The Washington herald., 1917-01-30
HOBL1TzEL ENJOYS A
VERY unique RECORD
Monte Cross Makes Rational Sugges.
ton on Change Of Rules.


Dick Hoblitzel, the Red Sox first-sacker.
has the distinction OF probably being the
most managed player in the big leagues
today.
Although only about to enter his tenth
season as a major Lacquer, Hobby has
felt the managerial reins OF no less than
six men, and Jack Barry, the Bean
eaters new manager, will make the sew
enth.
Back in 1905, John Camel held sway
in Cincinnati and 1t was under him that
Hoblitzel got his start. In 1909 he played
under Clark Griffith; in 1910 Hank O'Day
forsook the arbiter's job for that OF
managing the Reds; Joe Tinker followed
O'Day, only to be succeeded by Charlie
Herzog, and Hobby still was a Red dur
ing all of these changes.
His next boss was Bill Carrigan and
the coming season he will play under
Jack Barry. Hobby certainly must be
pretty fair guardian of the initial has
he can satisfy seven different men as
to his fitness for the position.
This Grant Hugh Browne must be an
other Butch" McDevitt. When it comes
down to offering a thousand bones a
minute for a middle-weight battler as
a guarantee for thirty minutes of hit
sometimes believe that Chicago professor
made big mistake in going to the Sand
wtch Islands to study the habits of q
rare and peculiar bird, when so many
of that variety can be found right here
in the United States.
Las Darcy may. and then again he
may not, be worth $50, 900 for a ten-round
bout In New York City. That remains to
be seen. But, of this much we are sure:
theatrical uybI Ioh
launched has proven a fisaco from the
very beginning and 1t is pretty hard to
see Just where Browne can expect to
make anything out of bout in New
York when he will in all probability have
to place another $4,000 or so up for the
Australians opponent. And on top of
this, what will the expenses incidental
to the match amount tor
From our way of looking at the angle
lof things. it appears that Browne will
practically have to have at least a $50 900
house II he expects to break even Can
Darcy draw that much at the gate bat
tling either Miske, Dillon or Levinsky.
his only logical opponents, over a short
lten-round route? We doubt It,
| .
Lee Fohl is making a great hit with
the Cleveland fans by announcing that
he is planning novel stunt for grabbing
up promising material for the Indians
Fohrs plan, as announced in the Cleye-
land papers, is to send scouts to the yari-
Gus training camps of the other big
league teams and in this way get a line
on the new men the other managers are
sending through the PAGES. He argues
that in many cases some very promising
and perhaps future stars are turned back
through the reason that they are not
given amply opportunity of displaying
their ability during the short training
period
OF course. If Fohl is going to employ
fifteen men and assign one man to each
training camp, there is one chance out of
a million that he might. through sheer
luck, grab OFF some young star. Big
league scouts who possess the necessary
judgment to pick out a diamond star in
the rough are about as scarce as hens
teeth, and IL the Spider manager can
send men into the different training
camps who are better judges of young
talent than the manager who has them
directly under his eyes. his play may
bear some fruit
Clark Griffith tried the same stunt a few
years ago, sending Mike Kahoe through
the South looking over the youngsters in
the different camps, but the scheme fail
ed, for Kahoe was unable to spend very
much time In any one camp, and also
that the new men were not developed far
enough along to be at their best.
Those who are handing in their expert
opinions on revising the rules so as to
increase the batting have advanced prac-
tically every suggestion that they can
think of. Even good old Frank Isbell
has come forward with a suggestion
that strikes be called only when over
the pan and between the belt and shoul-
der. Monte Cross, the Athletics old short
Lotto
gestion, as follows:
There is one way that the hitting can
be improved. This is by compelling the
pitcher to pitch the same way all the
time. That is, compel them to eliminate
the wind-up. A pitcher is trained to
pitch both with and without a wind-up
He does not wind UP when a runner is
on the bases. 1t would be easy, there
fore, for him to adapt himself to a rule
compelling him to eliminate winding up
before pitching to the batsman.
What's the object of this? Simply
this. pitcher gets more stun on the
ball when he winds up than when he
has to cut out these motions BY cut
ting out the wind-up he would not be SO
effective in fooling the batsmen, and
there would be a proportionate increase
in the hitting"
Cutting out the wind-up would also
a game, which is also a matter for seri-
Gus thought among the magnates'
unfortunately" continued Monte.
there Is not much hope of improving
the base running. Base running is a
lost art. Players are not taught nova
days to think so much about their base
running as they did years ago. Cobb.
Eddie Collins and Max Carey are still
great base runners, but the Youngsters
coming from the minors nowadays do
not shine much when it comes to stealing
bases.
The majority of the players when thew
get on the bases watch the pitchers .
arm They should on the contrary watch
the pitchers foot. Every pitcher has
some peculiar motion that he make,
with his foot when he intends to mitch
TO the oatsman instead of the throw to
nrst base. Getting wise to this motion
enables base runner to get a much
better start toward second base. and
IT Is often the start rather than the
speed OF the runner that enables him
10 oeat the catcher's throw to the bag"