The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-05
MATHEWSoN HAS BOTH
PHYSIQUE AND BRAINS
A Splendid Combination Which Helps
to Make Him the Greatest Pitch
in the Game Today.

>Christy Mathewson, whom Frank
Chance picks as the greatest pitcher
IN the game today, IS indeed u re-
markable athlete. He had the luck
TO fill when he drew to physique and
brains. There are few pitchers In
the big league who haven't the speed
and the curves they used to have,
but they retain their control of the
ball and they have. as a stock IN
trade, an intimate knowledge OF the
weakness OF every hitter who faces
them. They get away with it, be-
cause they mix brains with their
limited ability and win over younger
men who have speed and curves to
bum.
Sometimes Phenom.
Once In a long, long time there
comes pitcher who has everything
speed curves, control and knowl-
edge OF his opponents. Mathewson
Is such a pitcher. He has great
physical strength. a fine assortment
of curves including that heart-break-
er, the "fadeaway for which there
seems to be no antidote. and with all
this knowledge of weak spots of hit
ters which enables him to feed a
man the very thing which he cannot
use.
Mathewson has been up there" a
long time. Ho was great pitcher
before the Illness which came near
putting him out OF business for good.
While he was recuperatIng from that
Illness he experimental with a new
series of curves which might be de-
liyered with as slight tax on his
strength as possible. He discovered
the '1adeaway and he Is the only
man In the world who can make use
of this peculiar drop. It is now his
trade mark Lots OF fellows know
how he throws It; they know how to
go through the motions, but when IL
comes TO whipping the tips OF their
fingers over the cover OF the ball in
order to make it float up and fall
dead in front oil the plate they have
10 pass out The "fadeaway" belongs
TO Mr.. Mathewson and he will never
have TO have that delivery patented.
A Thirteen-lnch Gun.
Matty is the big gun of the Giant
battery, They shoot him In when
they need q game and the confidence
which this big chap inspires sends
the New Workers out like champions.
Last year the Giants did not his save
in StreakS. Nnthewson pitched just
as well as though his teammates
were tearing the cover off the ball
and making runs for him. In one
game at the polo grounds the big
blonde. rather peeyed because the hit
tors would not give him an ace TO
win on, soaked the ball into the
bleachers for home run and called
II a day. 1t was the only one he got
in a season, but he got It at the right
time
Mathewson's great specially is
finding out what the new leaguers
do not like. He has a memory like
filing cabinet. BY the time he has
watched a new man work through
game against right-hander Matty
comes pretty near having the case
diagnosed and he knows. what is
more important what he does not
like
OF course accidents happen. but
there is q Tulo which can be followed
with a great deal OF safety. Most
batters have a fondDess Tor a certain
kind Of ball. One man win hit
speedy ball and fall down ingloriously
on slow one which floats up straight
as a string. The next fellow may pray
for slow balI and hit mile. a
nervous man worries over slow ball
He has too much time TO spend In
thinking about II and watching IL
come. The man without nerves
stands like cigar-store Indian untu
he can read the trade mark and then
-whango,
Liked the Hard Ones.
Some players like a ball close In
and misJudge on the outside. Cra-
vath. the outfolder who went 10 Min
neapolis last season after playing
with Boston and Washington, used
TO murder the most difficult OF all
fast balls. one high up under bis ear
on the inside. He gave the Ameri-
can association pitchers an awful
time last season before they noticed
that Wooden Shoes could "hlt one
of his chin