New-York tribune., 1922-08-20

8gsSssgs as
Willie keeler, sDho managed TO aUer-
age 1888 for eight years in the big
leagues, and Without once trying to
knock the coUer off the ball
T%HE giraffe, scientists say, has got a
very long, straight neck because Of
IL the cumulative result of generation
after generation Of stretching up to
tue branches of the acacia trees, but Babe
autfls genius for hitting home runs is not so
easily accounted for. His case is one of vari-
sion from type.
His ancestors deserve much of the credit,
d course, for the poke-force this Yankee en-
gne Of hitting gets into his swing, but the
men who are continually tampering with the
rules Of baseball have even more to do with
hs success than variations and notifications
ahis family tree.
Il you ask Charles H. Ebbetts, part owner
ii The Brooklyn National League baseball
team, he will tell you that the trees from
Shich Babe Ruth gets his bats have greater
nsponsibility for the distance the Yankee star
drives baseball than an entire forest of gene
dogical timber.
All Of these home runs are to be accounted
for by heavier bats" said Mr.. Ebbetts. He
had been asked the question so many times
for SO many months that he has it all memo
Hsed Il don't mean that the bat actually
weighs more, but there is more of the body Of
The wood down where it meets the ball.
BdsebaiPs Heavy Villain
Seems To Be the Bat
Rule Is says the bat must be round and no
longer than forty-two inches and no thicker
than two and three~quarter inches Well, that
is one baseball rule that hasn't been monkeyed
with. Years ago there were very few bats
that were made as thick as the law allowed.
Most Of the players thought more about
getting the full forty-two inches and didn't
concern themselves SO much about heft or
thickness. Now they are mostly using blud-
geons. They take smaller handles and have
the bulk of the wood at the end of the bat
where it encounters the ball. I'd say s5 per
cent Of the increased number of home runs is
due to this.
Possibly the boys learned from golf that
nsy could employ all of their strength in
wing without having such thick handle.
ne bats are much shorter. There's one play
Ell name no names, but he's little bird
ass a very short bat. And he can hit.
There has been no change in the ball ex-
apt that better materials are used in it's
aanafacture. The wool is better, winds tight
and makes ball more nearly perfect /
believe these two things have resulted in CIV
ng the batter an advantage over the pitcher.
ia 1he old days the bat, as recall it, was al
most as thick at the handle as it was at the
BUSINESS end. 1t was like that when the best
u1ef In any league was Wee Willie Keller"
mere was name to conjure with until
we've years ago, when Billy Keeler's legs be-
gan 70 cheat him. Keller was the first base
'an oafeer of note to regard his work as an
~ almost as science II there js mar
sise VINO could settle this controversy about
: none-run industry it would be Wee Willie
-sser' who is to Brooklyn small boys what
siTsn 6. Harding is to the youngsters of
.a''on' Ohio, or David Beiasco to the usiaers
ash Francisco theaters, or Gene Sarazen
: saodies everywhere.
sssef slugger, Wee Willie banged out
.sls'ses when they counted and made q spe-
% singles with the resuls that in 1897
- 'ssS no led the National League in sea-