The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-03-13
PITCHERS BEST
ASSET IS NERVE
MoRDEcAl BROWN SAYS THAT
THE GREATEST ASSET FOR A
PITCHER is NERVE-sLAR PER-
FORMERS CANNOT USE SPEED
ALONE WITHOUT NERVE.

Mordecai Brown says: Good curves
are s. sat assets, but there have been
great pitchers who didn't have enough
curve to deceive an amateur. Speed? |
grand asset. But some of the great
pitchers didn't have speed enough to
break pane of glass. Control? It's
one of the things to be cultivated. But
there have been great pitchers who
couldn't have rolled ball down a
trough. Head work? A thing to be
thankful for. But what's the use of
having catcher if he doesn't use his
noodle? Then what is the greatest as
set that pitcher can have? Nerve.
It isn't sufficient when it tint backed
up. But give pitcher nerve and any
| thing else and he'll be great pitcher
And you give him everything else and
forget the nerve and he'll be a dub.
And / don't care how much else you
give him. There's scarcely a day when
the pitcher isn't called upon to use 1t.
Several times each year its possess
sion or absence determines a ball
game. It's the one requisite in the
makeup of a really good pitcher. And
don't know a single other qualihca-
ton that is absolutely essential. The
pitcher depending upon his curve goes
on the slab and in the early innings
suddenly discovers that the curve ball
won't work The break isn't there,
It's up to his nerve. If he has lots
| of it, he may keep the opposing bats
man standing still until he RECEIVERS
himself. II he hasn't the nerve, he is
| in for a beating. So with the fellow
that depends upon his speed. He dis
covers to his amazement that his fast
ball is without the jump. If he has
/ the nerve, he may work along an in
ming or two. or maybe half the game.
| Suddenly it comes back and he's all
right. If he hasn't the nerve he'll
blow. Same way with control. A
pitcher suddenly goes wild. The only
thing In the world that will settle him
is his nerve. If he loses that, It's an
| ascension.
There are times when the rule
doesn't hold good There are times
when the nerviest pitchers in the game
blow or get hit or go wild. But not very
often. / hold that the pitcher with lots
/ nerve-courage, I mean-and backed
with ordinary curves. speed and con-
troll, can develop into a really great
pitcher. 1 don't want to get personal
but can truthfully say that the culti-
walton OF nerve success I have had
on the field
When I was playing with the Terre
Haute team as a third baseman l got
the idea If a man was an ordinary
ball player, but kept his nerve, never
gave up and fought to the last, that
| he would be successful in baseball.
He might never become one of the
great stars of the game, but he would
always get along. l trained myself
along those lines. l was palying third
base when our pitchers went bad and
was called to the slab. At that time
could not curve a ball. had some
speed, but when / went on the slab
1 / carried my little principle right with
me. I had seen batters walk to the
| plate with the goat of the pitcher
hanging to their belts. Well, none of
that for mine. | figured that the bat
ter could knock the ball no farther If
/ was pitching my best and pitching
to fan him. than he could If l became
| frightened and handed him what he
wanted That's been my policy ever
since. There's no use letting the bat
ter get in on you. If you ever do, all
the speed and curves and control in the
world won't save you. For the fate
of baseball seems to send the most
dangerous man to the plate In the
pinches. Right at the outset YOU
might just as we'll let the batsmen
know that they have nothing on you
and that SO far as you are concerned
they must earn every base hit they get.
That was my policy, and it did me
good. In the early days / pitched on
on my nerve. Meanwhile my curve got
better; I became possessed Of more
| speed and improved my control, SO that
had something to back up the prin-
ciple OF compelling every man to strive
Tor what he secured from me.