Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-03-27
By BILLY EVANS,

BY BILLY EVANS.
| Conditions and SURROUNDINGS often
/ play 4 promIneat part IN the success
or failure OF the average ball player.
Dick Hoblitzei was turned loose BY
the Cincinnati club last year. and that
IchIb certainly needed ball players.
Seven other National League clubs al
lowed Hoblitzel to get out Of that or.
ganixafion. The Boston team. 81 the
American League. secured the former
Cincinnati player. and almost over
night he became the sensation OF the
American League. His work was
uniformly brilliant from the time he
joined Garrigan's club until the close
/ of the season. He was the very man
needed to finish off a classy infield.
Big Jim Vaughan was turned loose
by the New York American League
club several years ago. and no one
Twill dispute the fact that the New
i York club could now use a high-elass
] pitcher Clarke Griffith. who knew
/ Vaughan's worth, secured him for the
Washington club felt sure Griffith
had made o master move, for TO me
Vaughan always showed enough stuff
to rank as q star. although he seem
led to lack ambition and was rather
indifferent. Vaughan started off like
whirlwind for Griffiths. but after a
few games developed his old weak.
less. lack OF contro4, and was unable to
go the route, lie was turned back to
!, the American Association, where he
showed enough stuff to warrant the
Chicago club of the National League
to give him another trial. Last year
/ Vaughan. who a number of times had
failed to deliver as American Lacquer,
had a big year IN the National. win
ming 20 and losing Is ganfes
clcotte Was Turned Loose by Boston.
There are any number of cases
where certain players unable to hit a
winning stride with one club often
Hhow great form when given a chance
~ another team In the same organi.
zation. ] regard Eddie Cfeotte as one
OF the best pitchers in the business.
When he was with the Boston club he
looked Just as good to me as he does
now, but for some reason Eddie could
never hit his proper gait while mem.
now and then would show flash OF
his real worth, but his showing with
the club was not a true test of his
ability II would be difficult to con.
vince the average ball player that Ger.
tain individuals are hard luck players.
BY hard luck players II is meant that
the breaks Of the game in a majority
OF cases seem to 80 against them.
Eddie Gicotte has always had to car.
ry around such a burden. It seems
whenever a player makes an error be.
hind him it usually spells couple q
runs for the opposition II he hap.
pens to be going at top form his team,
mates are generally just as helpless
against the pitching of the opposition
Y When his teammates are able to hit
the ball, the opposition Invariably
takes a lot OF liberty with Eddie's Of.
ferings. Despite this handicap. which
he Is supposed to labor under, he
stands out as, q high-class pitcher.
cote about the difference in his work,
and asked him if he had any ex.
PLANTATION to offer.
Gives credit to His Catcher
| Il don't know just how to explain
the big Improvement in my work, ex-
cept to say that working for Chicago
!, / feel as though always have good
chance to win, while when with Bos-
! ton usually wondered how many in
nings would last When was with
!, Boston 4 always hated to look toward
our bench, FOR fear + would see some
one making motions for me to beat
it to the club house. Now, no matter
Ihow tough things may be breaking, |
never have the slightest idea that |
/. am going to be taken out, for j have
the supremacy confident feeling that
will be- able to pitch myself out of the
! hole, no matter how bad things look.
J It Is largely q matter of confidence.
/ With Chicago / always feel that |
have mighty good chance to win,
and very often turn the trick. When
member of the Boston club, to lose
seemed part of my program. and /
often lost. Then again. catcher very
often means lot ( to q pitcher. In
! Ray Schalk I now have a battery part.
.ner who Is a little wonder. II there
i is any good pitching in my system he
seems able to get it out. 1t makes a
lot Of difference who fellow is pitch
| ing to, and when a pitcher has a
backstop like Schalk to handle his
pitching he is a very lucky individual. :
The Case Of Leon An1es.
The case of Leon Ames IS very sim
liar to that OF Eddie Cicotte. McGraw
has always believed Ames a great
pitcher and stuck to him when the
critics couldn't see the percentage.
McGraw evidently figured that sooner
or later Ames would begin to get the
breaks. While member of the New
!. York club he did some great pitching.
but his victories won never in any
way compared to bis real worth as a
pitcher. When a member Of the New
York Giants pitching staff went down
to a hard lick defeat the box score
generally showed Ames as the pitcher.
McGraw finally decided that Ames
twas not a valuable man to the New