The Detroit times., 1914-03-12
FATE OF MAPS
RESTING UPON
LEFT-HANDERS
For First Time in History Major
Club Must Rely Almost
Solely on Portsiders
~ FULLERTON.

ATHENS. Ca, March l2.-The
plight of the Cleveland team In being
deprived OF the services Of almost It's
entire stan of right.handers and fore
ed to rely chiefly upon left-handers
raises the question OF why are lett
handed pitchers bugs to use passr
ball term.
Cleveland has Steen. of course. but
the condition OF his arm after being
broken Is o problem. The team has
persuaded Blanding to jump back from
the Feds. but the chances are that ne
will not be permitted to play. as the
Feds will rush tn court and tie him
IN. The other right-handers are ex-
periments--so that the real work OF
the season must fall upon vean Gregg,
Willie Mitchell and Nick Cullop, with
Lefty James and Walker. two other
left-handers. to help out. II 10 the nrst
time in baseball that all the stars OF
q teams pitching stan have been port.
siders, and the situation is what makes
Cleyeland's team such q problem for
the students Of s;.seball.
never have been able to solve the
puszle Of why ieft-nanded pitchers are
more peculiar and temperamental than
hight handlers, but the fact remains
that they are, This condition Is gen.
eral in baseball aLd extends only TO
the pitchers. Iest-handed players In
other positions are, on the average,
al normal 90 any other men. But,
from the earliest history of baseball.
the fact has been recognized that left
handlers ere more "temperamental
than grand opera stars.
Once l advanced theory and per-
suaded several doctors to back It up
that made me vastly unpopular Win
left-handed pitchers The theory was
that q left arm working directly over
the heart caused excessive strain on
that organ, causing 1t to pump the
blood into the brain too rapidly. and
this overlooking OF the brain affected
the thinking power Of the pitchers.
Whether or not this was true never
knew. The doctors, with many hens
and haws and qualifications, were will
ing to stand for II.
However. II Is an odd phenomenon
of the game that almost every left
handed pitcher the game has ever
kSown has been peculiar In some way,
and most of The odd characters OF
baseball have M'cn left-hauders. Peg.
Ry Shaw, the first OF the left-handers,
was taken from q ball field raving and
died In an asylum. For long time
thought perhaps lnis fact had led to
sort OF superstition concerning the
southpaws, but this was not the case.
Tom Ramsey. believed by many to
have been the yf cAtest OF all the left
handlers, was a0.ed for his peculiart
ties. Fred Schmidt. the veteran who
became one OF the best-known charac-
tiers, was left-handed. Even now
Crazy" can pitch baseball after more
than 20 years Of service. Matty XII.
roy, one Of the greatest OF the leftfes,
was national character. Danny
Friend, who threw the bah over the
stands during game and walked on
the field, was od0. He would be plung-
ed into depths of gloom after . hard
game or into excesses Of Joy that last
ed for days before he became normal.
The eccentrici-ies Of poor Eddie
Waddell made him noted. The list
might be extended indefinitely. Their
Irregularities vary greatly, the most or
binary manifestatis.n being great men,
fal depression after hard game--this
regardless Of the result Of the contest.
DOC" White. one OF the greatest Of
modern p.tchers. ID known among
PLAYERS as "the sane left-hander."
showing that the athletes themselves
recognize the osdities Of the south
paws.
Other American league managers
are laughing at Birmingham. who must
depend upon left-nanders. II makes
the dope" on the Cleveland team an
uncertain proposition. Left-handers
VIGOROUSLY win ard lose BY streaks.
n All his three ieft.handed stars should
net 20 going we'll Il once, the Athlet-
ice better beware. On the other hand
-out We hope not.