The sun., 1910-07-03
WHEN BATTER FACES PITCHER
WEL FOLLOWS AND THE
NEST GTESSER WINS.
Al Players Have superstiiions About
Their Hating Luck Regard Their
pet bats Win AnrctIonate RrNer-
rnCe The Greatest Hitting Feat.

hFAsF"
pet bats WIN Anrctionatc RrNer-
rncr The Greatest IiittinE Feat.
The superstitions Of players regarding
I their batting are more numerous than the
players them solves" writes Hugh Fuller
ton in the American Md1dSiH'. Each
; has a dli'r,'nt mascot or u system Of
bringing uck t. an outsider these
sup-rstitiuns would furnish constant
laugh
The Chicago Cubs hAv. a rcd headed
youth on pav whose duty il il 10 spit on
the end Of each hlt - the batter goes To-
the plate. 20 hring him luck. Jimmy
ShCckari sticks ms chewing gum on -
certain lucky spot On top ~ his cap when
he needs u hit badly.
Roy Thomas always walks back ~ the
umpire. almost around him. before he
takes his place az the plate Roger Com
nor. one Of the great hitters of the game
took his favorIte Tat To- bed with him. and
oiled and polished his substitute hats
every nj ght and hung them from the win
dow 10 his room.
Jimmy Ryan had 20 have a bat with n
r,'d band and three worm holes in il. and
span' days searching stores for hats with
Just three worm holes He discovered
one in little stor. in B,~ton once and hit
thr'-' hnm" runs over tn" left field fence
with II that same afternoon
Chance thinks he cannot make = hit
if D." looks at the score board at any time
during the game. and even during exciting
rac.- when - much depends upon IN"
outrom- - games being piaycd hy rival
teams - upon the result uf the one hr is
playing b" will not glance toward the
lu.ri ~ allow any ne g. tell HIM the
-,'s,'
-payv Jones ng-' wa.k Q, 'ui-l b.l..
and touch u with ~" iu.' Of his night foot
when CunInr from IN" "r.''i-,d To- nlt. II
Frank shut" finds o. ht,rIl ~ un the street
hc u certain fo mtE' q two ha-e hit. hr
thinks II his sister j. IA the stands hr
makes . home run. Sh" has seen him
,Ylay ouv tv" games IN he carver and he
mas mad" nome run Iu ".ch
Certain isItS pp-s,.-s,i by PLAYERS or
:.aul- a." regarded - almost sacred Nut
lnfr-Iu-ut'v yl.yarz think that Il they
lend . favorit. istt every hiss ht made
~ ,'E"rS reduces the number of hits IN
I II a general slump ia hitting over
takes a team II is comm N for them 20
,hstgpi all IN" hats ~ once store them
aWsv and order nr' supply
Most e a." PLAYERS hay" their special
models. lnlauCrd exactly to silt thor
hand GRIP aud their styl. of hitting \
player NAV have q dorm turned "N. c,lv
- fhe sam" -,7a and weight. ~ the same
wood. grain and al vet within 4 short
time d" viii disrarl eleven and cling to
one ~ least untli IL ials Inn.
~ ono man ms streak of successful
a hat g..
the 'ram impor'unc him 10 allow them 20
r:Se II m critic1i stages - the -a.ne
have seen = player going To- hat ~ n ianch
with h1lfa dozen q his fellows. Wild 20 win.
urging the merits 81 their hats upon him
each g,arant"aius "a hrt q he will but rs..
that one
Famous batt"rs often present or sell
iheir hats to admirers IA tha profession
and Wagner and LaioIe would hr COM
pelle'i - start hat factories 20 supply the
demands made upon them for club.
Ri Dcl-hanty. who had NO sIrerst,'l,n.
regarding his hats, sold large numbers To-
players ia different leagues after h. lad
nsed them NJ he wanted was plenty Il
wood. and 'h" sha pc d.d not bother him
When batter faces tho pitcher q duel
begins hetw"en them. The Iockryin..
closer 20 or further from tho plate. - al
part " the effort ~ dist rtC' N" aim ui the
pitcher. and incidentally to deceive or
muddl. the umpire.
When CUmvelled 20 hIt IN" R'trr
watches the pitcher ciu-"iy. -trIN tuE g.
ti-Cnver Nv Glow attention IIst how 10
rItchcI II holding thu tai! and to arCrri.lu
from th' twist of the wrist, tdrn 90.
the hand the position - a finger. what
hall - coming II y" can i..arl. even whIl.
tho VItcrsr- arm - 'l-nIng PAST his
head. what hall u hring pitched b." lI,
an IWmcn-ss adv antdEr.
IhI, arr uI guessing. from what
pitcher already has pitched. what h. WlI
pitch - q ,tTlng" one. Last summer.
Tor my own ainus'm"nt. ! evolved q t..s.
which was tried hy five different u.Iu-
with exactly IN" slmc results II con-
si-'ci ~ giving half q dozen players on
"ach team twenty pennies and having
them match heads and tails.
The result was alway. the same; the
h--~t pitcher and the l-'st halter always
fought u out Tor possession ~ tho r.nnlns
IN a t"st made with Sven Of the pi'tsiul-g
and Detroit players tho result Repeatedly
wJs hat Clark" and Wagner corncrrd th,.
Ienn!"s and fought II uIt.
strangely, Cobb was poor az tho game.
and when tho object vas explained he
laughed and said he never tried TO guess