The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-24


the greatest sluggers in baseball
coda on the bench during every g
IL natural because he has a big b
The average ballplayer "eats on
the rum" as they say. I've seen
them come into a cafe, tired and
overheated, after a hard game ana
punish their stomachs with lot
Of food. For that reason, many
PLAYERS have stomach trouble.
They're always in a hurry to get
IN the dining room and always in
n hurry to get out. And yet, as
a rule. they have nothing else to
40 and nowhere in particular to
no. But the first words q waiter
expects to hear from a ballplayer
are Hurry up"
remember one time in st.
Louis, after we had played a tnlr-
teen inning game. 1t was a hot
afternoon. Our pitcher who had
worked hard came into the dining
.oom with a rush and ordered
enough food for three people. The
waiter had hardly taken his order
'Vhen he started complaining about
''slow service" He sent for the
captain and raised the dickens.
whats the idea OF all this wait
the dining room less than five
minutes. He was tired and nerv.
aus. In a few minutes he was in
4 regular row with the waiter, the
head waiter and finally the hotel
manager. When his food came,
he ate as though he were going
TO catch a train. Finally when
finished, he went out and sat in
the lobby with several other
I Layers.
Lets go to q show" one Of
them said, but he refused. And
will you believe it, he was sttl
sitting there wnen they came
back from the theater at mid
night. After his row in the din
ing room, because the waiter
didn't hurry, he went out and
idled three hours in the lobby.
That's typical of the average
ballp1ayer and explains many bad
stonnachs.
Mrs. johnson doesn't have to go
fo the ball park to know when I
have pitched. Here's what she
Rays: When Walter comes home
and doesn't eat at dinner time, I
know he has pitched that after
noon. But along about midnight,
you ought to see him raid the ice
box"
1 watch my stomach carefully.
If ] think I'm taking on fat / do
extra work at the park. The fat
may not even show and yet affect
q ballplayer's work. With me, /
begin to tire about the seventh
inning, even when have been
III IL
hand. pitchers should not keep too
fine an edge. A little extra weight
10 necessary to keep a man from
going stale. And many pitchers re-
quire different treatment. Take
SlIocker, for example: he seems 10
have a large stomach and yet he
isn't really fat. Shocker needs
weight while Fred Marberry of
Washington is just the opposite.
Fat is dangerous to Marberry It
would soon spoil him as a pitcher
Young players will ask ''Ho.,
are you going to help getting fat?"
Well, for a pitcher, there is nothing
better than fielding hunts. Get
some batter to lay down hunts on
a warm day and it will produce a
good sweat and aid the arms. legs
and stomach. It also improves a
pitchers fielding and is not near as
strenuous as chasing flys in the
outfield.
I follow these rules myself and
a. a result I'm always in good con-
dition. During the baseball season
/ weigh around 200 pounds. Before
the world series / worked hard to be
in fine condition and took off eleven
pounds. My teeth as we'll as nv
stomach are perfect and my general
health has always been good be-
cause / take plenty Of exercise and
stay outdoors every hour that is
possible. / wear heavy underwear
but only wear an overcoat in rain
Or extreme cold.
j firmly believe that hiking in
the hills and mountains, around
Reno, kept me from being forced
oHt of baseball. 1 returned from
the East in the faH of 1928 with
my legs in a very bad condition.
Mike Martin, our trainer, had done
everything possible to build up
my legs but at times / was actual
" lame. Toward the close of the
season they were so bad i could
hardly get through a game.
Brewster Adams calls me lone
hunter" because I like to hit the
trail alone. Even when / start out
with companions ] generally wind
up somewhere by myself There's
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