The Daily Missoulian., 1910-11-06
HABITS Of CHAMPS
AT BAT
COBB, LAJolE AND WAGNER
HAVE SOME PEcULiARlT,Es
THAT ARE INTERESTING.

A man may 60 to a baseball game
/ and sit through nine innings while
two pitchers battle for supremacy AT
the end OF the game the score may be
! to Q, and one Of the pitchers credited
with one or two-hit game and the
other fellow Gour or five-hit game.
And there yon have it all. The aver
| age fan. when his wife asks him
about the pitching duel he has just
witnessed, nine times out of ten will
shake his head wisely and remark:
Yep, 1t was a nice game, all right
| but
| And there you have 1t. The average
baseball fan, no matter how much he
| may rave about inside ball. dosen't
care hoot for pitchers duel When
he goes to a ball game, away down
| in his heart he is hoping there will
be batting bee, one that will chase
the outfielders until their tongues
hang out. And Mr.. Fan is also plug
ging to see some wild base running
| Pitching duels are all right, the fan
realizes and he looks on them as q
sort of necessary evil. which isn't sc
bad If the home pitcher happens to
be right and his team wins. but what
| ting game, full Of daring base run
ming and sensational fielding.
Consequently the actions Of the best
hitters in the game while at bat and
| OF the base runners arc Of consider
! able interest.
| Cobb Always Sehering.
| Cobb Is a nervous young chap who
| is always thinking and scheming some
way whereby he can put something
| over on the other fellows. About the
time Davy Jones steps up to the plate
| Cobb gets off the bench, picks UP
three of his favorite bats, marches as
near the plate as the umpire will per-
NIT and stands swinging his bats,
| while Jones and then Bush take their
turns at the pan. Cobb walks around
| the umpire. carrying the three bats
then tosses two Of them over to the
bat boy. and he Is ready for the
1 pitcher. He stands clear In front ol
the plate and apparently meets the
hall before 1t has time to break In
| the sharp curve.
Lajoie of the Maps stands out In
front of the players bench, swings
| two bats for a minute or so, throws
one down and then usually sits on the
end of the club he has selected until
| his turn at the plate comes
Larry walks around the umpire
takes a look at the pitcher and then
draws line along the right hand side
] 10 lat !, .,f hi
bat. He raps the end Of the bat hard
on the plate. swings 1t UP over his
shoulder and waits for the hall. As 9
rule, he takes one; that Is, he lets
the first ball pitched pass him without
attempting to hit it. Many pitchers
know this and endcavor to work the
big Frenchman by shooting the firs1
one over. Larry. however has tricl
of clouting straight one which has
the pitchers guessing, so his bluff
usually gets him ball.
Wagner Is a good deal like tht
! Frenchman at the bat. The big. stoli6
| German Is never worried. He has phe.
nomenally long arms, which enable him
| to swing wide over the plate. and ht
meets the ball with the full force o.
his shoulders and back. like Lajole
Cobbs attack Is more choppy, but
| Wagner hits a ball harder than any
man now playing the game, with the
possible exception of Lajoie. Wagner
Is patience itself IL he believes base
on balls will help his team as mucf
as hit. but If he really wants hi
he is liable to get 1t. no matter how
wide the bali is on the other side OF
the plate. and this Is possible because
of his tremendous reach. Pitchers say
there is no way to fool the Dutchman
"You might as well put 1t over fol-
him." Brown, the three fingered won
/ der of the cubs. said one day. "as
| to keep 1t away from him. II he wants
to hit you would have to pull vile
PITCH