Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-07

1 prayer
tn Dick Hoblitze,
M3av was turned loose
~ by the Cincinnati
@&$41 club last year, anC
| that club certainly
4 needed ball play
SKI ers. Seven othe!
National League
clubs allowed Hoblitzel to get out oil
that organization. The Boston team OF
the American League secured the for
mer Cincinnati player, and almost over
night he became the sensation of the
American League. His work was uni
fornly brilliant from the time he
Joined Carrigan's club until the close
of the season. He was the very man
needed to finish off classy in1ield.
Big Jim Vaughan was turned loose
by the New York American League
club several years ago. and no one will
dispute The fact that the New York
club could now use u high class
pitcher Clark Griffith. who knew
Naughan's worth secured him for the
WASHINGTON club. l felt sure Griffith
had made master move, for to me
Vaughan always showed enough stuff
to rank as star. although he seemed
to lack ambition and was rather indif-
ferent- Vaughan started off like Z
whirlwind for Griffith, but after few
games developed his old weakness
lack of control, and was unable to go
the route He was turned back to the
American Association, where he show
ed enough of stuff to warrant the Chi
cago club of the National League to
give him another trial. Last year
vaughan. who number of times had
ialied to deliver as an American
Lacquer. had Il big year in the Ma
tlonal winning twenty and losing thir-
teen games.
Turned Loose by Boston.
There are any number of cases where
certain players, unable to hit win
ming stride with one club, often show
great form when given chance by
another team in the same organization.
regard Eddie Cicotte as one of the
best pitchers in the business When he
Wa wit, tne Boston club he looked
Just as good to me as he does now, but
Tor some reason Eddie could never hit
his proper gait while 4 member of the
Red SoX- Cicotte every now and then
would show y flash of his real worth,
but his showing with that club was
not true test of his ability. 1t
would be difficult to convince the
average bail player that certain in
dividuals are hard luck players. BY
hard luck players is meant that the
breaks of the game in a majority of
cases seem to go against them. Eddie
!Cicotte has always had to carry around
such burden. 1t seems whenever
player makes an error behind him it
usually spells q couple of runs for the
opposition. If he happens to be going
at top form, his teammates are gerer-
ally just as helpless against the pitch
ing of the opposition. When his team
mates are able to hit the ball. the OPP
position invariably takes lot of lib
erty with Eddie's offerings. Despite
this handicap, which ne is supposed to
labor under. he stands out as high
class pitcher. One day last summer /
spoke to Cicotte about the difference in
his work. and asked him if ne had any
explanation to offer.
Gives Credit to His Catcher.
II don't know just how to explain
the big improvement in my work, ex-
cept to say that working for Chicago
I feel as though I always have good
chance to win, while when with Boston
I usually wondered now many innings
1 would last. When ] was with Boston
1 always hated to look toward our
bench, for fear I would see some one
making motions for me to beat it to
the clubhouse. Now, no matter how
tough things may be breaking, never
have the slightest idea that 1 am
going to be taken out, for / have
the supremely confident feeling that
I will be able to pitch myself out OF
the hole, not matter how bad things
look. IT Is Largely u HdltSi VI Scii-
fdence. With Chicago I always feel
that / have mighty good chance to
win, and / very often turn the trick.
When a member of the Boston club to
iose seemed a part of my program. and
often lost. Then again. catcher
very often means lot to pitcher.
In Ray Schalk ] now have battery
partner who is a little wonder. II
there is any good pitching In my sys-
tenn he seems able to get it out 1t
makes lot of difference who a fell
low is pitching to. and when a pitcher
has a backstop like Schalk to handle
his pitching he is a very lucky Ind1-
ridua1.
The Case Of Leon Ames.
The case of Leon Ames is very SINH
lar 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. Nc
Graw evidently figured that sooner or
later Ames would begin to get the
breaks While a member of the New
York club he did some great pitching,
hut his victories won never in any way
compared to his real worth as pitch
err. When a member of the New YORK
Giants pitching STAFF went down 10
hard luck defeat, the box score sener-
ally showed Ames as the pitcher NC
Graw finally decided that AHes was
not a valuable man TO the Ne" YORK
club, simply because he couldn't WIN;
There was no particular fault 70 mo
with his pitching, except that IL taiieo
"a get results in the games won col
utun. This caused McGraw TO trace
Anaes 10 the Cincinnati cup, "hlcn
Zyas rather nlakeshift aggregation In
1914 with club that was a bad
tsilerder Ames working in something
IiLc forty games showed to much bet
Ter advantage than in the preceding
,-aar when a member of the team that
,ron the National League pennant
r@rrv Mclean, VINO was OF no use 10
'.i,at,.-.,ti went to New York and was
:. tory valuable man to McGra"
Recently .he Cleveland clop >oiu III
eslder Olson to the Cincinnati club Oh
the National League j was rather sur .
nrfsed that Olson was allowed to get
nut O, the American League, TOT
Lnow a number of clubs that could
baye used him to advantage. In many
vays Olson is 4 most valuable asset,
for he can play any position in the m
field we'll and such players are the
e,ception He is what | would call a
bright ball player, who can use his
head as we'll as his hands and feet.
Perhaps lack of harmony was what
caused Olson to be cut loose by Cleve-
land. In all probability the ill-feeling
;aa> NAV have existed was what robbed
cleveland of Oison's best Efforts. 1t
How About Those Dull