The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-21
NOT NECESSARY NOW
FOR PITCHERS TO DO
THEIR own THINKING
BY FRANK c. MENKE

Once upon a time, one of the most
vital of pitching assets was brains.
But not so now.
The way they play the game in this
era makes brains within a pitcher not
merely useless but more or less of a
menace. For if he has brains he may
use 'em sometimes in an effort to
overrule the orders of the manager or
the catcher who, in thi sera Of base
ball, seem to think it necessary for
them to do all the thinking for the
singer.
And that constituted les majestic.
Just why a catcher hooks onto the
idea that he is smarter than EVERY
PITCHER-and just why manager
mods assent to thatsidea is bit diff
ficult to understand.
IT you trekk back along the trail of
the years you'll find John Clarkson
"Old Hoss' Radbourne. Tim Keefe,
Christy Mathewson standing forth not
merely as the brightest luminaries of
their own years but among the star
riest stars of all time. They did most
OF their own thinking, performed most
of their own strategy.
Their catchers were, in the main, re-
ceivers-not directors.
Pitted Own Brains.
Those signalled to the catcher what
they were going to pitch. They pitted
their own brains against those of the
| batters-used, because they were per
mitted to use-all the knowledge they
had gained through years of wits
maturing with the sluggers in their
particular time. And so they rose tc
greatness.
Their brains, as we'll as their arms
lifted them to greatness. And years
after their arms were really gone
| their brains, developed through the
years, carried them along.
But, of late years, managers have
| decided they know a whole lot more
/ about what pitcher can throw anG
what he should throw than the pitch
er does himself. And to make the
pitcher an absolutely mechanical
worker those managers, after givins
the pitcher his skeletonized instruc
tons in the matter of pitchery, theI
adds:
The catcher will be back of the
plate to pass along the pitch-by-pitcf
instructions to you"
A batter steps up.
Must Obey Orders
| l HS plIcHer, remembers that this
particular swatsmith can't hit a low
curve but can murder a straight fas
one. The pitcher, if he has any will
power of his own, may wag his heaC
in the negative. The catcher again
will flash the straight fast one sign
Ii the pitcher disagrees again the
chances are that the catcher will run
up to him and say something like this
"You pitch what l say, see-or you'll
be derricked."
The manager, undoubtedly angeret
by the revolt of the pitcher, wig wag.
a reprimand then-and deals out /;
verbal one later.
The pitcher, with spirit somewha
broken, serves up the straight fas
one. If the batter fails to connec
safely, then the catcher later may say
See, you big sap, 1 was right.
knew he couldn't hit one like that"
If the batter slugs the ball a mile
the catcher has some sort of alibi
The pitcher didn't break the ball right
he didn't put a real hop in it. Some
thing was wrong-the pitcher some
way was at fault. And into the rec
ords goes another hit charged agains
that particular pitcher who, using hi
own knowledge, perhaps could hav
famed the batsman.
It's only in the last few years.
at the most-since the system becam