Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-08-27

cusscs tho Intentional PASS.
the bat and If YOU want TO find
! where tina; Ia, take bat in your
| hand and balance il. That is where
every batter should catch tho ball.
| for there is tho greatest leverage
and the heaviest weight of the blow
! y free and easy swing is the one
which | think connects most often
with the ball. When say free and
easy. don't think mean slow. |
mean fast with great big T. and
| with every ounce of weight and
| strength that can be put into the
away from my aody when poke at
course, but far enough out 10 give
complete freedom.
| We now come 10 the matters of
strength and weight. TIC big boys
! have natural advantage in this
respect. but would you think that
| there was such thing as being TOO
muscular? There is. know a bat
ter in the American League who is
not much better than an ordinary
hitter. although he has good eye,
weight. stance and fine development
His trouble is that he ia muscle
bound--;oo strong TO get a good,
easy swing at the oall.
Strength Absolutely Necessary.
Strength is absolutely necessary 10
| hit home runs consistently And. as
am out for homo run every time
] set UP TO bat, always swing at
the ball with all my might. hit
big or miss big. and when miss
know II long before the umpire
calls Strike on me. for every mus
Gle in my hack. shoulders and arms
is grooming. You missed it," And.
believe, IL is no fun to miss a bali
that hard. once | put myself out OF
tho game for few days by miss
like that. VIC were playing the
Athletics at the Folio Grounds on
the 22nd OF last April. During bat
ting practice before the game
swung at a low curve ball With the
hope of hosting it over the elevated
tracks and all l punched my bat
into was the air; result, a strained
muscle in my right side. The pain
of that wrench almost put me down.
and | hobbed up to the bench like
fellow with gimp leg. Some OF
the boys rubbed me and gave me
first and ! went out to the plate
again There were morn than 5000
persons in the stands that day and
don't believe very many OF them
knew had hurt myself. But tho
pain WAS so great that / couldn't,
swing my bat again. SO ! had to 20
10 the club house. whcre Doc Woods
the trainer, could get a good look
81 me. He Got out his work basket
and wound tape around me till
looked like an army rockies leg
the first day he puts on spiral put
tees. And felt like corset model,
IL thats how they feel. The game
started with yours truly in center
field. but ] wasn't called on. because
the gentlemen from Philadelphia
went out in onc-two-three order.
tried TO take ms turn at bat with
man on second. but. although the
crowd was yelling over the fence"
II only fouled the first two and
whitfield at the third. Tina; Whit
finished me. and could hardly reach
the bench They N-raycd my side
and found sprained muscle along
the eleventh rib, so that was out
Wrong Swings Leave Mark
That's how hard / hit en- My
wrong swings. as well as my hits.
auvc .en. their recordsl never
knew il until one day I found a
tanSle OF fine lines. like tracery on
blue print. on my chest and back,
showing where the muscles had been
stretched 10 their limit under my
hide when had gone after the bali.
] suppose that is bound to happen
when fellow of six feet two.
Weighing 210 pounds. puts il ali into
a swing.
What ABOUT confidence? Next to
the batting eye. rs the most i'm
por;ant asset OF home-run seek
er. Let the pitchers think you are
not afraid OF them and they haven't
got SO much on the ball as they
think. And they haven't anything
on YOU. am not afraid Of any
pitcher In baseball and am not
ball-shy. got over any shyncss
when | was Il Kid in Saint Mary's.
because I used TO catch behind the
ba; there without any mask or body
protector and no; much of a glove
on my hand. Foul tips meant moth
ing to catchers at Saint afary's; If
you got beaned by one it was your
own fault and you got no sympathy.
So. Just To impress it on you, the
batting eyes the best thing 10 have.
If you are a little fellow. you'll
get lots OF hits. and if you're big
enough. you will set lots of home
runs.
End Chapter v.
'To BE Continued Tomorrow