Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-07-12
MATHEWSoN GREAT ATHLETE.
Manager Chance of Chicago Nationals
Picks Him as Best Pitcher.

CnrlSty tMdtheWSOn, whom Frank
Chance picks as the greatest pitcher
in the game today. is indeed a re-
markable athlete. He had the luck to
fill when lie drew toe physique and
brains. There are a few pitchers in the
big leagues who haven't the speed and
the curves they used to have but they
retain their control of the ball and
they have. as q stock in trade, an in
innate knowledge of the weakness of
every hitter who faces them. They
get away with it, because they
mix brains with their limited ability
and win over younger men who have
speed and curves to burn.
once in a long. long time there
comes a pitcher who has everything
speed curves. control and knowledge
of his opponents. Mathewson is such
pitcher. He has great physical
strength, a fine assortment of curves.
including that heart breaker "the
fadeaway." for which there seems to
be no antidote, and with all this
knowledge of weak spots of hitters
which enables him to feed a man the
very thing which he cannot use.
Mathewson has been 'up there a
fore the illness which came near put
ting him out of baseball for good
While he was recuperating from that
illness lie experimental with a new Sc
ries of curves which might be deliv
cred with as slight tax on his
strength as possible He discovered the
'fadeaway" and he is the only man
lit the world who can make use of this
l Ii, krnI 10
mark Lots of fellows know how to go
through the motions. but when it
comes to whipping the tips of their
fingers over the cover of the ball in
order to make it float up and fall dead
III front of the plate they have to pass
out The "fadeaway' belongs TO Mr..
Mathewson and he will never have to
have that delivery patented.
Natty is the big gun of the Giant
battery. They shoot him in when
they need game and the confidence
which this his chap inspires sends
the New Works out like champions.
Last year Mathewson 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 peeve,i because the hitters
would not give him an ace to win on.
soaked the ball into the bleachers for
a home run and called it a day. 1t
was the only one he got all the season.
but he got it at the right time.
Mathewson's great speciality is find
ing out what the new leaguers do not
like He has a memory like a filing
ha nc h1s watched
a new man work through a game
against Highlander 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 rule which can be followed
with a great deal of safety. Most
hatters have a fondness for a certain
kind of ball One man will hit
speedy ball and fall down ingloriously
on slow one which floats up straight
as a string The next fellow may
pray for a slow ball and hit mile.
That is largely matter of tempcra-
ment. A nervous man worries over
a slow ball He has too much time
to spend thinking about it and watch
ing il come. The man without nerves
stands like a cigar store Indian until
he can read the trademark, and then
whango. Some players like ball
close in and misjudge on the outside.
Cravath. the cutfielder who went to
Minneapolis last season after playing
with Boston and Washington. used to
murder the most difficult Of all fast
balls. one high NO under his ear on the
inside He gave the American Associa-
ton pitchers an awful time last season
before they noticed that Wooden
Shoes could hit one off his chin