The Washington times., 1928-07-13
DOG DAYS
T(QJGH0N
FINGERS
BY Babe Ruth

NEW YORK, July IL. This
time Of season always brings
the real test for pitchers,
During the early months OF
the season it's the hftters who
have their inning, and later
on toward the finish, when
The weather gets cooler, things
again ease up a bit for the
pitchers.
But the two hot months OF July
and August find pitchers carrying
tie brunt Of the baseball burden
and the success or failure of Dali
cub depends pretty much on the
way the pitchers are able to hold up.
Two things combine to make
fIlis period particularly tough.
One Is the heat and the other
I'm tlOuble-headers July and
August not only are the hot
months, but they are the double
header months as well, and
Inany = supposedly high-class
pitching stair has crumpled up
under the combined strain Of
the two.
you know in baseball it isn't the
fact that a single pitcher Is going
bad. that ruins pitching staff.
The thing that hurts most Is that
when one pitcher is off form the
other fellows on the staff have %
work out OF turn and without suffi.
cfent rest so that they, too. soon
become worn out and ineffective.
Losing one good pitcher for a period
of two weeks very frequently VIII
upset a whole staff land to guard
against this is the reason why most
clubs carry eight or nine pitchers
an season long.
il always get laugh out OF the
old-timers who insist that pitchers
today aren't the equal of old-tlnle
pitchers because the yare able 20
work only once in every three or
four days whereas the old-ttmers
worked every other day.
The fact of the matter Is that
pitchers today don't have to work
% often. and by reason Of their
extra rest they're better pitchers
when they do work. The old-timef.
too, had lot of advantages shat
the modern pitcher doesn't have.
The old-timer used dead ball that
couIdn't be hit as far; he was per-
mltted to doctor the ball all ne
pleased: he could use all sorts Of
freak deliveries and he was per-
mItted to pitch balls that We're
black, loose, roughed, and lOpsIded.
Naturally we could make that bail
do a lot OF tricks that you can't do
with new ball.
The modern pitcher working
IN q free.hitting age, has to
bear down every minute-and
lie works as hard in pitching
nine innings Of baseball rs the
pld.tinler had 10 work I'm eigh.
teen innings.
i saw a lot Of the famous old-time
pitchers. / saw Waddell and john
son when they were good. / saw
Who'd when he was at top form
ana lot of others. No one can
ever convince me that those fellows.
great as they were, are any greater
or any better than the pitchers we
nave today.
There were outstanding pitchers
then, and there are outstanding
pitchers now. But the average was
pretty much the same, and club
IN those days was lucky to have
three good pitchers. So is a club
today. Another thing too. July
and August were just as tough on
the old timers as they are on the
present-day boys. Injury to star
upset the old-time pitching staff
Just as much. and doubIe-headers
caused just as much grief.
But I'm getting away from the
point ] started out to make, which
il that baseball success, or failure
for the next two months will be
measured In terms Of pitching effec-
tiveness.
Dog days are pitching days, and
always have been.
fCepyright, 1929. by the christy Walsh
Syndicate, Inc.)