The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-01-02


Right here want to give hin
credit for starting me out right
He put the right notions into pas
head and his kindness kept m,
working to look well in his eye
He constantly encouraged me ant
spurred me on.
, Up to that time had been run
ming hog wild all over the field
was a bundle of springs what ball
players call q hustler" / guess
was endowed with more thar
normal energy. The outlet was OF
the ball.
i would run bases harumscarun
and would gallop all over the field
trying to get into every play Il
/ caught a ball | wanted to throw
It Immediately.
In some ways my speed and
energy were a handicap. ! would
frequently nuss things up. Some
OF the more conservative players
wanted to bottle me up. Leidy had
q different viewpoint. His years In
baseball had given him a clearer
vision.
Boy," he said to- me one day.
You've got great speed but
you've got to learn to use 1t. Did
you ever try much bunting9
i never had because / could
usually hit the baH on the nose.
EOu could make many more
hits IL You could use that speed
with q good bum" Lefdy went
On. I'm help you."
That kindly old manager took me
out the next morning all by my
self. There were no other players
to help. Carefully and painstaking-
~ he coached ms IN the principle
of dropping the ball either in the
direction of first or third base and
starting to run with the swing OF
the bat. l saw the point right
away.
But / was not a good bunter.
had to learn 1t by constant prac.
tice.
Despite his being past the playing
age Leidy would get a glove and
would field every bunt hit. Then
he would pitch the ball back to me.
Often we kept this up for a solid
hour. 1t must have been firing on
him but he never complained.
''I'n make a ballpiayer out Of you
yet" he would say, laughingly.
can't imagine many men going
through what that old manager
did just to help young kid. Day
after day, as regularly as clock
work, he would put on uni
form and 90 out to the park with
me long after the regular players
had given mp morning practice.
Out there we would work and
work.
Finally got to be pretty fair
bunter. Toward the end of the
pitchers often by droppin@ the ball
out any successful ball player and
you'll find that he went through
the same thing. That's why i say
these qualities are not born In any
body. They've got to learn them
and the only way it can be done
IL by hard work.
I'll bet you right now that Mr..
Hartman worked just a. hard on
learning the little tricks Of rail-
reading as I did on mastering that
bunt.
Another thing that an outfielder
must learn by hard knocks Is how
and when to throw a ball into the
field and just at what spot to aim.
That may sound like small mat.
ter to you as a fan. To ballplayers
IT IL all important.
You have heard and I have read
Of a recruit going into a league
game the first time and being as
cool as ice. They are no such
thing-h they are human. Most
Of them are scared to death. Every
thing 10 confused In their minds.
II you ever have been called upon
to speak in public to a crowd Ut,
say. a thousand people for the
fist time you will have an idea
OF the feeling that comes over a
young ballplayer on his first ap-
pearance. You are pretty badly
scared and often you cannot re-
member what you had to say In
that speech. Now imagine your.
self appearing before five thousand
people, every man of them regard.
ing you critically and the news.
paper men ready to give the verdict
On my first appearance in the
field before a crowd the infield.
eEs looked TO me to be far away,
like little statues. IL seemed per-
fectly natural to throw the ball
among them and that one of
them would get 1t. THE mental
attitude Is what causes young
fellows to make so many crazy
throws. Once they get settled
down and have the presence OF
nlind TO pick out a certain In
fielder f2r target he seems to
set larger.
Anybody can throw: TO the right
man II there is no crowd watching
But that trick Of accurate pekgina
L.