New Britain herald., 1924-02-16
SPEAKER SUPREME
 WHILE AT PLATE
Very Hard Man to Fool, Star
 Pitcher Says
lBy BILLY EVANS)

Who has the most critical pair of i batting eyes in the American league :? Last summer at different times put that question to a score of the leading pitchers of the American league.
 The consensus of the pitchers was that Iris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Harry
 Heilmann. Eddie Collins, Babe Ruth and Johnny Tobin weres six super 1 tatters who were extremely critical when it came to looking over the
 offerings of the pitchers.
 know of no pitcher in the Ameri- can league who works with greater care on his batters than Urban Shock CT of the Browns, Shocker is a pitch
 CT who performs without T bit of
 wasted effort. There is no wasted ef-
 fort, for if is only in the pinch that
 he puts everything on the ball.
 Sneakers observations as to my query were decidedly interesting. His
 viewpoint in every case was based on sound logic and offered a convincing
 proof, for the success that usually at- tends his efforts on the rubber stamp
 him as a smart pitcher.
 Pitch To Weakness
 "I have found that every good bat ter has certain troublesome features" said Shocker, "I try to stay away from them. Likewise, q majority of the good hitters have a certain ball that is less in favor with them than others. For instance, I know of one really great batter who simply hates a fast ball, inside, letter high. His peculiar stance at the plates makes such u delivery hard for him to hit, He stands fiat-footed. with his feet rather wide apart, and hugs the plate. It's hard for him to shift. I make it point to dwell on batter's weak. ness if he has one.
 Speaker is n troublesome batter for mo-" continued Shocker. T al- ways feel better when he is out Of tho way. In my opinion there is a ! certain style ball that | don't think | Speaker likes. Don't misunderstood | me. I wouldn't call it a weakness. yet | Speaker I think prefers other styles | Of delivery better. Working along that theory I have had fair success against Speaker, yet can recall two occasions last year when he broke up n ball game by murdering balls pitch cd at what regard as his weak spot.
 Speaker looks them over with \ keen eye. Ii is foolish to hope that . he will 20 after a badly pitched ball. | He makes you pitch. and in a pinch ! can take a pitch that is only few inches shy Of the plate without being | the least interested. He can hit to all fields and has tho knack Of shift ing his position after the ball is on tho way.
 Ruth Harder To Fool >
 Eddie Collins has wonderful eye. Collins goes after no bad balls and is always trying 10 get the pitcher in tho holc. He dotes on ricking on the cripples If Collins has tho edge it is foolish for a pitcher 10 slip him anything soft
 Ruth is getting harder to fool all Inc time. Two years ago he was sucker for bad balls in his eagerness 10 swing. Last year he waited the pitcher out and picked the ball he eanted 10 hit. And boys, if he picked t right. how he ltit it! My success ,arios against Ruth, but like noth. ng better than 10 match wits and ability with the biz fellow.
 "Heilmann has the habit Of cross- ng you up. That is what makes him , great batter. He may look foolish ln a curve. Yet if you happen to .ome back with another in the same ,lace he hits it a milo.
 "T work on the theory that every player in the opposing lineup is a yood hitter. including tho pitcher, and ind it safety first system that gets ..zp ...,,gt.