Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-05
BASE BALL IS WITHOUT LUCK
Such is Declaration of Charles
Herzog in Behalf of Game.
SKILL TOO OFTEN FORGOTTEN
Fruit of Hard Work ana Atore-
thought, Just as I'm
Any business.

Any business.
NEW YORK. July 4-"Luck in base
ball7 There's no such thing"
The speaker was Charles Lincoln Her
zog, one-time Giant and worlds series
star, who is now managing the Cincin-
natl Reds as few Cincinnati teams have
ever been managed. That Herzog is thor
oughly sincere in his statement became
very evident within minute after no
had begun to unfold his ideas about that
unknown something" 30 popularity ac-
credited as big part OF our national
game. The most ardent supporter of the
theory that luck is a prominent factor in
base ball happenings would need only 20
hear Herzog discuss the question a few
minutes and his ideas would change com
| pletely.
Somebody has declared" continued
the youthful and peppery manager, that
base ball is so per cent luck II that Is
true have seen only half of the game
the other 90 per cent This is my seventh
year in the major league and | have vet
to see anything happen on the field that
was not the result of base ball skill, the
lack of 1t 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 players credit for
skill and judgment
ITO give a specific instance OF the fool
ishnessl in making luck answer for hap
penings on the field 1 have only to recall
two plays which occurred a few days
ago while my team was playing at Phila-
delphia. One of my players hit a ball
almost to the brick wall in center field
and Dode Paskert ran back and made a
spectacular catch. l should say that he
ran back fifty feet.
Not IA Case of Luck.
Hard luck, old boy remarked one of
the Reds when the player came back to
the bench after flying out You should
have had q triple on that one.
Il said nothing at the time, but l was
thinking to myself how valuable an out
fielder 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 Dooln's men hit fly TO the
outfield and 1t dropped about fifteen feet
behind one Of the Cincinnati outfielders.
1t was good for two bases and was turned
into run 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 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 Dagger"
Skill is Forgotten.
THAT was the opening l wanted. II
was the comparison OF their so-called
luck and our equally misnamed misfor-
tune. Skill and the lack OF It were en-
tirely forgotten in explaining why they
were successful and We had not been on
much easier play.
"'You fellows don't give the other fell
low credit for any skill when you charge
, 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. Call It luck and you do an in
/ justice to Paskert. II our outfield could
! 80 back fifty feet for a ball It would not
drop as that one did. II is not luck. II is
skill on the one side and the lack Of II
on tho other"
"'rhe same is true OF every play In the
game. One-handed catches are not the
result OF luck, but OF the skill of the man
! who makes them. Errors are part OF the
game, representing the difference be-
/ tween perfection in play and the human
. weakness Of the player. They are due "a
> poor judgment OF player In handling a
ball Perfect jumping would insure per
feet play. Some men have more skill and
better judgment than others and that ac-
counts for their greater success Luck
does not enter into the play at all.
Brains on Both sides.
Take the batsman and the pitcher. II
, is skill on both sides and one brain
y against the other. The batsman has eight
other skilled workmen opposing him. II
r he lines into a players hands or into a
E phenomenal play he is simply a victim
' Of the opposing skill. IL he swings at a
( ball and weakly pops over the infield foI
2 Texas Lacquer he Is not lucky. II Is a
! case of the pitcher outguessing him with
a dinky curve when he expected some
, thing else and what might have been q
long drive for extra bases falls short
Better headwork on the part of the pitcher
won this battle OF wits And 1t Is the
same on any hit you can name. When The
batsman outguesses the pitcher he wins
and when he is outguessed he loses
Il What happens 10 the ball after II leaves
e his bat can be explained by the skill ol
lack Of II on the part OF the other team
q The little slips in play show up weak
nesses. but they are not luck.
| tha caaa of the plaVer who a