Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-07-20

There l stood In the ninth inning OF
our last. game In the Washington SERIES
crowding the plate and waggling my pick
handle with the ball game on the bases
and the Nationals ahead. to c. Get that
situation: Ninth inning. two men out.
two men on base, and the Yankees Just
one run behind, hghting to win their
eleventh straight game.
1t was my best home run DAY. 30
two in the morning game, our tenth
straight win, and Il third IN the Garner
innings of the afternoon ganh.
felt good for another, but Bin snyder
served me four consecutive wide ones thae
I couldn't have reached with a boat hook.
They were not pitchOuts. really, because
the catcher did not step out OF his box
to receive them until they had been
thrown.
But Snyder wasn't giving me q chance
to hit and / had to walk 1 might as
we'll have been standing there with a
fathom Of garden hose; my old bat was
about as useful as a breeches buoy on
the Erie canal.
We lost the bali game.
DIDN'T ISSUE
PASSES HIMSELF.
realized that Bill Snyder Was only TAX
Ing all the advantage the rules allow In
order to win his game. But used 10
be a pitcher myself and | never gave an
Intentional pass in my life. ANY batter
who could hit better than | could pitch
was welcome to blast the skin off the
ball.
EXPERTS may suggest half dozen rules
to prevent the intentional pass, but after
all the umpire is In the position Of
/ Jury. and unless 1t is perfectly plain that
OF course I was pretty sore at the time,
but I cooled off under the shower and
the pitcher is trying to prevent the bat
ter from getting a bite at the ball, be has
to give the pitcher the benefit of the
doubt.
Suppose they should adopt rule per-
hitting the batter to take another turn
at bat when he is passed Intentionally
and permitting the manager OF the bat
| ting side TO name some other man, pre-
ferably a weak hitter to take the base.
If You could be sure that the pitcher
was not just plain wild, such rule
would make MIN pitch 10 all hands alike.
! But the umpire cannot be sure, and that
! Is why the present rule can be evaded.
Imagine standing there at the plate,
| feeling a home run turned in the wood
of YOUR bat, with the ball game riding
on the sacks waiting for blow to send
home the winning runs-and being
passed
NOTHING LIKE
HOMER FEELING.
There is nothing quite like the home
run feeling. You come up with your
eye on the ball; you watch 1t streak up
the lane toward you, following the
break" with your eye. If it is a curve.
You swing from way back; you feel
the solid satisfying smack as the bat
gets ii square. You follow through with
a long, curving sweep; your shoulders
swing around. carrying the blow. If
it's a real over-the -fencer, you're going
10 know it by the feel without watching
where the ball goes.
Hitting a home run is about the fin
est sensation that ] know of in sport
unless it be the wonderful feel OF a long,
/ low drive straight from the tee I'm golf.
They're somewhat alike.
If your baseball days are behind you
and you want to have that old home run
thrill again, take wide swing with your
driver. follow 1t all the way through, shut
your eyes, and Imagine you are back on
the sand lots. If the blow is fright"
you'll know you've put it over the fence
onto the railroad tracks, and sent the
runners home ahead of you.
Batting and golfing run parallel on
other points, too. For instance you're
batting now, If you happen to chip the
ball Just below the center the feel Of
certainty. You know it's high one
without much distance and you tear
away for first. hoping some one drops
it, Or suppose your swing is downward
instead of straight, or you clip the ball
on top-you know in that instance that
Ii is going TO hit the ground, probably
in the ihfie1d, ard that il tie other side
The same situations happen in golf; you
know when you've sliced before your eye
catches the course of The ball.
There has been some talk about this
years baseball being z kangaroo ball,
furnished with springs or something Ike