Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-01
rs Greatest Southern
League Players--No. 2
ThatMolestUorth Crouch

Molesworthian crouch over the
plate was as familiar sight as the
corner of WHITEHALL and Alabama
streets to the crossing cop. The
bugs believed that it was simply
popularity. They did not know
that. in this crouch by the batting
secret of the man who had defied
every great pitcher since the days
when Rusie was a star and Math-
eWson was in swaddling clothes.
For years and years they watch
ed him stick his head over the pan
and wonder by what freak of for
tune he was enabled TO keep his
brains from being spilled over the
catcher's box and how from this
awkward position he was able to
whale any kind OF huFling.
Molesworth told me the rea son for
this crouch. He told it after he
had quit playing ban and had
started the more pleasant pursuit
of managing a penn hant winning
club.
Was Weak on Low Balls.
The rotund Baron manager, un-
like most great hitter 5, had a bat
ting weakness. He cbuld not con-
meet safely if the huFler kept the
pill Whizzing around his knees.
otherwise he was perfect bats
man. Veteran pitchers have de-
clared that he never hit at a ball
that was not over the plate. He
drove with equal ferocity to right,
center or left field HI, was a cork
ing good bunter and rarely struck
out.
But that low ball weakness both
cred him. In his early days Moles-
worth was a pitcher; in fact. his
big league career was confined TO
the hurting hill Way, back in the
early nineties he was a right
handed slabman for Washington
when Arthur Irwin managed the
Senators.
His arm went dead He had.
however, always been a good field
er and possessed an accurate bat
ting eye.
GirIish Way of Peggine.
His eyes We're turned to the out
field and he landed job in a bush
league, playing the gardens and
throwing with his left arm He
did this throughout the rest of his
career, and all Southern league fans
remember the peculiar ,girlish mo-
ton he had in getting away a peg.
When he got on the outfield job
he Immediately planned to be a
sterling hitter He knew he could
not do this as long as he had the
fatal low ball weakness. Natur-
ally. the only thing for him to do
was to make the pitchers keep the
ball high when working against
him.
That was problem of more than
ordinary difficulty. Hurlers rarely
Go what the batter wants them. But
Wordsworth had been hurler, and
he knew the hurler kind.
He knew that every pitcher places
more or less confidence in his
bean" ball-that is. a fast ball
thrown at the head of a batter, with
the idea of making the hitter pull
away from the plate when the ball
does come over
Working on this theory. he rea-
sOned that if he kept his head over
the plate the pitchers would nat
urally throw right at it.
And if he kept his head on level
with the letters on his shirt he
wouIc. be able to murder any sort
Of pitching.
He tried it, Pitcher after pitcher
kept throwing at the elusive head,
and he kept lining out hits. II was
dangerous enough but that season
he hit well above 400. His system
had worked,
Strengthened Up to Hit.
He never hit from his crouch. He
would keep his head over the pan
until the ball started. Then he
would stand erect and whale away
with all his force. He was always