Norwich bulletin., 1912-12-03
MANY TWlRLERs FAIL
 WHEN UNDER FIRE
Pitcher Nseds Something Besides Brawn According to Billy Evans.

WHEN OiN66h i16 Pitcher Nseds Something Besides
 6rawn According to Billy Evans.
 Billy Evans, the well known arbiter of the American league, says: "All things being apparently equal, why are some pitchers so much superior to others2 Watch them during the warm-up periods, and there appears to be little if any difference in the speed and curves. Put them into the game and the difference immediately asserts itself. It Is the test under fire that proves the relative merits of the boxmen. Lots of people labor under the impression that speed, curves and strength are the necessary requisites of great pitcher. True, few pitchers acquire greatness unless they have plenty of speed and a good curve; yet those two assets are far from being the most essential. 1 know any num- Der of pitchers who possess terrific speed, who are the masters of an as sortment of puZzling curves, yet they are only mediocre when put to the test. I could name a dozen pitchers who appear to have nothing, yet they must be classed as really great twirl CTS.
 "A brain that is able to think quick ly, heart of oak and a good disposi- tion are even more essential to good pitching than speed and curves. There are lots of twirlers who are unhittable in batting practice. but who have nothing when sent to the mound. There are many pitchers who are wonders just as long as the bases are empty, but who blow just as soon as the sacks get populated Many go along smoothly just so long as their sup port remains intact; but a few errors will cause them to establish new al- titude records. These pitchers have the speed, the curves and the strength to be stars, but something more es- sential Is lacking.
 "On the other hand, you watch a certain pitcher warm up, and you comment on his lack of speed and faulty curve You probably have seen him pitch many brilliant game, yet you wonder how he does it. You compare him with some other mem Der of the staff who has a world of speed and a fast breaking curve yet Is unable to win. It resolves itself into puzzle that you are unable to solve. You say to yourself he must be lucky, but he isn't. It is pretty safe bet that the gentleman who ap- pears to have nothing Is some pitcher. F'andom continually hears the praises sung of Mathewson, Walsh, Fucker, Johnson and the other star twirlers in the two big leagues. Their deeds of valor are being constantly related. They are great pitchers, and merit all the praise handed them. Still no pitcher in the business is more interesting to me than the veteran Jack Powell of the St. Louis Browns. Powell Is what a lot of players who are unable to hit him term a 'noth- ing pitcher Usually when a star is unable to do anything with the stick he contents himself by insisting that the pitcher who is fooling him has nothing meaning neither speed nor curves. You hear players make that remark about Jack Powell, (more than any pitcher in either league, yet Amer ican league. umpires to a man will tell you that Jack Powell has some thing and they are more liable to | miss strikes on him than many of the stars
 There are few pitchers in baseball like Jack Powell. His nerve is un- | limited. No situation is too tough fo1 him to tackle. He is best in the pinch | es. Like Mathewson, Powell always | takes into consideration the fact that there are eight other players on the | field beside himself. With no one or | the bases, he delights in having the players hit the ball, provided theil | efforts don't go safe. More fly balls | and long ones, are hit off Powell thar | any other pitcher. When things art breaking easily Jack is getting away I in the same manner. When the pincI | comes he always has something or | the ball. He can show the batters | just a little more speed, and a little | better curve than he has previousl! l been serving them. Perhaps nothing ! makes Jacks delivery look easier tC
 hit than his peculiar windup. It is | perhaps, stretching the point to refel | to it as a windup. All he seems tC l do Is to make a quick hitch, and tht ball is on top of the batter before he realizes it.
 Tt is PowelPs lack of a winduI 1 that makes him look easy, but those who know will tell you that 1t Is this l quick delivery that puzzles the bats men. On top of this no situation, n(
 matter how critical worries Jack 1 Don't forget that 1t was Powell whC l stopped Walter Johnson after tha l wonderful twirler had won 16 straigh | games. It took some pitching to bea | z l Johnson allowed four hits and strucl
 out an even dozen men. It is a stou heart, nerve unlimited and supreme l confidence in his own ability tha | make Powell the great pitcher he is | though spectators continually rave be cause the home players can't hit hi offerings. I could hit Powell myself,
 was the remark I heard a spectator
 make one day as I was leaving thu | Cleveland grounds. Jack had just fin ished pitching a brilliant game agains the Maps. Powell was so good tha
 day that I couldn't refrain from chal
 lenging the fan. If you really thinl
 so,' I said, come around tomorrow be
 fore the game starts and Powell vii
 bet you two to one that you can even make a foul' I know Powel
 well enough to feel sure he would hay
 made the bet, if I had related tn
 circumstances to him. It Is needles
 to say the fan didn't come arount
 for any batting practice.
 Pitchers must be able to do some thing besides getting the ball over tn plate. In fact. most pitchers who ar
 successful like1 to get the ball owe by the narrowest margin possible
 They much prefer making the batte hit bad or Just fair balls instead c
 serving him cripples, as balls throug the heart of the plate are called
 Pitchers who are successful to a larg
 degree owe their success to maIxin
 the batter hit something he doesn
 like. It is the good pitcher who ca
 make the batsman accept somethin
 he doesn't want"