Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-14
RUDE Vanguard didn't
have a thing
on the ball.

the Giants stand on have a thing r
their heads the ball.
that l am going to bunt; then 1 cross him by
smashing right at him. l always watch the
shortstop, and if he gives signs of covering
second base l drill one through him.
Collins of the Athletics is of the greatest
scientific hitters. Foster of Washington is another
good npper at the ball. He's likely to punch it
anywhere. Contrary to general impression
Speaker of the Boston Red Sox is not slugger
He clever, scientific batter. 1t is peculiar that
McInnes, the Athletics first baseman, is strong
hitter against star pitchers and poor against weak
pitchers. In his it's all a state of mind l
think that Connie Mack of the Athletics, more
than any other manager, studies his men so as to
make them good hitters When he signed Old
ring his left fielder, the 9Rube" was weak
slow curve. Barry, his shortstop, joke
hitter Walsh, his right fielder, never looked good
if the pitcher threw curve. Mack has not only L
made Barry of the most dangerous pinch
hitters in the American League, but he has
improved Baker Under him Harry Davis his
old first base STAR became one of the consistent
batters the circuit
Frank Chance is another manager who transforms
the batting styles of the under him. When he led
the Chicago Cubs Tinker, his shortstop, used to be
Mathewsons mark.
One day, by throwing low slow over the out
side of the plate Matty struck out Tinker three
times. Chance began to ponder this. He considered
that Tinker 3choked" his bat that is, held it well up
from the handle and crowded the plate. Whereupon
he made Tinker change his STYLE He told his shortstop
to long bat to hold at the extreme end, and to
stand far back in the batters box he could get.
The next time Matty pitched that low, wide curve,
Tinker stepped almost the plate and swung into
the ball. lining it for two-bagger From that day
he was Mattys Nemesis. By pooling" instead Of 3chop
ping" the ball he broke up game after game, and eli
NAKED it in the memorable payof game for the Ma
tonal League championship in 1908, when his hits off
Matty won for Chicago
60 much for what Chance did for Tinker. The first
year that Cree broke into the American League
known sugger. Then the pitchers and outfelders
got together, they always do when a begins
hitting like tornado, and studied his They
pared notes, and discovered that Cree natural
right field hitter All his drives fell safe near the foul
line. Thereafter whenever he to bat the felders
simply shifted over, and balls that had fallen safe
caught. Cree's batting average slumped. This went
on until Frank Chance became manager of the New
York Yankees. One day Chance said to Cree:
@You don't place your feet right. AS long you
stand that way you'll always hit to right field"
Il can't change my form now" replied Cree 3and
I've been doing pretty well with this STYLE"
"Not well enough to suit me- retorted Chance.
And you'll change your form or change your job"
Cree preferred to change his FORM and toward the end
of last hitting the ball to all parts of the field
Managers are very careful in this way and if play
ers hitting falls off they investigate at once. have
many good htters strain their eyes by abusing
them. BY doing they simply shortening their
careers valuable 1 take exaggerated of
my eyes. will not read unless the light is good. do
very little of trains when the shaking motion
is not perceptible. had slump in my hitting one
year, and oculist, of the best, told that
had strained my eyes by reading railroad trains.