Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-06
Frank Can't Let Them Go if Ball
Is Anywhere Near the
Plate.
COLLINS TALKS ON HITTING
Once Someone Said Worlds
Series Star Could Not Hit a
Slow Ball, but
By EDDIE COLLINS
champion Second Baseman of the
American League.)

L
of the qualities that make what is
known as good hitter" When, to
continue, ] say that judgment is a
very important qualification of a
good hitter" I mean that there is
great deal in knowing when to hit.
For instance, it is to the advantage OF
some hitters to play a waiting game
at bat and make the pitcher go the
limit.
This is usually one of the require
'ments of lead-off man. For exam
pie, If the count is two balls and no
strikes, or three balls and one strike,
seldom do. such players as Eddie
Murphy, Bush lDetroit), Milan,
Hooper, Shotten and Leibold offer at
the next ball pitched. Because of
their diminutive stature they have
the advantage over the pitcher and
can afford to pursue such a course.
But for the average Individual un
der the above mentioned conditions l
would say hit, because, primarily, you
are trying to outguess the pitcher,
and that is your game as a stick art
ist. Therefore, when you have the
edge on the twirler why let him draw
up on even terms again with you by
sneaking over a fast one" and
making the score three balls and two
strikes, thereby handicapping your
self?
Ordinarily, it is safe to say that the
ball in question will be fast, straight
one. With such knowledge why not
wallop If 1t Is a good one? On the
other hand, If you wait the deciding
pitch may be a curve or a splitter.
Not all pitchers will give this open
ing to a batter, whether the latter
makes the most of it or not
Bender Would Curve One Over.
Some twirlers have as complete
mastery over their curve or splitter
as they possess over their fast one
A man like Bender is just as liable to
hand up curve when the count is
three and two as fast one. More
than once I've seen "Vean" Gregg,
of Cleveland, have batter three balls
and no strikes and then proceed to
throw three curves over the pan in
succession. When ED" Walsh was
in his prime he never departed from
his splitter to get ball over the plate.
His control of it was the secret of his
success. Competing against such
pitchers a batter is up against it, be-
cause the edge is always in the other
fellows favor.
Let us use Baker as an example
If he only used the judgment at bat
that a man like Cobb does he would
be the greatest hitter that ever lived
But Frank cannot seem to let ball
get by that is anyways near the plate
He hits at a lot of bad balls and in
this way helps IL pitcher out a lot.
Some one started a rumor around
the league that Bake was bad on
a slow ball Pitchers tried it, and
maybe for couple of strikes made
Bake look bad, but when they came
back once more it was good night
90 ac1af rfs.r1 r a6
il with two strikes, two out and no
one on in the ninth inning one day at
Shibe Park, and Bake" hit it over
the wall.
Can't Fool frank.
That is why Frank is such Won
herful batter. You can fool him on
a certain ball once or twice, but he
is liable to knock the next one in the
bsame place a mile His only weak
y ness is one he cannot reach. ! be-
lieve | have already said that ] think
he hits ball the hardest of any bat
ter today in the league. Two hits
by him will always be very wildly
remembered by me, because each of
them only missed my head about an
inch. as | was running from first to
second.
One was rifle-like shot of 8. drive
in the third game of the Athletics
Cubs series In 1910 1t skipped Just
once Oh the damp turf, struck Schultz
on the shin, caromed off, and Sheck-
ard relayed the ball in from left field;
and the scorers gave the Cub right
fielder an error on the play! The
other ball was a line drive that hit
= fellow by the name of Moeller,
second baseman OF the San Fran
cisco club. on the knee cap and neoes-
STATED his removal to a hospital,
where he was confined two weeks.
Certain situations in the game,
such as man on second and third
base, will call for the batter to pur-
sue different course at bat. While
ordinarily he might choose to play a
waiting game a base hit is the thing
most in demand here, and the batter
should not let a good ball get by.
=,
Connie laugh. Him
We had a big catcher year or so
ago who had every requirement of a
major Lacquer. except that he did not
hit quite up to standard Whether
this was due to poor eye or what
: he missed a lot of his swings. Not
only this, he let a lot of good balls
pass unmolested. Art" said Con
ME- to him one day, don't let me
only you, but any batter who is not
reasonably sure of hitting every ball
he swings at never ought to take
strike" This little advice improved
this players hitting immensely.
The ruling recently effected by the
demands of the Baseball Players
Fraternity requiring a clear green
background in centre field free from
advertisements. which heretofore
have been a menace to batsmen, will
no doubt do much to increase hitting.
Particularly will this change be well
coined at Comiskey Park, the home
of the White Sox. In recent years
300 hitters on that club have been as
scarce as hens teethss Their absence
can be traced primarily to certain
Iinfavorable conditions. namely, a
poor background in centre field and
a wind which blows seven eighths of
the time directly against the batting.
Men like Harry Lord. Hal Chase, and
Pat" Dougherty hit over 300 before
they were sent to Chicago, but not
since, so the above appears like a
logical explanation for the falling off
in the averages.
Nauark Rice CbaSc Glib