Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-14
Consideration of Time in
Contests Has Often En-
abled Stars to Triumph
Eddie Styles.
BY SPICK HALL

rTNO BORROW from Cartoonist Briggs
l. Wonder what an athlete in action
thinks about?'
Doubtless the thoughts of athletes
vary in accordance with their respec-
tive mental capacities and also accord
ing to whether a given situation is one
of ordinary routine or what is termed
I in baseball as the "pinch,
No matter what an athelete thinks
about. usually it is certain that if he
is up in a pinch. his big idea should
be not to think of the consequences Of
either failure or successful performance,
because dwelling on the former thought
is too apt to predominate, and that is
almost sure to bring about that self
same failure.
Many baseball players have been
asked what they were thinking Of when
they were at bat in critical situa
tion. We have asked Eddie Collins,
Frank Baker. Harry Hooper, Harry
Davis and other stars of the diamond
who have won worlds series games by
a single blow, this question. The in
variable answer has been that they
we're trying to figure out what the
pitcher was going to throw. not what
would result from a base hit or strike
out
Getting their minds off the conse
nuences of their efforts resulted in their
being able to cope with the situation
inst as though it were an ordinary occa =
sion.
II was that ability of Baker to sue =
cessfullv fathom Christie Mathpwson
and Rube MarQuard that enabled him
TO win two games with home runs in
the ninth inning from the New York
Giants in one series If he had been
thinking only of what n four timer
would mean he probably would have
famed or popped ont to an infelGcr.
The Time Element
In baseball the time element is rarely
concerned. But in football racing
basketball. boxing, rowing and man,
other sports. time is a factor that must
he reckoned with. In other words. tn,
athlete is playing against time as vel
as his opponent.
In 1907 Yale and Princeton met OF
the gridiron. Princeton scored ter
points to Yale's nothing the first half
1t looked hopeless for Yale. but in thi
dark hour for the Blue Ted Coy ros.
70 the occasion. Virtually single
handed. he rushed the Tiger team of
its feet with his terrific line smashes
made two touchdowns. the last one jus
before the whistle blew, and Yale won
- to 10.
Coy said after that game that tn
minor details Of whether he would max
a certain number of yards each tim
never occurred to him. the dominan
idea was whether he had TINE to tea
his way to the goal line twice befor
the whistle should sound.
II Coy had allowed his mind to DIVE
on the fact that his team was ten point
behind. with only one chance in thou
sand of winning. he never would hav
been able to accomplish what he die
But he kept his mind off these details
thereby allowing himself to play wit
perfect mechanical freedom in short
the mental hazard transcribed tn
nhysical and he staged one of the great
est feats that football history records.
A recent example Of this occurt
recently when Jack Kelly. of the Ves
ner Boat Club, beat Dibble in the mi
and quarter single seull race at Il
People's Regatta on the Schuylkil
Dibble got big lead on Jack, but Il
visitor was beaten decisiyely at Il
j 6uish. After the race Kelly remarksl
4