Evening star., 1925-08-03

NduOndl League DdllilS Cnd
had all the glory that came to slug
Dan was one of the big four
White third and Jack Rowe the
four" because they could hit.
Deacon White was a left-hant
third-base line a mile a minute. H
power of his blows, despite the fac
was his forte to hit to left field an,
ball. Any one of them would tell
batterS in the league than Jim Whit
ack Rowe was an awkward Fl
heads with the wickedness Of his
born a batting "divil.'
Brouthers was by far the most
famous of the four, and to the last
day that he walked to the plate, with
his old knees slightly bent in, his
big bulk circling larger than it had
when he was a boy and his COM
manding figure looking the pitcher
over, he was followed by enthusi-
astic fans, who were always alert TO
see the big fellow slam it once more.
He made long-distance hits on
almost every base ball diamond of the
big leagues, but they didn't keep the
records of slamming them as they
do now. They worshiped the spot
where the ball went over the fence
instead OF going out from the home
plate with a tape line to see how
far the ball had travelled.
Back to Old Form.
Big Dan says batters are going to
win the championships this year. be-
cause they have got back to his time
You needn't shake your head no,
he interpOSed. Il tell you they have
7 don't believe they can bat any
better than we could, if as well, but
they are batting like they did when
! broke in. | ought to know, hadn't
I? I've been here all these years.
why are the batters of 1925 like
the batters of 18S4?"
They're toe grippers." said Big
Dan. You know just as well as ! do
that when | was playing ball at Buff
falo and Detroit there was no such
thing as sacrifice hitting. That kid
Latham down in st. Louis used to
make a practice of bunting the ball
now and then. but none Of us had
got to the point where we thought
it was much of a play.
we used to call it one of Latham's s
monkeyshines and kid him and jeer
him because he did il. OF course, it
was surprise on us every time that
it came off and I'm willing enough to
admit that it was a mighty good
thing going on under our noses with
out any of us paving much attention
to 1t.
Latham always used to do il with
some kind of a side remark to the
bleachers-'Now. ladies and gentle
men, watch me. the only Arlie, stand
these guys on their heads. It's only
Lath who can do it And he got at
tention of the players off the game,
danced three or four jig steps around
the plate and then poked the ball to
the third baseman, who was probably
playing hack in left field.
Play Worked Well.
"If there happened to be runners
on the bases all of them would adj
vance. of course and Lath would he
safe at first, dancing a jig as usual
letting out that horse laugh of his
that you could hear a mile. and if
1t was on the ST. Louis ground the
crowd roaring with laughter, and if
on any other ground the bleachers
yelling baby BALI and threatening
to go down on the field and run Lath
out of the game.
"Oh, yes. we tumbIed in time You
couldn't have the same thing run in
on you always without seeing what
an advantage it was. But it wasn't
the players at that who caught on to
much as it was Comiskey and the
men who were with him.
tom LOTUS. side partner of Conny
knew the value of the sacrifice. and
in 1889 he had that kid Cleveland
club of his in the National League
running a race with Boston for the
lead until July 4, and much of his
success was his ability to get runs
by sacrificing. because some of the
d-timers still despised the play. You
couldn't get 'em to sacrifice in Gin
cinnat until they had been licked for
a long time.
But about these toe grippers."
Brouthers was reminded "Just what
are they?"
Now, you know the answer to that.
! was one of them: I didn't always
take a hold in the dirt with my feet,
but. boy, when I thought | saw one
coming that l could slam. l sunk the
old steel in and ! slammed. ! couldn't
hunt. / could hit out straight, though.
and l got better and better at it all
or the time. Toe grippers stick their
spikes in unconsciously, shut their
eyes, swing with all their might and
hope that the sound of the bat on the
ball viii ring life a rife shot.
All Swinging Now.
They're all swinging this year.
They're sticking their toes in. I've
been watching them. It's just like
me and Deacon White, Jack Rowe and
Hardie Richardson. And the birds
who can hit hardest will win the pen
nantS this year.
Never mind the pitchers. They're
all alike except about four. There's
Just about four who look like pitchers
to me. Johnson is one and Vance
another and the others I'm keeping
secret. Gray's one? You're getting
close, but I'm keeping it secret. But
when the pitchers are all alike, and
none of them wearing blue ribbons,
it's the old ask that will tell the story,
and it's going to-
How would you go after them,
DAM
Say, I'd fool these manager guys
by maxim 'em think l was going to
play a hit-out game and then bunt
Give some of these third base birds
this year about four bunts in success
sion and you'd have to turn in a fire
alarm to put out the bonfire in their
heads