The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-10
By H. G. SALSINGER

There was always q reason ill Ty Cobb's mind for everything he did on the playing field. Many of his plays seemed useless, needless and even fool ish but they were all in Cobb's general scheme.
 He was a master of psychology and he made psychology his strongest weapon.
 Tt isn't what you do entirely-it's $ just as much what they think you're going to do that counts" said Cobb. 'The idea is to make them think your going to do a certain thing, and then if you get them to believing you're gO- ing to do that certain thing it's easy enouch to pull the play you want to pull, for then you have them completely crossed up. The big thing in base ball is to do the unexpected. If you do the expected the chances are generally a trifle against you, for there are too many opposed to you. But if they can be caught flat-footed the advantage is all with you, no matter how many are against you."
 To carry out this idea he created what he called the threat" It is really a mental hazard.
 How Cobb Worked
 Cobb would come to bat and let the without offering. Just about the time the pitcher was convinced that he never intended hitting at the first one he would cut the plate with it to put over a strike and get an advantage over Cobb. But that was exactly what Cobb wanted him to do. The ball would not cross the plate.
 In running bases he would go down on the first or second pitch quite often. He would try to impress the opposition that he had decided on a set system and just about the time this opinion became established Cobb would cross it up.
 Where a game was won by a big lead or hopelessly lost and where the run would not help his team either way, Cobb would set about to create these mental hazards. That is where the plays regarded as "foolish" were always made. His object was to impress the opposing team that he. made the play that way. The next tim ethey would be set for it and then he could do exactly the opposite.
 At bat he used to bunt to great ad- vantage. Cobb always believed that the bunt was the most effective weapon of the offense.
 Effect Of The Blunt
 If a pitcher is going good, and you are unable to do anything with him, bunt," says Cobb. "A bunt will throw a pitcher off his stride. Blunt to either side of the box. He's got to gG after the ball. It's an entirely different fielding chance than those that have been offered. It doesn't make any diff ference whether he throws you out or whether you are safe. You've accom- plished your purpose and that is to get the pitcher off his stride. Many bat ting rallies have been started by a bunted ball on a pitcher that couldn't be reached before the bunt was laid down."
 Cobb employed the bunt to creat his threat. After he bunted few times the first and third basemen would come in. They would be drawn toward the plate by Cobb's threat to bunt again. As soon as he had pulled them toward the plate, he slasher the ball in either direc- tion. No first or third baseman, tear ing in to field a bunted ball, can field haId drive hit at him. He cannot switch that quickly.
 Not alone in batting. but also in base did Cobb create the mental hazard in the opposition. always with tRe idea in mind of having them build tx cir defense to take care of d similar play the next time he got on; but the next time he got on he worked an en- tirely different play. And the opposing team was never prepared for the play le worked.
 Nothing To Chance
 Cobb was constantly working out new | plays, new surprise moves. But he first