Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-11
BASEBALL SCHOOLS ARE
NOT LIKELY TO SUCCEED

This discussion brings to mind a
story heard about HoblitZel, Cincin-
natl first baseman. Some one told a
writer Of baseball on New York pa
per a couple of years ago that Hob
by" had plenty of coin and was a
society favorite in Cincinnati, spend
ing most of his evenings in leading
cotillions. This sounded good to the
baseball writer, and he thought to
get up a Sunday story about this
young society leader. who was playing
ball for the fun of it and to kill time
between evenings. He sent a tele-
gram to Hoblitzel which read about
as follows:
Want story on your society expert
ences. Please send photograph in ev-
ening dress"
He received the following wire from
Hobby:
Have no suit just now. If ] have
one union suit at a time l think l
am lucky"
Boys Can't Afford Schooling.
Because most boys have no, extra
change to spare when they begin to
play baseball professionally, and as to
get money is usually their reason for
going into it, do not see how many
are to be able to attend a baseball
school unless it is SO heavily endow-
ed that it can afford to give free tut
ton and board. know how much
chance would have had Of persuading
my parents to put UP. the most of my
tuition to go to baseball school when
first started out in the minor leagues.
They would have ranked me as a
failure, net, and let it go at that
Here is little story Of my own ex-
perienee in baseball schools: l once
had an idea that would start a cor
respondence school for pitchers and
supply a series of lessons, in which
I would teach boys the proper and
improper methods of pitching through
text and photographs. l even went
so far as to prepare a couple of these
lessons, and the first came pretty
easy, because I merely had to point
out the common faults of pitching,
and there was no reason for discus
sion the technique of the game in the
first lesson. But the second came
harder There baked. The men
interested in the proposition with me
urged me to go ahead.
But l do not. believe I can teach
them the real fine points of pitching
in this way" / said. Il coached the
Harvard pitchers one year and would
stand in the baseball cage in the gym
nasium and show them the proper
way to take their windup, ETC., and
even then they could not get it. If l
was not able to show them when
was right there, how will we do it
through the maiI?"
But you can correct lot of faults ~
they replied.
Certainly, / can" l said, but I
don't believe you can teach a boy how
to pitch and /, don't want my friends
among the baseball followers to think
l am trying to get dough for some
thing when am not giving value re-
ceived."
"Ty" Cobb also had this correspond
ence school idea to teach players the
whole game, but he never put the stuff
out. l do not know why he did not.
Certain bad habits could be eliminated
in a young player in this way, but
nothing extraordinary could be taught
And no job could be guaranteed.
Connie" Mack conducts a kind Of
training school at Shibe park during
the season when the Athletics are at
home. To limited extent he permits
any promising local talent to work out
with his players, but he does not take
any young players in hand unless he
thinks he sees a prospect