Evening star., 1918-02-03
PEERLESS TY GIVES NO SIGN
OF SLOWING UP IN HIS PLAY
Secret of His Ability to Lead American
League in Six Departments in 1917 Is
That He Studies Game.

from the catcher he raced to third. In
his anxiety. the catcher threw the ball
into left field and the game was over.
That evening on the train I was dis
cussing with Cobb the rapidity with
which he brought the game to close.
a game that seemed certain to go into
extra innings. since both pitchers were
doing such fine work. Cobb said his one
big idea in base ball was to get the OPP
position to throw the ball around and
to keep the players thinking ne was
lucky. Cobb figured that when they
start to throw the ball most anything
can happen. and having the players In
the frame of mind to believe that his
luck would help him was all in MS
favor.
He said he had learned the lesson the
first year he broke into the majors and
that he had consistently followed the
theory. He then told how. as a rank
busher. he got a base on balls in a
game with the Chicago White Sox. Tne
Sox won the pennaut that year, 1905:
On reaching first he started a steal OF
second on the first ball pitched. Billy
Sullivan was catching. No catcher ever
threw with much more accuracy than
Sullivan. on this occasion the throw
was high and went on to center neld,
as Cobb slid into second. Getting on
his feet the instant he saw the ball go
by. he dashed for third The throw to
get him was wide. he continued on to
the plate. beating the throw to that
base by the narrowest margin.
Ty Learned His Lesson.
Cobb gives that one incident as the
most eventful happening in his career.
II set him to thinking what 4 chance
the runner had, with the break in luck
the runner TO make the break in luck.
by trying TO do things out OF the ordi-
nary. the unexpected. Cobb had worked
along that theory from the outset.
h MI
him as running wild. One veteran HUI
morousiy remarked after Cobb had done
everything but stolen the park, that the
only safe way to play him was to throw
Cobb trying for. Even at that he
said was still taking considerable
chance.
You may have forgotten the fact. but
during the early years of Cobb's career.
years in which he was leading the
American League in batting. he was
known one-feld hitter. Practically
jail of cobb's hits were toward right
field. When it became apparent Cobb
was a one-feld hitter. rival clubs began
playing for him. The outfield and in
field was shifted that Cobb's chances
of hitting safely to right field would
be greatly minimized. When it became
evident TO Cobb that he was playing
into the hands of the opposition with
this style of hitting. it didn't take him
long to devise means to remedy it. For
three weeks. during stay at nome. COno
changed his stride at batting practice.
He would bat for an hour at a time I'm
the morning. making particular effort
to hit each ball into left field. He
soon accomplished his purpose: Cobb is
no longer a one-field hitter. He hits to
all parts of the park. harder to left
field. I believe, than any other place.
Last sea son Cobb pulled something
new in base running. When trying 10
reach base, and 1T was apparent he
would be an easy out. IL he went into
the ba Sc in the usual manner. he adopt
ed different tactics. He simply made ft
a point to so slide in the general direc-
tion of the base that he would avoid
the touch of the fielder waiting for him
with the ball. He made no effort to
touch the base. The moment he passed
the fielder with the ball. he would roll
over on his stomach and attempt to era wi
to the base before the confused fielder
could touch him with the ball. A half
dozen times last year | saw him pull
this play and get away with 1t, under
conditions that would have caused the
laverage player to practically concede
the out by stopping dead
Cobb is student of base ball, that
explains why he topped the American
League in six different departments in
the season of 1917.
Copyright 1915. by W. C. Erans)