Evening journal., 1914-06-25
NJ such THING As
luck, SAYS HERZOC
Every Good Play Is Due to
Judgment and Skill
of Player
POINTS AND PLAYS
TO PROVE HIS POINT

Luck in baseball? There's no
such thing.
The speaker was Charles Lincoln |
Herzog, one time Giant and worlds
series star, who is now managing the
Cincinnati Reds as few Cincinnati I
teams have ever been managed, says
the New York Evening Sun. That
Herzog is thoroughly sincere in his
statement became very evident with
in a minute after he had begun to un-
fold his ideas about that unknown
something" so popularity accredited
as a big part of our national game.
The most ardent supporter of the
theor! that luck is a prominent factor
in baseball happenings would need
only to hear Herzog discuss the ques-
ton a few minutes and his ideas
would change completely.
Somebody has declared" con-
tin ed the youthful and peppery
maiager, that baseball is so per
cent luck. II that is true l have seen
only half Of the game-the other so
PEI cent. This is my seventh year in
The major league, and | have yet to
see anything happen on the field that
tie lack of it or the good or bad
Judgment on the part of the players
involved Every time you regard any
play on the ball field as being lucky
you are not giving one or more play
ers credit for skill and judgment
ITO give a specific instance of the
/ foOlishness in making luck answer
for happenings on the field have
only to recall two plays which oc-
CURED a few days ago while my team
was playing at Philadelphia. One of
my players hit a ball almost to the
brick wall in center field and Dode
Paskert ran back and made a specta-
cular catch. should say that he ran
back so feet.
Hard luck old boy remarked
one of the Reds when the player
came back to the bench after flying
out You should have had a triple
O. :. that one
g said nothing at the time, but ]
was thinking to myself how valuable
an outfelder of Paskert's ability is
to any ball club.
"In the same inning while the
Phillies we're at the bat and my team
in the field one of Dooin's men hit a
fly to the outfeld and it dropped about
Is feet behind one of the Cincinnati
outfelders. It was good for two basel
and was turned into run a minute
later when the next batsman got a
single. Then came the third out and
we went back to the bench. As soon
as the players had settled themselves
on the bench that old luck theory
broke out again.
Talk about your luck said one
of my men, what do you think OF
that fly dropping for two bases and
my drive being caught out near the
wall Mine was a much harder hit
than this lucky two-bagger.'
THAT was the opening ] wanted. 1t
was the comparison of their so-called
luck and our equally misnamed mis-
fortune. Skill and the lack Of 1t
we're entirely forgotten in explaining
why they we're successful and we had
not been on a much easier play.
"You fellows don't give the other
fellow credit for any skill when you
charge a thing of that kind to luck,
said. breaking into the discussion.
TO my way of thinking, Paskerts
skill is the answer that explains the
difference in the two plays. II our
outfeld could go back 80 feet for a
ball it would not drop as that one
did. Il is not luck II is skill on the
one side and the lack of it on the
other
The same is true of every play
I'm the game. One-haIded catches are
not the result of luck but of the skill
of the man who males them Errors
are part of the ggme, representing
the difference betEen perfection in
plav and the human weaknesses of
the player. They are due TO poor
Judgment of a phyer in handling a
ball. Perfect judgment would insure
perfect play. Stme men have more
skill and better Judgment than others,
and that accounts for their greater
success. Luck does not enter into
the play at all
stake the b.tsman and the pitcher.
II Is skill on Soth sides and one brain
against the ether. The batsman has
eight other skilled workmen opposing
him. If he Ines into players hands
or into a phenomenal play he is SIM
ply a victim of the opposing skill. II
he swings at ball and weakly pops
over the nfeld for a Texas Lacquer
he is notlucky II Is a case of the
pitcher oitguessing him with a dinky
curve wen he expected something
else, anflwhat might have been long
drive 5r extra bases falls short.
Better headwork on the part of the
pitcher won this battle of wits. And
II is he same on any hit you can
name. When the batsman outguesses
the utcher he wins and when he is
outgiessed he loses. What happens
TO ne ball after IL leaves his bat
can be explained by the skill or lack
of 4 on the part OF the other team.
Thsjittle slips in play show up weak
neses, but they are not luck.
Take the case of the player who
II injured. which always brings out
tie hard-luck cry from the fans.
specially If the player is an import
ant cog in the machine. An injury
sliding to a base proves that there
was something lacking in that slide.
Hundreds OF players slid daily with
out injury One player or the other
showed poor playing form or bad
Judgment.
"And so It is all through the game.
Skill or lack of it, perhaps the inn
proper use Of il. will explain every
good or bad play on the baseball field.
The pitcher who is hit hard and wins
with light hitting shows an example
of one team outguessing a pitcher
perhaps only once, or gathering runs