The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-14
Sporting NeuUs
RIGHT HANDLERS PREFERRED.
Port Side Pitchers Have Certain AID
vantages Nevertheless.

Is the left-hander, especially the
left handed pitcher, constitutionally in
ferior to the right -hander?o asked the
man who was eager for baseball infor
nation.
Considering that conditions make it
| easier for him to watch the runner on
nrst base, TO throw to first base, to
throw to third base, left-handed pitch
ef mas vast advantages over a right
handed artist. The left-handed batter's
position on the south side of the home
plate, his swing, which throws him into
running stride gives him an advantage
OF II feet going to first base, over the
rIght-hander of equal speed. Yet the
| good rlght-handed pitcher is always SUI
per1or to, and preferred to, the great
left-handed pitcher, and the good right
handed batter, with notable exceptions,
IS always better than and preferred to
the great left handed hitter. Consider
ing the vast advantages the left handler
has over the highlander, especially
among pitchers, this condition should
not exist. Almost all the leading, and
great, pitchers have been right handlers
Certainly all the great enduring pitch
ers have been right handers. If YOU ask
of his period he will, even if he is a
left handed hitter, invariably, name a
right handler. Alexander in the Nation
al, johnson in the American league are
the big guns of today. They are right
handlers.
The oldtime pitchers, Radbourne,
Burlington, Keefe, Welch, Mccormick,
Clarkson, We're all right handlers.
Lefty Baldwin was probably the
first of the famous left-handers and his
fame was limited, compared to the
fame of his compeerS of the right hand.
! Indeed, 1t was well into the middle sos
: before left-hander became famous.
Then Matt Kilroy, with Baltimore, and
Tom Ramsay with Louisville, both in
the American association, in which St
Louis was then making its reputation
, rs a four-time winner of flags, made
some wonderful records. Kilroy strue
out sos men in IS games in 1884, while
Ramsay struck out 494 men in SO games
in 1886. Ramsay struck out his 494
men under rule which obliged
the pitcher to get four instead of three
strikes on the batter. 1t has been esti
, mated that striking out 494 men under
l he four strike rule was equal to strik
= ng out 6l3 men under the three strike
rule. Remember, too, there was no fou
: strike rule in those days. But the
pitching distance was only Is feet Xii
r roy was a marvellous pitcher to hold {
: runner on first. He has not beer
equaled in this respect. A runner dare
not even take his foot off first wher
7 hilroy was pitching. If he did, tn,
/ ball was onfhim.
2 On thegwhole, there must be som,
. serious shortening in the structural
Organization of the left-handed throw
or, especially of the left-handed- pitch
= er. 1t has been said that the left hand
: ed pitcheE does not endureIas long a
a the right h8pder because ibis THROWN;
arm is on the same si4ezof the body a
PMS heart, This xir is ATHEISTS scarce main
/. tainable. Breitenstein pitched fo
h - years and was hale and hearty whel
he finished. It is far more likely tina
! the peculiarities of the left-hander ar
: due to the fact that his motions ar
: governed by the right lobe of the brain
! which through centuries of subjugatio
= to the left lobe manifests its action i
, the peeuliarities of those whose me
!. tions are governed by it.