The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-06-23
THINKS MATTY
Is CLA!RVOYANT
Eddie Collins Describes Skill of
Famous Giant Slab Artist

In the July American Magazine |
Eddie" Collins OF the Philadelphia
Athletics, whom Johnny" McGraw Of
the New York Giants calls the great
est baseball player in the world, writes
pitchers | Have Faced" OF course
Collins is one of the greatest batters in
the business, and in his article he tells
great many stories of personal ex-
periences with the best pitchers in the
major leagues. Following is part OF
what he writes about "Christy" Ma
thewson of the New York Giants:
Il would call Matty the clairvoyant
of all pitchers. He seems to possess
an uncanny power Of divining what
you are expecting; and then he serves
up the exact opposite. Neither his fast
ball, nor his curve, is remarkable, but
there is something about Mathewson,
though,-hls bearing, his manner
that gives you the impression that you
are going up against Gibraltar. I'm
consciously you think: am w
against something now, for fair
"In the box Matty wastes no time or
surplus energy, and he pitches as soon
as batter takes his place at the plate.
BY doing so he bothered me lot, /
know. because ! was not used to 1t. 4
go through habitual movements, fix
my cap, hitch my trousers, tap the
plate, and / am accustomed to do these
things as | wait for the pitcher TO wind
UP. Matty, however. didn't give me a
chance. Before | could hitch my trous-
ers the ball was in the catcher's mitt
and the result was that felt at loss.
| was forced to do all my motions be-
fore | got into the batter's box.
IAN the advance notices and bits Of
dope that find their way into the club
house before a world series, led us to
believe that Mathcwson was curve
ball pitcher. Naturally we thought we
were prepared for him. Imagine my
state of mind the first time | faced
him in a world series, expecting "a
curve nearly every other ball, and he
throwing nothing but fast ones right
across the middle About the time !
would say To myself, Hum, nothing
but fast ones; all right, here's anoth-
err he would send up curve, and as
| let it go by it would break over the
plate. why, at times it seemed he act
| ually smiled at me.
when he came back at us in the
| last game in the 1913 series | thought
| by that time | knew all his methods
and that | had him doped out right
But only one fast ball did | get the
| whole game all the rest were curves
and only once i'm the whole series did
he throw me his most noted ball, the
| fadeaway,' a sort of "a slow, screw ball
that breaks away from left handler
"Mathewson's brains really make
| him a great pitcher. although his other
| big asset is his contro,. by COMPARE
| son his style of balls i'm insignificant
! for he has neither the fast one oi
Johnson nor the splitter OF Walsh. but
| Matty comes nearer to putting bal
| where he wants to than anyone else
pitching today. He prides himself on
| being able to go through whole game
and throw only eighty or ninety times
while most pitchers use well over enc
| hundred | understand that Mathew
| son has pitched "A game in which he
| threw only sixty-nine. So you see, IN
this way. he conscrves his pitching
strength"