El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-21
GREAT PITCHERS IN SERVICE
BELIEVED LOST To THE CAME
Hardships, Heavy Muscle Binding Work, Shell Shock
and Mental Strain Will Unfit Gowdy and Alexander
Is Fear of John McGraw; Active Service Units
Athlete For Usual Fine Competition In Sports.
IITILL service IN the field as soldier

| NTILL service IN the field as soldiers
w OF the American expedftionary
force be found to have impaired the
effectiveness OF those major league
players who have known the stress OF
fighting on the western front? Have
Hank Gowdy and Grover Cleveland
Alexander and many others who laid
aside their diamond spangles for IN
Gle Sans khaki buried tSaIr hopes OF
future prowess IN the baseball field7
Baseball men. or a majority OF them.
believe this 10 be true. John McGraw
IS one OF those who are inclined to be
pessimistic concerning the possibility
OF these payers returning in the form
which was theirs before they traded
their bats and gloves for bayonets and
grenades and sailed overseas to fight
the Hun
Harder Life.
7 am afraid that AlecR and the
other boys who have seen active serv-
ice on the battle front will find Il i'm
possible to play the old game like they
did before they went through that ex-
perience," says the Giant leader. The
life which they have led for the past
few months has been sterne- than
any thing they ever had known be-
fore, and while they have gained the
glory which is the due OF all our
fighting men. they have lost some
thing, believe. which they can never
get back. That which they have lost
is the physical condition and the men
tai poiss SO necessary TO the major
league ball player.
ferO begin with. the training
which a soldier receives a. cOndu-
Give TO rugged health and power
full muscles. but IL is not calcu-
lated IN make fhnaa ugf-nN
and supple, aH the muscles Of n
trained athlete must be. Hiking
over roads heavy with mud. sleep
Ing in barns or stables or in open
fields and by the roadside Il not
necessarily detrimental 10 ones
health. but IL won't put one on the
fine edge of physical condition.
Then, too, a soldier. and particular
" a soldier in the thick OF the fight
ing, is called upon TO perform many
tasks which tend TO bind and tighten
his muscles and render him quite USE
less as an athlete.
Strain Tells.
The mental strain. whether or not
the soldier fully realizes the fact at
the time, is even greater than the
physical Advancing under heavy
she'll fire, fighting and marching hour
after hour, and perhaps for days at a
stretch. knowing all the time that one
is facing death. Is not an experience
which is soon forgotten. This applies
TO men who are Of the stuff from
which heroes are made. for II a man
falls a victim to shell shock or any OF
the other nervous disorders brought
about by terrific fighting. such as that
which just ended over there, II GER
-ainly is no reflection on his courage. I
1t is possible that these boys will
come back 10 US physically fitted to
again take their places in the front /
rank OF the major league players. It /
will be pity II such Is not the case. I
1 regard Alexander as the best pitcher 4
In the game today under normal con- /
iitions. and II he is unable to pitch in I
his old time form again Il will be lit /
tie shorr OF a tragedy for both Aleck. /
and the Chicago club"
Fosters Prediction.
John 3. Foster shares the view of .
the Giant manager. When the players F.
were being called to the colors last I
summer Foster remarked.
The chances are that most OF these /