The Washington times., 1914-03-15
.FEARLESSNESS BEST
QUALITY FOR HITTER
So Says Georgia Peach,'
Arguing From His Own Ex-
perience on the Field.
By TY COBB.
(Big Leagues Greatest Batsman.)

| (Big Leagues Greatest Batsman.)
The impression existed in baseball
! for long time that batter had to
be born and that this branch of the
game could not be learned. / main
tain that certain natural qualities
must be born in man to make him
a good hitter and that with these he
can develop himself into formid-
able sticker. l was not always a
hard hitter, yet l have had pretty
good luck at this end of the game
| for. the past few seasons because
made a study of batting, deeming
this to be the most valuable part of
players work.
Nobody would expect a one-legged
man to be a good infelder and to
develop into an Eddie Collins or a
Hans Wagner, because the missing
leg would naturally be big handi-
cap. Since bad eye is not so ap-
parent, many managers and fans
find fault with players with weak
lamps because they cannot hit. You
would be surprised at the number of
men playing ball in the dig league
who could not get very high mark
if they were to undergo an eye test,
and who should be wearing glasses.
OF course, none of them will wear
them, because that would be prac-
Many bail players strain their eyes
by abusing them. They read in bad
light while on the road or otherwise
put them to strain. With n few eN-
ceptions. ii is almost impossible to get
| big leasuers to accept a word of warn
ing because they believe their ewes
are strong enough To stand anv test
| or strain.
oh. you can't hurt my gIims," pro-
| tests the abuser.
Now. | know that my own eyes are
| none too strong, and that they gave
me a lot of trouble last season. and
| so | am the greatest little care taker
| of the lamps you ever met. / insist on
| the light being good before I read, and
| do very little of it on trains even
when the shaking motion is not per
ceptihle, motion which oculists have
The first natural quality that man
needs to become a hitter is good
J eye. After this comes good. stout
heart for in hitting this is more neces-
sary than infilding. If the pitchers in
! a league find that batter is afraid OF
| the ball and backs off from il, they
| will keep popping them at his head
J right along until they scare MIN out of
the box. And don't forget that every
recruit who comes to the league under
| goes this test After good heart and
good eye, comes the mind. player
| must be a student of hitting. and he
| must have exceptional Judgment in
] picking them OUT to become a star.
| No player ever became A great batter
| by going after bad balls. Pitchers
| soon find this out. and give him moth
| ing else Concentration on the work
/! in hand is the great thing in batting
| Once compiled a list of don IS for
young bat,ers. Here they are:
| Don't try to copy the style Of some
! great slugger. His form may mol SUI
| yOu-prObably won't.
Don't pull away from the plate when
! a pitcher serves curve ball.
! Don't try to kill the bal:
| Don't try TO place your hits until you
| have perfected your form.
| Don't take your eye of tn" ball from
| the time the pitcher takes his place in
the hox. Sometimes it Is hidden mo-
mentarily from your view by an &c
| centric motion. This. OF course. can
| not be avoided.
| Don't let the instructions OF the
| coacher guide you at all times
| Don't he on the defensive when run
ming bases.
When ! was in the minors, ! was not
| rated as star hitter, but ! Logan l"
| figure MY faults and to remedy them
| as realized what they were. | d"rIdGd
that the great thing to do "aS I" keep
the pitcher OIL the defensive all the
| time. If possi bile. and that TN" way I"
| do this was TO OutgucSS him. Alter a
tgirler has been outgu~ssed by a batter
a couple Of times, he's licked by you
! for the afternoon. " h" nutSIIeSSes
you, you're licked. There are many in
stances of batter coming INTO IN"
| league bad hitter ana dcvel"pImE
himself into d three hundred man by
his own ehrcwdnnsS. on the other
hand, often d player will 20 like
house afr" for month or perhaps SIX
weeks until the pitchers discover what
his weakness Is and pitch at 1t. Then
he starts back in tn" general direct on
of the minors. F'rcGU"ntlI u 'hanS" il
form will make Il star sluGErr over
night out Of a weaklInc.
Tinker Grew Better.
The greatest inatarr- If TINS sort
WAS Tn. case Of '.Jn"" Tinker. They
say that when Tinker first cam" t" tn"
big league he was v"ry weak rs
hitter. He chopped lIS hat ~ short
and stood close 1" the pl1t". M"tty
tells me that he Wa = ''SU"krT "u =
curve bail on the outside Then 30" !
kept figuring how I" ","T'"Hc his
! weakness.
the pitchers, for h" IL - smart ball
player Vt last, n" d""i'I"d he w"'ld ,
entirely r.nOvdte his form. -" he got
a great Iore hal and Erippeh Il down
H.. the handle. taking 4 "E S"ihs at
the ball Then lac stood back from tn" /
plate. some thinS after IA" fashion "f
Hams Wagner. whom ! Sa" ""y IN ~"
100, v orids series. Tinker would wade !
into tho ball. ard his batting in"~"r"t
at once. last season he hit ..1I, and
| believe it was the best year of his
"I.'.k' larry Of III" Athi.firs WIS Il
lad hitter wh-r he mrst ann" {" ihc
I F.hila,ielph!a cirb hut tn. n""'''i;'r.
connie Mack. ,rtL'd :",i r"r> u'.i
with him. and Bar. J. m"" one % tn
u,nsi dangerous p.Ir Il ilt'"r. N rr'''
league. Tie - to h. feared II anv tim
v-nei Il hit y Iii hr' All u - game. ;rt
'.CVI!ni.'' WAS II w"n""r Always 81 hpl- (
strriu2 up weak kittrI& - can ind
:. fauIt ~ form :,r," ",t""c'i = unrh'.r |
han any UtE"r 81 - 70 "'1S' 81. 3d.
i, ~. ..i" 1c' L. LII. g.. &C.,.
rI-iti,: h. uaS r.-N"r q l"aN. ".,.n o. " |
himself 0hr1 '.. ""> IN lt, -.,nI'. |
Neith,r ~ C;r0r... S,aIhu-s h.s' !
n.