The Washington times., 1930-07-05
EXPERIENCE
|. AS PITCHER
VALUABLE

CcuCdBSs
Shawkey has no formula for
success in handling players or win
ming ball games, but he admits
that people and conditions are
vastly different than they were at
the time he was one Of the head
liners of the Yankee pitching
staff. There is no comparison OF
the duties.
''When I was . pitcher"
Shawkey said, with = grin. II
had myself and my immediate
fate on my mind. / had q nat
ural wildness to watch. wasn't
an invincibIe pitcher and had to
be on the lookout all the time
for sudden rallies, lucky base
hits, and have a knowledge Of
the hitterS.
To-day I'm working for and
with the whole team. I've got
all that had on my mind when
/ pitched, along with the trOu-
bles of the other players. / am
in every play, every pitch and
every batting rally.
81 try to help the fielders play
for certain batters, especially
our young players. Sometimes
the hitter crosses me up, hut
we've got along pretty well this
season. 1t isn't so very difficult
to play for hitters nowadays, be-
cause everybody is trying to.
murder the ball and there are
few place hitters in the game.
DO 1 try to direct the teams
hitting? Well, not much! /
can assure you that. How could
you direct such batting as the
Yankees possess? Here and
there, Of course, I call for sac
rifices, squeeze plays and Occa-
SiOnally 3 hit and run, but the
batters themselves work out
their own salvation for the
most part. We have meetings
and 90 over all that stuff.
81 know that when a pitcher
is wild he's losing his stuff.
That's why you see me trot
out every once in q while when
things look uneasy. II they tell
me they're all right, they re-
main in the box. The boys
have been honest with me in
this respect, answering yes or
no according to how they feel.
know what wiIdness means.
"Also I know that fellows
like Sherid and Ruffing are
good pitcher. Roy had a severe
worry this spring and / just
had to wait. OF course he
should have pitched better
than he did, but those are the
breaks. / still believe he'll
come through before many
more weeks have passed. Ruff
fling was OverwOrking himself
on the mound out West. and
so / just rested him up a bit.
The Yankees spirit, cO-Opera-
tiOn and attitude have been
the best.
''I'm not trying to be a
father to them. That's for the
older managers. I regard them
as men, capable Of working out
their own problems best. They
are in baseball to earn money
and because they like the game.
If they let anything else enter
in, they are the sufferers. OF
course / help the young pitch.
ers. Some are holding the ball
incorrectly and others are
throwing their curve ball too
high or wide. All those details
are part of the job. When they
get into the bali game they are
pretty much on their own.
"NOne of the fellows is talk
ing pennant. You'll find less
of that on this club than any
where else. They know that
winning ball games is the only
way to come out ahead. That's
why we never count or eff"
from day to day. They know
what they have to do and I
think they're doing it,"
Shawkey takes an active par
in everything the ball club does
His chief interest is in the phys
cal condition of the players. Be
fore every game he talks with tn
doubtful ones and always dis
cuSses an injury or illness cas-
with Doc Painter.
AS a result, no player can g
on the field incapable of doin
his best. Bill Dickey played tn
other day with a sore throat, bu
that was because the young play
er promised to go to bed earl
that night and remain in be,
until noon the next day. He go
in the ball game and made
homer.
Shawkey likes his work. H
likes the responsibility of manaa
ing a club. He takes his defeat
to heart and he isn't in the bes
of humor after a setback, espt
cially If that setback has been du
to pitching inconsistency. He ha
a temper and the first player VIII
tries to cross him will feel k,