The Washington times., 1929-07-31
HAVE
CHARMS,
J|NXES

I was going into the bali
park in Detroit the other day
when some baseball bug hailed
me.
"Hsy, Babe" he yelled. wait .
minute. I've got something for
YOU"
/ figured he wanted pass or
was some bug who wanted an antc.
graph. so kept on going, but he
ran and caught up. Then he handed
me q little Jar.
Rub this stuff on your bat"
he said. "It will bring you base
hits, sure" looked at 1t. It waa
sort of dirty.looking salve.
Never mind anything to rub on
my bat" told him. Give me
something to rub on my eyes 50
can see the ball. The bat will taks
care Of :.tseif.'.
nut the stuff IN my locker
and forgot all about It until to.
day. This morning ! had let
ter from that fellow. II see you
got three hits yesterday, he
wrote. II guess now you know
that stuff I gave You Is the
real dope. ig
Since I've been playing basebgI
I guess q thousand different peopse
have sent me a thousand different
charms. My locker at the stadium
Ia half filled with them all the time
until now and then Woodie, the
trainer, has to sort them over and
throw some of them away so III
have room for my uniform. But 1t
just goes to show what notions folks
get about baseball how much
superstition there is among the fans
as well as the players
You know players, most Of them,
are superstitious about their bats.
They get q couple of base hits with
a bat, and right away that bat il
the most valuable tAtrg in the
world. When anyone naeAtions bats
I always think OF Sid burst and .
thing that happened last year. Sid
had been going to hat time after
time without anything that looked
like a hit. He was pretty blue and
downcast. One day before q game
Combs handed him Combs bat.
"Here Sid" Earle said, ''use
this bat OF mine once. Maybe It
will bring You luck"
Sid carried it TO the plate, and the
first time up smacked out a base
hit. He got three hits in that game
and was ticl1led pink.
Keep the bat" Combs told him
after the game. Its yours. Use
it all the time.
NO, don't give 1t to me-" Sid
begged. Just loan it to me. IN
use it, but it's still your bat. y
you give 1t to me youH jinx it.
Sid used that bat In the world
series and got home run. He
used it this spring when he was
playing regularly. and hit for q
percentage Of 1867, But he still In
sists that It isn't his bat. "It be-
longs to Combs" he says. And
I'm just borrowing 1t. It isn't mine. :"
Ball players have great
habit Of trading bats. When the
players of two clubs meet be-
fore Q game they always start
heTting and lifting each others
bats and swapping back and
forth.
But always when players trade
bats there's one condition to the
trade. Under no circumstances
must the bat be used against the
trading players own club.
Every time players give or trade
"a bat you'll hear them make that
condition. Here's a. bat you can
use, they'll say. But If give
it to you you'll have to promise
not to Use IL against u.s.
another superstition about bats
is that each bat has just so many
base hits In 1t and no more. Once
player is hitting well with a Ger
tain bat he guards It 1eaIousIy., And
never uses it except in game. He
has a substitute bat for batting
practice, for he don't want to take
any chances on breaking the good
one and he don't want to waste any
OF the base hits that are in the
wood.
They tell story that AL sim,
mons has pet bat that he uses
only when he comes to bat in the
pinch-with runners on base and in
position to score. don't know Il
that's true about AL, but / do know
that Frank Schultz. the old out
fielder Of the Cubs. had bat which
ne cailed Black Betsey.a which he
would use only when be cams IL
bat with two out, runners an and
the Cubs behind.
It certainly Is funny how super.
stitioiis players can IS about bats.
And ! don't mind telling YOU that
I'm 2 little that way myself. when
get hold OF . good piece Of wood
In mighty careful about how and
when use 1t.
(copyright. 1899. by the chr,sty
RI Valf 81