South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-15
COLLINS WARDS
OFF HOODOO IN
MANY ODD WAYS
White SOx Star Is Rated as
Most SuperStitiOuS Man in
BaSebaII-Can Make 300
hitterS of Mates.
BY Frank G.. AIcnke.

NEW YORK, June 15.-"Eddie
Collins is one of the most supersti-
uous men in baseball" said Wallace
O'Dell, OF the Tarrytown, y. Y, Daily
News. who has known the whirlwind
second sacker ever since he was a lad
i'm knickerbockers
"A wad of chewing gum figures
very largely in the superstition of Col
Inns. Many fans have noticed that
Collins fumbles with the rim of his
cap when he steps to the plate and
that he tumbles with il again if two
strikes are called, but they don't
know why. The reason is this
Collins. as he steps to the plate.
removes the wad Of gum from his
mouth and jams it on the under side
of his cap peak. That's supposed to
bring him a hit. Should two strikes
be called on Collins. he concludes that
the gods of fortune rule that she
should put the gum in his mouth,
whereupOn he removes the gum from
the peak of his cap and shoves it
back into his mouth before the third
ball is pitched.
Collins always insists that his bats
lay on one end of the row The bat
boys have orders. when laying the
bats on the ground, to place all of
Collins bats on the end Of the pile,
with Collins favorite club on the eX-
treme end
Cap Good Omen.
Collins became possessed of a GER
tain cap when he first joined the
Athletics and he never wore any
other. The cap, after many years of
usage, became considerably worn, but
Collins wouldn't use new one. When
he moved on TO the White SOx he still
wanted TO wear the same cap. but it
didn't harmonic with the White SOX
uniforms, and so he reluctantly began
to wear the new one. The old one is
stored away among his most treas
ured possessions.
The cap is the first thing that Col
Inns puts on when he changes from
civilian clothes TO his baseball uni
form, and it's the last part of his uni
form that he takes off after he goes
to the clubhouse to take his shower
bath That necessitates pulling his
shirt over his head with his cap on,
but Collins always jams his cap well
down on his head and removes the
shirt. Should the cap be jerked off
by accident while he is taking off his
shirt. Collins looks upon it IS bad
omen"
Makes 800 Hitters.
The wonderful clouting being done
this year by Jacques Fourier of the
White Sox seems to bear out the
claim Of the Collins supporters that
Wizard Eddie" can make 500 hit
ter out of any man who follows him
in the batting order.
IF it hadn't been for the assistance
that Collins gave Baker while they
played together on the Athletics.
Baker never would have been d 800
batter" says the Collinsites."
How SOP"
well. Collins usually gets on base
twice out Of every five times up. He's
Just about the fastest man in the
American league and gets on second
base very often via the stolen base
route. Arriving at second he learns
what kind Of ball the pitcher is go
ing 10 throw and tips off the batter by
some kind of yell.
TINS on Batter.
when Collins played with the Ath-
letics ne would learn what kind Of
ball the pitcher was going to throw to
Baker. who followed him in the line
up. and he'd tip off Baker. The Home
Run King knowing what kind of ball
was coming, could set himself for 1t
and lust lam il out of the lot.
"IIit it on the nose, Frank Eddie
would yell. and that probably would
be a signal to Baker that a fast ball
was coming. Smash it out of the lot.
old boy would mean that Baker
should look for curve ball.
collins since moving on to Chi
cago. seems to be working the same
stunt with Fourier. who follows Col
Inns i'm the lineup. Collins : getting
to second more frequently this year
than last and nearly every time he
lands there the Frenchman connects
for hit-and usually II Is long one.