The Washington herald., 1922-12-22

Babe Ruth was a woeful bust"
falling to get a homer and only
a few hits. as the Giants pitchers
slow -balled him to death.
Matty saw the series, the first
games he witnessed in . two years
because of his battle with tubercu-
losis that kept him at Saranac
Lake. As always. he was a close
observer Of everything.
Once. he says. he saw Ruth choke
up on his bat, instead Of making
his follow through" swing at the
ball for a homer. and cross up the
Giants by hitting the ball into left.
He should do this every time a
slow ball comes up" declared Mat
ty. Next season. IL is a 100-to-1
shot the American League pitchers
will try to stop his home-run hit.
ling with slow balls. II Babe
chokes up little. as l saw him
do once in the series, he'll hit
them. it's a cinch. Then. the first
thing YOU know. the pitchers will
op throwing them"
PAYS RUTH A COMPLIMENT.
Matty paid Ruth the compliment
'atural ball player and wise enough
o realize this" The tip was given
ior old times sake" Mstty wants
he Bale TO stay in the spotlight
and "hit them out as of old
The great Matty is here for a
week pushing the sale of Christ.
mas seals for the aid of others
stricken with tuberculosis. He ex.
pressed himself as sorry he has to
return after week to Saranac.
In another half year he has hopes,
as has his physician. DIR. c. y.
Packard. that he will be fully
cured.
Outwardly, he is robust and
althy. He weighs 30 pounds. has
a healthy color, his hand clasp is
strong. his eyes clear Occasion
ally he is allowed to smoke a ciga.
rette but not to inhale. Except
for slight slowness in his walk,
as he tires easily. he appears
fine"
Il haven't a touch of T. B. any
more he said. THE X-ray and
the stethoscope reveal no signs OF
it. am now a full-exercise man.
| can exercise all want. Until
few weeks ago was restricted
twenty minutes a day"
He tires more ca silly than a mau
4 his outwardlv fine condition would
indicate because he has to get
.on- CT one cylinder as yet. This
he explained. means that "one lung
is flat. but is receiving air treat
ment. which lie expected to make i,
function" Air is pumped into i,
and :hen let out gradually to make
it respond.
If il does and is sound Matt,
will have two cylinders" as hs
puts it and will be perfectly nor
NAL. The gassing in France. which
brought on the T. g., caused botf
lungs to he attacked by the drea6
disease.
Matty is always asked to tall
about baseball, but frequently smiles
and shakes his head. Let an old
time newspaper man start chin
ming about the past. however, ant
he will smile more broadly-ant
talk.
Back in 1905 when the Giant.
won the worlds series from the
Athletics with Matty mainly respon
sible, Monte Cross of the Athletics
was supposed to be weak on "s
high fast one"
Everybody knew H." says Matty
'as they now know about the slow
ball and Ruth. but what happened:
Why, the first ball pitched to
Monte, high fast one. he cracIsad
il out. He had learned TO hit that
one and so well that 1t was his
favorite."
Matty insists Babe can do that
too. by choking up his bat.
Use of the lively ball and the
fact that pitchers are not permitted
to rough the surface of a shiny
new ball, so as to aid in getting q
grip on il was suggested as tough
on the pitchers" to Matty.
well. yes, it is" he replied. "Il
is tough to see the ball banged out
of the lot and around so much
But they can learn how to tor
pitch it. They did when it came
to Babe, didn't they? In that 1906
series 1 had to pitch a shiny bal
often, sometimes twice IN an inning
the ball was fouled off so much
1t was tough. but 1t was all in
the game
HOMERS DUE TO BATS.
He attributes the great home run
hitting melee, in which Hornsby
Ruth, Williams, Walker and others
starred, as due mainly to the long
handled bats and the long swing,