The Washington times., 1929-09-05
iTENSENESS
BRINGS ON
SLUMP
BY Babe Ruth

NEW YORK, Sept. 5.-Now
and then you read stories in
the newspapers that this base
ball club or that club, that this
player or that player is laying
down on the job and not try
ing. That s an easy thing to
say, but a mighty hard thing
to prove.
I've kidded other players myself,
and accused them of quitting cold
and all that--but l never meant IT,
seriously. For in all the years I've
been in baseball l never knew a
single man, anywhere in the league,
who actually laid down on the job.
And. believe me, that's more than
can be said of a lot of men in
lot of other professions.
A lot of people during the last
six weeks figure the Yankees have
laid down. They know they haven't
a chance for the pennant," ore
fellow wrote, 80 they're skidding
along. taking things easy
That's hunk-and the fellow
who wrote it ought to be made
to apologize. Here's something
to remember about baseball.
Nine times out of ten the fellow
who is having a bad season, or
the club that Is going badly, is
-" doing it not because they're lay
ing d0wn-but because they're
trying too hard. And that's no
joke either.
Take the Yankees, for instance.
The other day Tony LazZeri kicked
two balls in row--one of them
fielding play and the other a Wild
throw. That same day Lou Gehrig
went to bat four times in q row
and couldn't hit the ball out of She
infield. Up in the stands the fans
were giving them the razZ and call
ing them "quitters" and all thor.
But if you could have seen those
two fellows in the clubhouse after
the game you would have known
they didn't quit or lay yn. They
were so sore they coulu eat nails.
Their trouble was that they were
irving too hard-and instead of be-
Ing natural Oul lLSIS Oi SHC AACSo
they were all tense and stiff.
If you've ever paid much atten-
ton to world series you've probably
noticed that the first one or two
games are always Hninteresting and
dull. The fellows out on the field
don't seem to have any fire and
they play everything safe. If 1t
wasn't a world series with lot al
stake the fans probably would think
they were laying down, too. But
they're not. The answer is that
the boys in that first game or two
are always tight and nervous
They're afraid to cut loose and be
natural-and the result is uninter-
esting baseball.
I've played in nine world series
since I've been in the big leagues,
and in every one of them the first
game of the series was dull and
uninteresting and not a bit ex-
citing. Along toward the end Of
the series both teams are feeling
natural again, they're loose and
easy and calm. And that's when
you see the real baseball.
But I'm getting away from the
subject What I started out to say
was that nine times out Of ten
players look bad from over-tryiEg
rather than from letting up. l was
talking to Goose Goslin few
days ago. Goose has had pretty
tough year with the stick and it
has him worried.
'Down in Washington" he
said "alI the fans are riding
me because they think I'm not
trying. And I'm telling you
Babe ] never tried harder in
my life than have this season.
Sometimes | wish / could lay
down a little. I've got hunch
that II l could go uD there mt
the plate not caring darn
what happened, maybe | would
come out of my slump"
And Goose is right. The same
thing goes for Lou Gehrig and
Tony Lazzeri and a lot of the
other boys who are having poor
years. Some of the fans call them
cutters, but I'm telling you they'd
he a lot better off if they were
cutters. Then they'd be carefree
and easy and natural. The way it
is they're trying so hard that they
can't do a thing. It's like the
golfer who tries to kill the ball
The harder he tries to hit it the
worse his drive is.
Just bear this in mind. In base
ball, players don't quit. The thing
that makes a great bali player is the
fact that he loves to play the
game. And when you enjoy doing
a thing YOU don't lay down.
Copyright. 1929, by The Christy
Walsh SVn1icafeN