The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-27
PL- AYERS IN BIG
 LEAGUE USE MANY BATS DURING YEAR

Baseball fans sit in the grandstand or in the boxes and notice the long row of bats stretched out in front of the home and visiting benches. They wonder why it is necessary to have 50 or more clubs for 21 players and what the men do with all of them. Those unfamiliar with the game inquire why 1t is there are so many bats They ask why it is the players on the club cannot get along with a half or a dozen sticks the same as the players son the sefni-pro and amateur 'lots. 4 One has only to travel with a club ito learn why from 50 to 75twar clubs are on the field .whIea the game issin. session Each team carries that many fbats and an extra bag is needed to lpach~them tnswhile the-club isso on the road.
 There are.SeveraI reasonsrvVhy each iteam carries a lot of bats. First, ball. tsplayers are exceedingly touchy about Ethes clubs they use. They rare almost as l9dnicky as a. woman about her hats. Some players have from four to six Fbats and these are for1their use only. If any one attempts to use any of them there is an objection. On that Account the players are careful that they use only their own clubs.
 Second, the bats vary in weight and
 many players cannot use the club that another man might be able to swing with swiftness and freedom.
 Third, some of the athletes are su- perstitious and nearly throw fit when their bats are taken by other men, most particularly those who are in d batting slump. Many arguments have been started on clubs because one player. who has been in a batting slump. hopesL LtP get cut qf it by using the ball at a. terrific clip.
 Managers do not-object to the mum Der of bats each man has. The club is willing to buy a player all the sticks he can carry as long as heN hits the ball Each season the men purchase 1 new bats. The old ones remain in the club and a. player will often search among them for the club which he remembers served him in good stead while he was in a batting streak Some players have both heavy and light bats.
 When they find they are swinging late at a ball they change to the light one. When they suddenly dis cover they are swinging too soon they change again. They will do this seve eral times a year until they get into their stride.
 Vic Safer Of the Cubs is particular about the bat he uses. Generally it is the old< timers who kick when youngster or another player attempts to use their bats. Safer is a youngster but he is bit superstitoRls and does not Ike any of the other boys to take his 1ttrusty.' That is not the sole req son why he protests He has bat of a certain weight and a certain thick ness at the handle and it is one just to his liking. If it is broken he finds difficulty in getting another to suit him, and to avoid that trouble he re-. quests the men to use their own hfclxories.
 Frank Schu1te has been known to use the thinnest handled bat in the all this year. He liked one with the han de hardly thicker than a hrUomstick and with the upper end rather heavy. This enabled him to get a tight grip and also d lot Of power into his short, snappy swing This year he made a. slight change He is using a thicker handled bat. with the big end about the same as before