The Washington times., 1922-05-28
RUTH UNABLE
TO OVERCOME
SWAT SLUMP
Home Run King Tells OF Fruit
less Efforts That Led to Re-
gretted Outbreak.
BY BABE RUTH,
King Of Home-R Run Hitters.

VITHY are there not more
| " homers to my credit? Why
w am / not hitting the ball
as hard or as often as | conf
IDENTIFY hoped and believed ]
would? Why have ! fallen so
far below my former standards
as a slugger that in a recent game
at New York ! was "razzed" be-
yound endurance and committed
an act of reprisal which / never
shall cease to regret?
These and a hundred similar
questions are hurled at me every
day these DAYS. and my answer in
every instance Is the same: 81 do
not know" I did not know l
could take measures to correct a
condition which Is quite as irk-
some to me as it is to the most
rabid fan. But I don't.
/ feel we'll enough and according
| to the scales I am in better condi-
ton, so far as weight is concerned.
than was at any time last season.
have regained whatever strength
! lost because Of my recent opera.
tion and in my daily batting prao-
tice l seem to hit as well or at
any rate as far. as l ever did.
I cannot recall any corresponding
period when I drove more "prac.
tice" homeruns into the stands at
the Polo Grounds than did while
the St. Louis Browns and the Wash
inston Griffmen were playing In
New York.
Loses The Knack.
But just as soon as I got into 4
game I seemed to lose the knack.
No matter how tried couldn't I
coordinate my eye and my swing
and as a consequence made only
one home run and two other hits in
my first six games.
or course, my failure to get a
better start has been due entirely TO
some fault Of my own At first
| thought I was standing wrong and
\ tried a different stance. Then
tried to change my swing but
nothing came OF II and then I de-
| cided that I didn't have my eye
on the ball
7 tried letting my stance and my
swing take care Of themselves while
concentrated all my attention on
following the course OF the ball as
the pitcher sent 1t up to me and
looked, or thought I looked, ever
worse than before. Then. I'm afraid
started swinging wildly with the
usual result.
Finally I concluded that was
fast in the throes OF real. old
fashioned slump and that would
have to grin and bear II until II
had its course.
Sorry for Outbreak.
None Of this was conducive to an
easy frame of mind. was espe.
cially anxious to get a good start
this season, and my failure 10 do
so. coupled with the outspoken dis
appointment of the fans, got under
| my hide as nothing else has since
| began my baseball career. One
fan finally goaded me beyond en-
durance after I had been ordered
off the field for too vigorously pro.
testing an adverse decision at sec.
ond base and I'm sorry TO have to
admit that l tried to vent my spleen
on him.
However. all that is past now.
and I'm hoping for better luck
in the future.
My companion in exile, Lanky
Bob Meusel, has Jared better than
l have. He, too. was stymied for
a couple Of days, but stuck to his
knitting and finally achieved the
distinction of making three home
runs in two consecutive games. All
three were long. line drives and two
Of them were deposited in the ele.
waited railroad yards beyond the
left-field bleachers at the Polo
Grounds.
He appears to have settled into
his stride, and l will be surprised
indeed II he does not finish the sea.
son among the leaders in hitting,
and this, despite the fact that he,
like myself, was forced to concede
the rest of the field a start Of al
most six weeks
Tyrus Raymond Cobb to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. I still be-
lieve that Bob Is the hardest.
hitting right-handed batter in the
American League and that he will
be one OF the most valuable players
in either major circuit this season.
Bob is taking his baseball seriously
this year and should, therefore,
show a very great improvement
over 1921 and the year before.
Copyright. 1922 by The christy Walsh