The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1915-10-14
Harry Davis Talks Baseball

Harry Davis, the famous big Lacquer
and captain of Connie Maek's Athle-
tics, who has been visiting Ben Hous-
err at Skowhegan, was in Lewiston,
Monday with Houser on the way to the
latters farm in Litchf1eld to spend a
few days Davis had had a fine time
in Maine and while at Skowhegan
took part in a few games. He has
also been watching the work of the
various Maine teams and as a result
of his trip here number of Maine
boys may possibly get a chance to
show what they can do in faster COM
pany.
Davis announced that Buck Dan
ner. the Rumford Falls shortstop for
this year, had been signed and will
report at Philadelphia within few
days. Banner has been playing great
ball this summer and made a good i'm
preston with Davis.
He recalled old New England
League games when he was with the
Pawtuckets in '03 or '04 and when
Lewiston still carried Abe Lezotte and
Jim Mccormick upon the payrolls.
Before the advent of Lajoie he went
into the bigger leagues where his repu-
tation as a ball player has been ma
tion-wide.
"The older get" said Mr.. Davis,
"the more l feel that the temperament
is the thing. There are a great many
men who have the mechanical ability
to play good base balk Some of them
have the temperament They make
the stars. Some have it not; they go
down and out. Every great ball play
er, Ty Cobb, Speaker. Matthewson, Ed
die Plank, Eddie Collins. has the true
baseball temperament. 1t is varied as
to the man, but the underlying ele-
ment of it is the thought I will do
my best to win no matter what hap
pens
How often" continued Mr.. Davis,
you have seen the pitcher. for in
stance, who has the mechanical abil-
ity to pitch. He has the physique and
the pitching-art. yet he fails because
he doesn't look at the game from the
right angle as game. He is pitching,
we will say, and the umpire CALLS one
or two wrong-gives a ball for what
! he thinks was a strike. What does he
do? He begins to think over it, says
to himself, This umpire has it in for
; me. l can't get what belongs to me.
To the dogs with the game He cant
see that these two wrong decisions on
balls and strikes need not win the
game. That's bad fault, in any ball
| player. | rather have the cheerful,
everyday conscientious worker who
can't see anything ahead but winning
and who takes hard luck philosophi-
cally than the other kind of a player,
| ho 10 ic t,t-in hn
| better ball player Connie Mack will
split up a ball team to get rid of a
player who is all the time counseling
| ugliness and sour thoughts. He has
done it and will do it any day.
There is in the New England League
today one of the most wonderful ball
players / have seen. He is faster
than most of them in the big league.
He can hit the ball hard He can
throw a ball across the diamond with
such ease, precision and speed as to be
marvellous and the ball sails as lightly
as bird. But | don't like his attitude
to the game. | watched him closely.
He seemed to be fighting fate. He
acted Indifferent and somewhat bored.
He never would do-if | have him
sized up right. But he'd be a wonder
II he happened to turn out right
Base ball has won better position
than | ever thought it would. Such
men as Matthewson and the others |
have named have done everything to
dignity the sport Patience, good
faith, clean-living. loyalty and seri
Gus appreciation of the bigness of the
job have marked their careers. It's
short life and strenuous, but it calls
for more than you can guess, unless
you have lived in it, A man must first
control himself. He must have single
ness of purpose. He must be an OPP
timist And he must have what we
call pep With these you can win
often against players who are indiyid-
ually more skilful but who lack the
true baseball temperament, which uni
ted and coherent makes up team work.
Lewiston Journal