The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-29
HARDER H|TTERS
IN 0LDEN DAYS
- =. -
Ted Sullivan Says Difference
in Distance of Pitchers
Slab is What Counts.

The question has often arisen be.
tween lovers of the game whether the
batters Of the past were equal to the
IVAN. n veteran manager. The
writer has seen them. all. beginning.
with professional baseball down to the
present time. There are some writer's
anu people who are SO p%rejudiced in
favor Of the people of their own time
OF playing that they will not give
credit to men of n other period, but
IMPARTIAL and fair-minded people are
different.
We will not take the great batters
while the underhand. pitching was in
use, because the present generation
will say that style of pitching was
easy. We will. however. speak of
those giant batsmen when they allow
ca the use Of the overland throw and
mystic curve which is in operation to-
day, and. will compare those batsmen
with the present.
II the reader should ask me frank
lH 1T as a body the batters of the pres
cnt compare with the batsmen Of the
past. | would say frankly no" Then
why: Because that kind Of human
baseball timber has. stopped growing"
ahange In Distance Figures.
When the reader considers the dis
tancc of IS feet.-and so. feet afterward.
with pitchers jumping in the box and
Mhirltng h ball over the plate with
the velocity OF a lightning express.
hose men of the past must have been
hatsinen to cope with those human
cannons; like Jim Whitney. Charles
%lsadhourne, Charlie King. and others,
and yet with no penalty attached to
them In way Of a donated base should
they strike 'batsmen.
Today the pitchers are back so feet
NSitl1 n,aA.141 o~,S,>~~i $50 ~ff~ --S
.: further penalty on the pitcher for
hitting 2 hatsman. And then. think
of thos batters that had to face those
human catapults who had the liberty
Of a hop. skip. and a jump while in-
side a box. 49,.
The reader can draw his own con-
clusion as to who were the greatest
or ninetfes. when the forms of Lip
Pike. Joe Start. Andy Leonard. Jim
ONcil. Dan Brouthcrs. Paul Hines,
Sam Thompson. Arson. Jim White,
Jack Rove. Richardson. Gore, Roger
Conner. Charley Bennett. Gillespie,
Jim ORourke, Dalrymple. Mike Kelly.
Ed. Williamson and many others that
memory fails to recall are compared
with the present.
10 think of those .hercuelan bats
men, who were under fire through the
golden era of great pitchers. and COM
pare them with tho few CObbs. jack
sons, and ~I4ajoies that are left 1t would
require no orator with the persuasive
power of Bourkc Cochran to tell you
in what period the great batsmcn
lived.
Great Pitching Fcats.
Two of the greatest feats of pitch
ing (barrfng Radbourne's unprece-
dcnted fcat at Providence) came un-
der my observation in 1883, while
manager of the st. Louis Browns. One
was on the part of Bob Matthew'S. of
the Athletics of Philadelphia, and the
other Tim Kcefc, of the Metropolis
tans. at New York.
1t was nothing for Tim Keefe or
bob Matthews. to pitch five or six
games in succession. when the cXigen-
cy of the case demanded it. The
Browns hit Keefe very hard in the
first of n particular series, making
some sixteen hits. To my surprise
next day keefe again went up against
the. Browns and defeated them. let
ting them down to six hits. The next
day he was in the box again and DIM
inished. the hits to three. but the
Browns won the game by wonderful
base running.
Matthews. in a series of games In
st. Louis. surpassed the pitching feat
Of keefe. The Browns won the first
game from the Athletics with Mat.
thews pitching. making twelve hits of,
this little wizard. Game little Mat.
thews asked the manager if he could
not pitch the entire series against the