The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-07-08
BATTING, is
GOOD AND BAD.
lBy y. j Elnilay \

| pbi ny utlutIe. w utu
ne Is siumping he may drive the ball
just as yiciously. but generally at an
opposing player. At this writing.
Honus Wagner. the great Pirate bats
man, is down very low, for him. iu
the average column. Try as he Will.
ne cannot seem 10 connect for his
usual safe swnts. Reporters are nois-
Ing reports abroad that the old
Dutchman has at last been corralled
| by that dread nemesis OF the baseball
ists-age. But a glance at Honus' rec.
| ord would give one good reason to
doubt IL. The writer attended four
games which the Pirates played in
Boston recently In the first one
| Wagner did not bat safely. though
he sent TWO long flies TO. left field
| and almost took tue shortstoD of his
feet with a vicious liner, that indi-
| Yldual, however, managing to hang
onto the ball. The next day the Pr
ates and the Doves mixed up In
double header. In tho lrst game the
| Pittsburg shortstop was credited
| with one safety. a Texas Lacquer to
| lett. In that contest. he also famed
once. line flied to left. sacrificed. and
grounded To short The second melee
saw COlle WIN Ouc
more single bingle. The first time
up ne clouted a savage line drive to
left, which the lelderg speared on the
dead run. His next effort was an
other drive TO the same spot. which
likewise was gathered in. ,Hls third
attempt was a drive over second
which sent in run and his fourth
and last was q long fly, TO center In
the last game of the series he made
two hits. a liner over short and long
home run over the left field fence He
gave two outficlders catches and
grounded out once. His record for the
four games shows that he was at bat
II times. scored three -Ils made four
hits. gave the left fielder six chances,
The centerfieldar two. the shortstop
three and the second baseman one
He famed once and sacrificed once.
His record for batting was but .2S5.
yet he hit the ball hard If ever man
did. and a difference in direction OF
very few inches OF at least four
OF his wallops would have resulted In
clean hits. The big German has net
LOST his eye Far from It, He's only
of his luck a little.
You viii read lot nowadays about
the science OF batting. about the plac-
ing of hits and the like. but it's most
ly in the head ~ the writer. There's
a certain young pitcher in the Am
erican league who Is supposed to be
easy picking fer "Ty" Cobb In the
few games he opposed Detroit last
year. the GeorTia neach stung the
ball unmercifuily Ye; Cobb himself
will tell you that the same pitcher,
a southpaw. has curve ball that is
q terror 'It has a funNy break. re-
marked Tyrus. "and if | had VI served
up regularly | don't think I'd do a
whole lot OF hitting The first few
times he sent IL over 7 managed to
connect. more by luck than ANYTHING
else. so now---- thinks l like it.
and never uses il against me, If he
ever starts in trying it again. though,
he's likely to learn something.
There was one big National league
pitcher who thought he had 1t on
Fred Clarke of P.ttsburg. He had a
low inshoot which he held on the in
side corner of the plate. The first few
games he twirled against PittsburG.
he sure had the Indian sign on Fred.
The champs manager couldn't seem
to get q hit. and famed more often
than was his wont But one day in a
close game he came mp against his
hcodoo pitcher with three men on.
The first ball pitched was that low in.
shoot. perfectly delivered lust on the
very corner Of the plate There was
crash and the sphere went sailing over
the fence and four Pirates trotted
over the pan. The pitcher was some
surprised. but thought he'd try 1t
again. He did and he was hit again
and another run sent in. Then IL oc-
CURED to him that Clarke had only
failed TO hit when th,-sc was no chance
to send in a score. He couldn't tell
whether 1t was luck on the batter's
part. or mere strategy. but he has
never used that ball on Clarke again.
But the Pirate manager will tell you
that 1t was luck He d dnt like that
ball, and now he's happy because he
doesn't have to worry about 1t,
While, as we stated previously. safe
hitting is in n way mere luck there's
lot OF brainwork used by the bat
ters lust the same There's one Phil
adclDhla pitcher who will never for
get the time that Frank Chance bunt
ed in the ninth Inning with two ont, |
men on second and third and the
Cubs one run behind "Husl1' was
two strikes and no balls at the time |
too He saw a chance to pull the !
trick of. though failure meant the |
loss OF the game. and he took 1t.
When It comes to real simon-pure /
slueging. the king OF them all. per
haps. Is Larry LajCie of the Cieve- |
land team. Year after year ne has
battered his way into Ile top ranks OF
the country's batsmon.' He earns his |
laurels by hard smuggling. One never
hears OF him getting a hit by heat
ing out grounder or a bunt He |
hits It on the nose. And he hits all |
kinds Of pitches, high ball, low ball, |
slow or fast. they all look alike to /
Larry Net a pitcher in the country |
knows how to fool him, except by let
ding him walk TO first His only rival
as free hitter is the great Honus
There is something similar in their
styles, too though the American
leaguer is the more graceful The !
pair OF them stand we'll away from
the plate. they swing their bats cas-
lily, careleSsly a close ball they get
away from by a barely imperceptibIe
movement They reach ont after wide
ones, similarly, with heavy lung
Ing swing. Either one OF them VIII
let couple Of strikes go by. to wait
for the exact ball they want They
are both adopts at foulinc of doubtful
strikes But Wagner often beats ont