Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-11


man"
A BOUT the best thing that J. Law
ender has is a spit ball says
Whitley Alperman who worked
with him in the Eastern league last
season "All Lavender has is a
splitter and fast one. And he
usually wastes his fast one. He
never puts il over unless he has
to. He hasn't any curve to speak
Of ANY time he has TO deliver he
uses the splitter"
Tommy Atkins who has pitched
In the Eastern, says You can put
Lavender down as a ms uaart
pitcher He isn't big l.;sx ay-
be my size or a shade larger But
he has a good splitter and a better
head. You can put him down for
me as a smart pitcher He mas a
good bean, and that gets him by
lot of times"
THAT Lavender pitcher the
Cubs kept sorely against their
viii. should beat the Giants and
break the winning streak Of the
greatest Of modern pitchers, RUDE
Marquard, was wonderful But Per
haps a little more wonderful was
the fact that the day previous to
the one when he accomplished the
miracle ne was sent in to finish a
game in st. Louis Then. after rid
ing back to Chicago he was sent in
TO trim Marquard
An odd feature Of ii is that Frank
Chance planned that very thing.
When the Peerless Leader left St.
Louis before the end Of the series
he instructed Tinker, who was put
in charge, that if pitcher were
needed to finish the Sunday game
and only few innings remained,
to use the Georgian.
The condition arose and LaVen-
der was used He came back the
very next day stronger than ever.
and not only whipped the Giants.
but almost broke their hearts by
breaking the winning streak Of the
popular Rube.'
Which shows Lavender in the
role of iron man, and that is ex-
actly what he is. Lavender works
better when he pitches every third
day At any rate. that is what he
claims and he has had much better
success when worked often than
when given a long rest
Not long ago Lavender and
Chance were discussing the for
mer's pitching
II haven't had enough work"
said the twitler II was not in the
nature of a complaint, but Chance
is one of those managers who likes
to have the other fellows opinion
and wants to look al it from the
players as well as the managers
viewpoint
Il work better when | pitch every
third day continued Lavender.
and I'm still more effective when
am sent In for few innings be-
tween games
Take a glance at Lavender's rec
ord last year and YOU will see that
his words are borne out by the
figures.
CHANCE broke one Of his rules
- when he held to Lavender. The
West Side manager has always
been in favor of the big, strong.
husky twLrlers He can't see the
little fellows with a spy glass He
likes the power which should ac-
company a large frame. But Law
ender caught his eye.
Now, don't get the impression
that Jimmy Is a midget He's far
from that He's pretty hunky
sort of an individual and while
scarcely husky enough to give Jack
Johnson battle, possesses much
strength Otherwise he would not
be three-day pitcher just the
same he doesn't compare to the
Overall. Brown, Reulbach type OF
twirlor when it comes to size
Lavender has been a deceptive
fellow 10 the cubs. All the re-
ports NJ he scouts and the men
who PLAYED With and against him
in the international were to the
effect that he was a spit ball pitch
en- pure aud simple, and that he
was without anything else, That
may have been true last year But
IL doesn't go this.
He Is one of the best little bluff
ers of the spit bah in the game. and
he has q good saliva sphere. But
he is shooting that curve bah across
he plate or in the immediate viCin-
lily about as often as he is the wet
one. With the result that the bat
ter seldom guesses right.
LaVcnders start was not senSa-
tionu and there was nothing TO
indicate that ne would develop into
The talk of the league At the start
of the season he seemed to be un-
able to go the distance He would
pitch like a whirlwind for few
innings Then along about the sixth
on seventh he seemed rs lose every
thing that he possessed with the
exception of his glove. He's got
over that habit now Hes an iron
man all the way.
one of the surprising things
about this youugster is the fact
that while he lis spit ball pitch
er he has excellent control. As
matter of fact. il is doubtful wheth-
or there ls tWirler on the cub
team who viii give fewer bases ON
balls
\AUlETHER Jim Lavender is
real pitcher or merely an eN
t.a brilliant hioOmer hasn't heen