Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-02-25
BIG MEN HARDEST HITTERS
Some Little Fellows Bat Well, but
They Are in the Minority.
AvoIRDUPoIs DOES NOT COUNT
Keenness and Knack of Meeting the
sphere Found I'm 10th Big and
Little Men, but Mig Fellows
Are In Majority.

NEW YORK. Feb. 2i.-The biggest hit
ting in base ball has been done by the
biggest men. To put It differently and per-
hsps a bit more lucidly, big men have
figured much more pronouncedly In hard
hitting than little men. There have been
little men who were good batters indi-
vidually as any OF the bis ones. but
there haven't been nearly as many OF
them. II does not necessarily follow that
big men are naturally better with the
cudgel than small twirlers OF the pestle,
for knack and keenness Of eye are not
regulated BY avolrdupois. The fact Is
that big TO medium sized men greatly out
number little men In base ball, and prob
ably therein Is TO be found the chief
reason Of big men having contributed
more good hitters. It's principally
question OF numbers.
1t isn't in the yearly records that this
condition makes itself manifest, but In
the record showing big league players
who have batted 800 or better for five
years, or more from 1876 to 1911 inclusive.
To get in this list. which numbers seventy
one. Is pretty good proof OF sustained
ability TO hit the ball A good test. one
requiring a man to bat 200 for five years,
one requiring more than passing ability.
real test Of durability, and one which
many really strong batters have failed to
survive.
In considering the batters in the list
referred to they are divided into big,
IL htaH iwnft alrga
easy to tell In which one OF the three
man should be placed. II Is easy enough,
though. to classify the little men. The
peewees stand out clearly enough, little
giants Of the ash but In several instances
1t is hard to distinguish between big and
medium. The two classes sometimes over
lap, yet this but calls more attention to
the fact that size has gone hand in hand
with heavy stickwork more than the lack
OF II.
The Big Batters.
The five years or more 300 per cent
batters are as follows:
Big-Anson, Connor. Brouthers, Brown
Ing. Ewing. Orr, stovey. Reilly. Tom
Burns (Brooklyn), Glasscock. Thompson,
OsNetil. Larkin. Ryan. Mexican, Tucker,
Clements, Beckley, Pat Donovan. stivetts,
1 Joyce, Delehsnty, Joe Kelley. Mike kely'
Hines? Jim White, O'Rourke. II. Rich
ardson, LANCE, Lachance, Everitt, LaIoie,
Wagner. Seymour. Chance. Crawford.
Naturalization. Herman, Gore, Dali
rymple, Tom Daily. Griffin, Van Haltren'
Hamilton, Chllds, Mcclure, Jennings
George Davis Stencil, Jack Doyle, Lowe
Brodie, Elmer Smith, Selbach, Fred Clark
Tenney. Fielder Jones, ]. Collins, Chick
stahl. Mercer, Flick, Beaumont, Donlln
Cobb.
Iittle-Laye Gross. Duffy. Holiday
Burkett. McGraw. Thomas, Keller.
Anybody to look at McGraw nov, with
his ls5 pounds, might not think he was q
uisp Of q youth when he played. but h,
was. He didn't have so much muscle tc
gut behind a drive. but he could step In
meet the hall squareiy and send il might,
hard for a little man. Burkett and eros.
were big little men, short but sturdy IL
build, as was Duffy. Thomas wa
not particularly short in stature. bu
below the medium and Of slender build
Reeler was wen knit. but a midget a
BAN players 60.
Arson Has Zig Frame.
OF the mediums Gore and Duffy an
DAILY might have been heavy enough Il
20 into the big brigade. also MCGUIRE
Billy Hamilton was broadly and solidll
built. but short Latham leaned NOR
toward smalIness than bizness. Thermal
was Of goodly height. but slim and stnevy
DaIrympla was fairly tall. but spare Il
build. Griffin and Childs were Of tn
rolypoly type and Van Haltren slender
Davis. Kennings. stsnzei. Doyle. Brodis
. seIbach. Collins. Flick and Beaumon
were all nuscularly made. Lowe va
rather slight a7a Clarke and Jones tri-
sa6 medium Donlin is Of medium. syn
netzsezi build and cobb is why and Q
medium to tall stature.
o. the Goliaths Arson. the MOBILES
siagger Of them all, hard. straightaus
hitter, was Of Big frame. big st2tur,