Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-17
PLAYERS TASTES IN BATS
Great Hitters Finicky in Selection Of
Clubs They Use.
8 SMALL BATS FOR BIG MEN
Hans WagnerNts nm Exception, Using
n COrdwood sticlk--rOakes, Lit
tie Chap, Also Uses
Heavy Implement.

PITTSBURG, Pa. April 1s,-Base bal
players bats differ in size and shape al
much as the players do in physique. And
the strange part Of It is that many Of the
big fellows use a small, well-shaped wal
club and q couple Of the rabbits" WELD
something resembling q wagon tongue. Ar
instance OF this is the woodpile that
Rebel" oakes, a former Cincinnati star
but now with the Cardinals, uses A man
can scarcely imagine such little fellow
swinging so large and heavy a bat as
Oakes does. The opposite side OF the case
Is represented by Bresnahan, who, while
large in stature, hits with a reasonably
small club.
After a glance at the Hans Wagner bat
one would think that the Flying Dutch
man might just as well go and pull up
young, but promising, tree and use that
to destroy the hopes OF young and old
pitchers alike. No balance to H. large and
heavy all over, the average man could
hardly swing It. II takes a person OF inn
mense strength to use 1t properly and
Hans Is that. Being so heavy, the great
batsman can meet the ball either on the
handle or the very end and make a hit.
where another player would put up q pop
fly or weak grounder.
Mike Mitchell. the hard-hitting right
fielder Of the Cincinnati Reds uses a
rather large stick The body has plenty
Of wood and weighs forty-five ounces.
The bat In itself Is enough to strike terror
into the heart Of a pitcher. Egan handles
so-called bat that is lighter than
Mitchelis tipping the scales at forty
ounces. Hoblltzel and I.obert use prac-
tically the same sort OF bludgeon. The
bat is shorter than most and exceedingly
well balanced.
II is pOpularly supposed that all big
league stars have their bats balanced per-
fectly, but that is wrong. The clubs used
by Wagner and Oakes have no more bal
ance than load OF hay. But with Hoblit-
eel It is different Richard orders his bats
by the dozen and has them kept over the
winter in oil.
Harry Davis uses about the prettiest bat
OF all. II Is lonG-shafted. small AZ the
handle, but q trifle top-heavy. Davis
does not give himself much space to hit
the ball with. however, as the bat is small
at the end in diameter. He must be ae-
curate in his swing to make a hit. but
that Is where Harry shines. and the heavy
end, when Il meets the BAN squarely,
drives Il TO the fence.
Wee Willie" Keeler uses q bat that
oakes would take for a tOothplck. Not
much longer than rolling pin, exceedingly
light. and with the driving power. that ls
the wood. at the end. With all It's short
ness Keeler Grasps Il about In the middle
giving himself about fourteen inches 10
meet the pellet. Correct timing and accu-
rate swinging are Keeler's standbys when
~ the plate, and he has his stick made 80
as to demand that Every one knows that
a more scientific hitter never lived. Poole
who caught for Yale years ego. was the
only collesian to approach the Keeler
standard.
Frank Chances bat Is a crude instrument
OF torture to pitchers. Somewhat like
Cakes, but not quite 50 crude. It Is heavy
everywhere and large everywhere. The
handle Is very large, but the Cub leader has
large hands that grasp the stick firmly
''Cy' Seymour has tho smallest hands Of
any man playing IN either Of the big
Leagues, and his fingers do not close around
the stick.