The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-06-21

Art Fletcher Is demonstrating the
truth Of the baseball AdaSe thaS 9
change Of teams always does payer
good. seldom have known a case o.
n veteran who has been a good pa
player for years with one team, az
then slumpsd, failing TO make Suaue
come back whom transferred 10 aho'"''
club. r-v
Gardner, Slim SaAee. Shockcr Jake pau
bcrt-a score OF others-in recent o"'e
bail history to prove tho point. -o
The truth Is that a pan piaSe ns,nsss,
is Liable 70 fall into a nut and lose ms
Nalue 10 his team. The chances arc e
does not know it himself. that nc pc.
hcres he is playing as S good pan a. isc k
ing. When ne is Sold. traded or reiesseG !,
ne suddenly wakes up 10 the tact '.s
ne IS IN danger OF slipping out OF ,me s
big show and the result Is QUICK TO
Bali PLAYERS who have served Ions
time on ono team collect FRIENDS. torn'
CIRCLES OF acquaintance, get other IN
tereSts that keep their minds NOR W
has his mind conferred upon his WORK
Ali the time, he Is not winning palI
PLAYER. Social or business Interests
outside Of baseball detract from any
mans attention to his work his miho
Is not on his game. and oaseoat ~
game which demands entire atteh''o"
and concen tration. ,,,o,.,- q
The eject OF worry upon player -
greater Than can be ' ma eass o. ., an in.
nelder with the old Chicago Cuos. ne &c
was one OF the greatest bail piaSers an
the business n hghting. hustilng' asi
slept baseball. In the middle OF enS T
season ne suddenly slumped. as ~.
orr IN his hitting. ne pulled bone plays,
his fielding grew worse and worse. a"J
" looked As IL the management "outu
have to bench him In seit aete ems rc Sno
isrIy A. ~, stage OF the game meant
me loss Il championship almost GER
Or. sventnr In Boston ne and wer'
,,,s,n- snd nc contided in me that n
sSso borrowed a bunch Of money ane
invested IN a stock which had los
heavily He did not mind the losS nedt
" as much as he feared that ms WIZ
would discover II he conLeshSeu .i ,
the dread OF having her learn inc silua
ton worried him day And night
Remember that hit Doc Miller mad'
past me today" ne asked.
Well. was standing there ma.
Footed. thinking about money, when M
hit tho ball. ought to have sraotherec
II. but couldn't move
Plainly his trouble was entirely mon
tai TOR. about q week later IN" marSet
rallied. he sold at slight loss, anc
Yls&ohsr Cones Back.
kIctchcr's case has been simply men
tal He IS an extremely CONSCIENTIOUS
honest fellow, anxious TO give the peS'
ne has He had a bad start this spring
and commenced TO worry because NJ
knew nc was not delivering. He accept
cd much OF the blame for the bad show
ing OF the Giants. during the carly sea
son. as his own. The more anxious he
became TO help the team win. the worse
his playing got. His friends sympath
lzed with him and made the situation
worse.
When he was traded to the Phils the
burden he had been carrying was lifted
He Jumped into the lineup OF the tail
end team and started to play ball like
the Fletcher OF five years ago, puttinE
all the dash and fight and ttre into his
work He got n good start. His fiery
spirit proved contagious, and the team
started winning.
The mental attitude Of the players
Is bigger thing in baseball than any
element in the game, and II Is the one
undopable element. GameneSS has moth
irt9 TO do with tit is In no way ma L
ter 81 nerve or courage. simply OF faitn
and idcrce.
For instance. Babe Ruth IS now =
great hitter. He has been just as great
a hitter potentially ever since n" GOT
into baseball. He had the power and the
swing. but he lacked the confidence. He
bad (and has . weakness. The fact that
h~ know his own weakness attected ms
hitting \ certain Kind OF ball he be-
ncved he could not hIt-thcrcfore NE
could not hit 1t. Now no thinks he can
hit anything anyone can pitch-an1
therefore nc does.
There is the added advantage in rs