The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-13
nu rnMMY cLARK.

mGtnQG1 OF SObb Gi'N ~-~SN'F
BY TOMMY CLARK.
There are good hitters and hard hit
ters in baseball. Sometimes the words
are synonymous; sometimes they are
not. The good hitter is not necessarily
a hard hitter, hard hitting being used
in the sense Of driving the ball away
from the bat hard hitting i with
great force. There are good hitters
who do not send the ball away hard,
but who are proficient with the club
because they are skillful and make
many hits. The hard hitter, however,
is likely to be good hitter, because
the forcible impact of the bat against
the ball often drives the ball with
such speed that it gets by the inheld-
ers.
Little men produce their share OF
hard hitters. AS with big men, It may
be because of a hard swing or may be
because of an accurate swing that
meets the ball squarely and thus
makes every ounce Of exerted muscle
tell.
Willie Keller, the ex-big Lacquer and
now member Of the Toronto team OF
the Eastern league, is an example OF
a player who is good hitter rather
than hard hitter. He beats out
good many inheld grounders with his
speed in getting TO first base, and he
taps many safe hits to unguarded
spots. Fred Tenney OF the Bostons is
another who makes fewer long hits In
between" just over the infelders and
lust inside the outfielders, George
stone, formerly Of the st. Louis Amer
leans and now member Of the NIL
| waukee team, Is a ferocious hitter. He
swings hard. and when he meets the
ball flush It fairly huns
"old Honus' Wagner Of the Pitts
| burgs is fine hatsman and one or
those free hitters who connect with
any kind of ball, He is another OF
whom it may be said that he some
| times hits ball too hard for distance.
This naturally robs II Of some Of its
speed and converts into a one base hit
what would have been two Dagger
or better had the ball gone up trifie
as it left the bat But the Dutchman
lands so hard that what would be an
out for bali struck with less force,
but in precisely the same way, be-
comes a base hit with him.
Wagner's hard hitting prowess is
further shown by the way his curying
fly balls carry when there is any sort
of solidity to the hit A three-quarter
impact, the ball being struck below
the middle. would be an ordinary out
field fiy and a sure out IL made By any.
body putting less force Ia the blow
than does the burly Teuton. Wagner
however, does not always take a Ions
swing. He can shift his style and
chop ball, but he generally gets force
and therefore makes more hits OF
balls hit on the handle than most play
ers-that is, ball hit on the handle by
him is more likely to go safe than Il
made by less robust slammer
Ty Cobb of Detroit hugs the plate
fairly close and stoops just a trife. Ht
doesn't take big swing at the ball
but puts all his strength into the effort
like all good hitters, he uses bis shout
ders In the swing and never pulls
: away from the plate. Cobb's grea
speed helps his batting average won
: derfully. It's not so much In the hitl
he beats out, but simply because wheI
he's at the plate the opposing team Il
all on edge, knowing that the ball mus
be handled fast and clean In order II
get the southerner. The result Is tina
Cobb gets hit on many ball tina
r would have been handled perfectly hat
t not the opposition been overanxious.
: There Is no player more graceful a
4 the plate than "Wahoo Sam" Craw
: ford, Cobb's side partner. His is Al
air Of confidence from the time b,
: leaves the bench until he assumes hi
position at the plate. Crawford uses |
: big, heavy bat, which he poises on hi
= shoulder In such manner that 1t al
ways makes the opposing pitcher Zee
better when be is out of the way.
Unlike Cobb, he stands at the plat
\ with his feet wide apart instead o
close together. Crawford takes ;
/ mighty swing at the ball and general!
hits 1t on a line and far away, It's no
exaggerating in the least to say tina
Crawford goes out on more hard hi
balls than any other player in tn
major leagues. With men on the base
Crawford is very dangerous.
Lajoie of Cleveland hits the ball a
hard as Crawford; but, unlike tn
Tiger slugger, he doesn't take a BIZ
! swing. Lajoie doesn't swing at the bal
: like Crawford or chop at 1t like Keller
he's just the happy medium Of thes
two styles. Into his swing he puts al
the strength of his powerful physique
and his drives generally cling close t
the ground or go to the Outfield on
dead line.
III One of the hardest hitters in the Ma
tional league is Sherwood Magee Of tn
= Philadelphia. His bat comes aroun'
with a powerful sweep. bur with hi
body under control He is a useful dis
lance hitter and makes the ball trave
even when his bat gets only a slic
Of It.