Of
the plate and his willingness to ac-
cept a base By being hit BY the pitch
er. He relied upon his quickness Of
eye to minimize the effect Of the blow
Rusie had wide, jumping curve ball
Jennings was willing to turn bis
shoulder, accept a DETECTING blow or
let It hit his shirt front OF the slack
os his knickerbockers He could do
this with pitchers Of average curve.
but Rusie's curve was too sharp in the
break and too fast for him to avoid
Jennings stood close and got one full
in the head He fell dat For four
days his life was despaired Of. bnt a
powerful constitution pulled him
through. though be never was the
same neryy man aTlin at the plate.
and it was months before he could
play.
Jennings. by the way. is an extreme
" durable person. While at Cornell
he dived face first against the concrete
bottom Of an empty swimming tank.
The man Is marvel Of vitality and
energy He sustained two shocks that
would have killed the average man,
yet he is as full Of energy today as
dynamo.
Roderick Wallace. the famous infeld-
er Of the Browns. had his batting eff
cheney seriously and permanently in-
paired twelve years ago when he was
hit In the head by ball thrown By
Chick Fraser, who was then with
the Louisville club. Wallace was
knocked Hat. and It was many days
before he went to bat again. A con-
stltution Of iron enabled MIN to with
stand the shock. but he never was
quite the same hitter afterward.
Dan Hoffman. the center fielder Of
the Browns. was the victim Of a fear
full blow at the hands Of Jesse Tame
hill, then with Boston, some years
ago. Hoffman was at the time deemed
the most promising young player In
the American league. He was having
his first season. and brilliant one 1t
was One day he made triple. dori-
bic and a single against TannehllI in
three trips TO the plate. The fourth
time up TannehilI hit him terrific
blow over the right eye. 1t almost
killed the trained and muscular young
athlete. Hoffman lay as If dead. and
it was four days before he recovered
consciousness. Then his nerves were
ruined. From 10 pounds be declined
to 12S. He could not sleep or eat for
six months. and the following season
he had to get along as best he conld
with only one eye Hoffman says that
it has taken him six years TO get back
his full strength. He has never been
able to bit left handed pitchers since
the day he was hurt. Now, six years
after. Hoffman IS at the mercy Of the
average left handed pitcher
Johnnie Lush. the star pitcher of the
Cardinals. was hit BY Andy Coakley on
the neck and all but killed. His neck
has never been straight since that
time. and for years his health was se-
riously impaired.
Roger Bresnahan was hit and severe
ly hurt by Jack Taylor in 1904 For
a long time after this injury Bresna-
han wore a semi-mask that protected
the exposed side Of his head against
the pitcher
Hundreds OF lesser lights have been
hit and injured to a degree less seri
GUS than those mentioned. II all goes
to show that baseball is not without
its great dangers. especially TO men at
the bat. Most Of the injuries on the
field have come about through COLI
sions between fielders. such as the one
that cost the life Of HEub" Collins,
Collins fatal collision was With Harry
Stovey at Boston many years ego
Batted balls injure very few play
ers. though the way men BIT them
about in practice would often make
one wonder that accidents are not
more frequent. The most notable ac.
cident Of this sort was when schriver
OF Pittsburg bit William Hart Of the
same club on the chin with q ball bat