Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-04

every player viii admit that good loyal
cheering when things are breaking
toughest. will spur him on 10 srs .s
efforts Severe criticism at such time'
Unless the player has i heart OF oar.
Will create a desire on his part to seek
TIE shower bath. That is one reason why
College cheering spurs on the Na E
men to do their best. Often a college
team apparently beaten. has taken ne"
life because of the encouragement given
by the student body. and attained
glorious victory. A desire to quit ana
.iIe up the game as lost by the lans
hslps create a similar desire in the
players
criticism Spells Star Pitcher.
There is no doubt that some players
pay more attention to the attitude Oh
the crowd than others. 1t would be pos
sbie to cite a dozen cases OF players
who failed disnally i'll certain cities anu
we're stars in others. Why? Simply De
cause the attitude of the fans TOWARD
them was entirely different Know ohc
pitcher. who shuddered every time the
manager selected him to start a game
The pitcher was game ehousu, pu, ioi
various reasons the fans had taken q
dislike to him. and the very mention Oh
his name stirred up a bad feeiihs. oite,,
before the pitcher would throw pai.
h,i47,ireds of voices would lie Yelling Tor
the manager to take him out. Ii ne nap
peaed 10 pass a man ana allow hi..
,,vxry one i'll the grounds. II seemed. was
demanding such action on the part Oh ,ie
manager AS a result OF this feeling the
nircher never walked to the rubber in
thss proper mood or spirit. He was sim
Div waiting for a signal from the Dehch
thst would finish him as performer LOT
the afternoon. This pitcher was SOFA 70
aripther major league club and has been
hikhly successful ever since. Instead OF
being hooted and jeered at as he steps
OH the field he is usually greeted WIFI
a found of applause. He thriFes on such
a .aiet.
VITO are absolutely Indifferent to the
attitude of the crowd. They might pc
classed as great money pitchers. Iei-
LOWS who appear to go at tnelr top
spfeed when pressed hardest. and when
NEST is at stake Christy Mathewson
is.,one of the great money pitchers. For
years he has been the mainstay OF the
Giants when a great deal was at STAKE
chef Bender of the Athletics is another
such pitcher. Connie Mack has often said
that Bender was the man he always
called upon in the pinch. and that the
big Indian had never failed him.
Bender Best in the Pinch.
r have worked many games back of
Bender and know for a fact that his
greatest exhibitions have been against
the crack clubs, with much depending on
the result of the game Against taiI-end
clubs I have seen the Chief perform very
ordinarily. Perhaps no pitcher is joshed
and kidded more than Mack's famous
twirler. The fact that he is an Indian
causes spectators everywhere to greet
his appearance with a bunch OF wild war
whoops. which is usually continued
throughout the game Such a reception
doesn't seem to bother Bender in the
ba
yell the better he seems to pitch The
line of talk intended to discomfort him
simply makes Bender smile the smile
that is all his own and work all the
better
During training season several years
agp / heard a number of star players dis
cissing the influence the crowd had on
the average player. as well as the atti-
ture assumed by the press. One of the
players. still star in the National
League. commented in sensible manner
on, the subject.
NINETY out of every hundred players
ar~ considerably Influenced by what is
said to them and about them Nine others
are for the time affected. but soon shake
Oft the sting of the criticism of the fan
or The adverse comment of the press.
-Al0ut one in every hundred is perhaps
totally Indifferent to what is said to him
bys1he fans or about him in the papers
Some Indifferent to the Fans.
livery now and then in my career
l have run across players who insisted
that they never read the papers. the
spS,Eting page in particular. 1 have al
w4Ns figured that such fellows were
siuply trying to josh some one. and I
haNe always refused to be that certain
party. There never was Il fellow playing
b;1f Who didn't read the papers if he
catIfd 4 complimentary notice always
hin hi
hn1 pine for the hearts blood Of the
Ter. There are few of us who can
gracefully accept the bitter with the
sweet. Every fellow is human. liable to
erT.e ] have always tried to figure that l
have done many things the field that
m4rited praise and pulled lot of things
that deserved criticism. l have always
tried to read adverse comment with as
mitch interest / would half a column
Of. fpraise. Sometimes it has been
rather difficult feat. but ] have usually
managed to go through with it. The only
fellow who ever told me that he didn't
read the papers and whom | believed was
a ftllow who frankly told me that he
couldn't read. it being the best reason in
the world. Perhaps it would be better
fot Some of us If we couldn't read during
the ssunmer time.
Occasionally one runs across a PLAYER
WHO really is actually indifferent 10 the
roaSts or applause of the fans. Lefty
Lefled. who for years was a star Oh
fht> Pittsburgh STAFF of tWirlerS, was al
ways looked upon as such a player
Strh was probably the correct size-up
OF the southpaw.
leifeid happened to be one of the group
of players holding n post-mortem on fan
dom and he remarked thusly:
case of Leifield and Griggs.
III can truthfuly say that the atti-
tude OF the fans toward me when pitch
ing has neither helped nor injured me.
| really believe l am an exception to the
ordinary run of fellows, and | have often
wiShed that ! was differently constituted.
Perhaps. after all, il is probably just as
we'll that l was deaf. dumb and blind to
what was happening in the grandstand
and bieachers. Most Of my career has
been spent in Pittsburgh. ! have given
some excellent exhibitions during my
career Pirate and have been literally
appiauded. Such applause might have
stirred me to greater efforts if I was
susceptible to praise. On the other hand
il L had paid any attention to the roasts
that have been passed me ! would be in
padded cell. My style in the box has
always been rather shiftless. indifferent
iuSt as though | didn't care whether
won or lost. when in reality no fellow
ever lived who liked to win any better
than I. y fellow simply can't change
thS style that nature has given him.
The american League for several
yeArs had just such player in Art
GriSss. who started with st. Louis and
then was sold to Cleveland. Griggs had