The Washington herald., 1911-01-29
WINTER BASEBALL
IS NOT INJURIOUS
Jack COOmhs and Chief Ben
der Benefited Last Season.
MACK FAVORS THIS SPORT
Athletics Star Twirler Discovered
Famous Drop Ball on BarnstOrm-
Made Great Record After Pitching
Six Weeks or More on Coast.

From the Cleveland IGader
Is winter baseball injurious to bal
players"
Ask pitcher ''Jawn' Coombs. of the
Athletics. and he wiil tell you that #
was his salvation and Conni+. Mack vii
have to admit that winter baseball did
much to win the coveted worlds cham
piorShip for him.
It WAS during the arnstorminE trip
OF the Athletics to the Pacific Coast last
winter ti.at Cnomhs developed the IA
nous drop ball Of his. which many of
the star batterS OF the league now recall
with regret. On this trip he also gained
better control than he ever had in his
life. something that is absolutely es-
Sential to successful pitching.
After the 1909 campaign Manager Mack
himself took his team out on the barn
stOrning trip. taking many of the young
SterS as well the veterans. 1t Was
out in balmy California that the trans
formation took place in Coombs. FoN
Mack always had great faith in his big
right-handcr. and on this trip he took
Coon1bs under his wing. 1t made no
great difference whether the games were
won or lost. and it was an ideal time for
pitchers to experiment and try to i'm
prove their delivery
Succeeds by Hard Work.
Control and the drop ball were the
two things that Coomhs was; trying to
master, and master them'Nhe did on that
transforming tour. But in SO doing he
did not throw away his arm or injure
himself in any way. Frank Chances
clawless Cubs can testify to. For any
pitcher who can pitch four games in a
worlds series and come out on top in
three OF them is far from being all in.
And if he can pitch thae kind of ball
after having pitched for six weeks or
more during the winter it looks like an
eloquent appeal for winter baseball.
"Chief' Fender also made the barn
storming trip last winter with the
Athletics. and that the trip did not
hurt him is demonstrated by his Won
derful record last season. In fact
Coombs and Bender Were the main
stays of the champions last season and
We're the two big factors in the whirl-
wind campaign of the Mackmen.
If Manager Mack allows his players
to play winter nall there should be no
good reason why any other manager
should object, for when it comes to
knowing baseball the elongated leader
of the worlds champions has most of
the others backed off the boards.
MACK FaNOrs Winter Bill.
Mack himself led his team out on
transforming trip last winter and it is
likely that only the fact that he is now
on his honeymoon is Europe kept him
from accompanying his men on the
barnstorm through Cuba. If Mack really
thought that winter baseball was injuri-
Gus to players, ii is a cinch that he would
make strenuous effort to keep his men
from going 10 Cuba, for he now has
together cha arpionship aggregation that
should repeat next season and one which
he confidently expects to land on top
again
1t is likely that il men Of Mack's
caliber could accompany all teams on
their transforming tours that less OBJ |
lection to winter baseball would be
raised. Fer Mack not only watches out !
that his players do not overexert them !
selves. but at The same time makes it |
training school for them He has |
plenty Of time then to devote his ef- |
forts to individuals, while on spring
training trips much of this has to be |
sacrificed On account of the size of the
squad and also in the effort to build !
UP teamwork.