Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-18
NO FORM AT BAT
Almost Every Player Hits at
Ball Differently.
NO TWO STYLES ALIKE
Cobb, Jackson, Wagner, Chase and
Others Meet Ball in Diff
ferent Positions.
NO TWO STYLES ALIKI

NEW YORK, September 1S.-Similar re-
suits in batting-good results. that Is
are obtained from many different styles.
Good form, poor form and no form at
all, all get there with the bat, and each
contributes its quota to the 300 division.
The thing of form, at the bat is largely
shibboleth, based on nothing. In other
sports form may be more or less of L
necessity, at any rate certain branches
OF sport lay much stress on FORM" pos
sibly laying more on the niceties of ply
steal poise than there is occasion for.
Maybe there is form in base ball, but
If many different opponents of hard hit
ting go about getting good results in
quite different ways as to adjustment of
body, feet, arms and SO forth it is not
clear just where any regulation form
comes in.
No two batters handle themselves ex-
actly alike at the plate, of course, but
methods differ so widely as to make each
mans form" his own. Styles can be
corrected to advantage-that is, faults
overcome and changes made suitable to
tie Individual, but even then there is no
approach TO a standard. few cases
will serve to show how different batters
maintain a sway among the batting elect.
the 300 class, with a wide d1ssfmilarity
of method.
Take Hal Chase, for instance. Many is
the spectator who says he doesn't see now
Chase hits the ball. Yet he does hit it,
Keeps on hitting it and always has been
first-class batter. The batter who steps
away from the plate is VIGOROUSLY poor
hitter. but while Chase doesn't step or
pull away he is fidgetty with his feet and
suggests that he is about to step away.
Seemingly Indifferent.
Seemingly careless and indifferent, he
really is watching the pitchers every
movement as we'll as the whole layout,
and no man can hit better with a base
runner. His attitude is anything but
menacng. indeed contains hint of tim
idity, which really doesn't exist, but with
loose wrist and arm action he can adapt
himself to any sort of pitched ball
hittable. He used to be weak on low
curve outside the plate, but got over that
and now Is a free hitter. If he wants to
hit he'll hit at anything, like Lajoie and
Wagner. and he's liable to hit anything.
He doesn't swing hard in the sense of
having long swing, but swings with
good deal of snap. His eye and arm do
the work without much use of the body
in adding force to the drive.
Entirely different styles of hitters are
Schultz and Hartzell, of which manner of
hitters was Ginger Beaumont Theirs
more nearly represent the golf swing,
long easy sweep. gathering speed as ii
nears the ball and with distinctive fol-
low through. They drive the ball long
distances but SO do batters who haven't
that sweep and follow through. Larry
Doyle, slugger, is a snap hitter with
a sharp but not sweeping swing, with
more tensity and less looseness than
Schultz. Doyle brings his bat forward on
lateral plane, more stiff armed than
some, but not with the body swinging
the arms with that peculiar push effect
which characterizes Caldwell Of the High
landers. Doyle's lateral plane meets the
ball squarely. Caldwell, sturdy hitter.