The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-20

-Sisler is easily the batting sensa- tion of the year. We are used to Ty, Cobb and Iris Speaker but when a young fellow on the Browns starts to burning up the circuit we all sit up and take notice. In the October Base ball Magazine the star first sacker makes a few sage comments as fol- lows:
 Perhaps I am hitting just at pres ent beyond my normal stride but I hope not. I have always wanted to be a true three hundred hitter. have even indu1ged in the hope that I might become three fifty hitter No doubt all batters who are a little new at the game, and who are lucky enough to get away to a good start have similar ambitions and perhaps my own will fade away when the pace gets hotter. But I repeat, I hope not.
 "At that. my record so far, hasn't been unalloyed good luek.( Early in the season I was going a Food deal better, suppose, than I have any right to expect when I sprained my thumb. At the time, as remember it. I was leading the league Cobb hadn't got started yet and Speaker,
 
 periencing a 1ittle/ hard luck. Per haps that sprained thumb was only a good alibi for of course I might have stamped anyway. But for all that the thumb in itself kept me from hit ting much above a hundred for a good long while.
 sT1 was out of the game only two days on account of the sprain but perhaps would have been just as well off if had stayed a little longer I got back into the harness. because the club needed me and because of a sprained thumb But for all that the thumb bothered me. I<couldn't grip the bat at all well with that particular hand and I was also handicapped in fielding.
 Now of course, my hands are in as good shape as anybodys. I mere ly mention my own small accident to show how minor things may mar a batting average. Very likely more than one batting championship has been determined by just such small details which were generally forgot ten by the, public long. before the sea- son came to a close, and made not the slightest appearance in the records In fact batting is a rather odd thing dL uSSl dIla rCIlc pbEI LUCK plays In a successful record is a big and ever varying quantity. And not the least evidence of luck is just such secon- dary injuries as speak of, which pre- vent man from doing his best work but-at the same time don't loom up as important enough to cut much dash | in the dope.
 One thing which has influenced my ball playing perhaps more than any other, is the fact that I am left hand ed. Now I am not a port sider in | other ways. write with my right hand and do most other things ir the same way as normal human l being. But in baseball I am true left handler, throw left handed, bal left handed, in fact depend mainly on my left hand.
 q grew into the habit when I first began to play baseball which was pretty early. Now of course it would be impossible for me to change. Al | first, never gave the matter much | thought. It didn't seem to me of any great importance which hand I used most, so long as I used it to advan- | tage. But a moments thought will show that such was not the case.
 As pitcher, true enough, it didn't 1 make any difference whether I was a left hanGer or not. The preEeronce is given to right handlers on the mound as elsewhere. but there is al- ways room on any club for a south paw who can win games
 When I began to play baseball in a small way, I was pitcher. I en- tered the majors as a pitcher and have hurled a few games with the Browns But the management early decided they could dauseemes tosbetter-advantage