The Washington times., 1930-05-21
BABE CITES
N. Y.ROOK|ES
RECORDS
By BABE RUTH


BOSTON, May 21.-Miller Hug
gins pet hobby in baseball was
disposition"
Hug used to talk about this
quite q bit. He knew his onions
all right, and the more I stick
around the more 1 see what Hug
meant by disposition.
We've got fine example right
on the Yankees this season in
Dusty Cooke and Ben Chapman.
These two kids came up to-
gether from the same team.
Dusty, according to all reports,
was a whale of a ball player
one of the best kids to come up
in many years. Chapman was
supposed to be just average, a
good kid but not sensational.
What happened? The big
leagues with their crowds and
their balIyhOO got Cookies
goat. But Chapman found
them an inspiration.
Ben is playing better ball than
he ever played in his life. Dusty
is sitting on the bench trying to
get used to it all. One had real
baseball disposition. The other
one didn't. Don't misunderstood
me. I'm not rapping Cooke. I
have a lot of faith in that kid
and I think he'll come through
to get the last laugh on lot Of
fellows who are panning him
now. But difference in diSposi-
tion gave Chapman the early
break.
George Kelly was a victim of
his own disposition when he joined
the Giants a few years ago. 1t
took him two or three seasons to
find himself and forget the
hoWls and the ballyhoo and the
cheers. Once he did it he was a
great ball player-but until he
did life was certainly tough.
OGCGSIOuduy ICAIDWS CUIlHC
along who get by for awhile
on their fighting spirit alone.
Wild Matthews, who used to
be with the AS and Washing
-, ton was like that. AS a ball
player Wild wasn't great. But
the excitement of the big
leagues keyed him up and for
nj ENn NJ
a house afire. Then he hit
his normal stride and was
soon back in the minors.
Incidentally it is disposition
that makes pinch hitterS. You
know some fellows and good hit,
ters, aren't worth a nickel as a
pinch hitter. And other chaps
whose batting average is much
less, are bearcats when you send
them up there in a pinch. The
slow, indifferent type of hitter
who forgets the score and just
goes up there with his whole
mind concentrated on hitting that
ball is the ideal type for a pinch
hitter. That's why Bob Meusel
was always so good in the
pincheS, and it was disposition of
that sort that made Mccormick
one of the best pinch hitters of
all time.
Here's a tip-off on pitching dis
position. Lefty Gomez and FLOYD
Van Pelt, two of the Yankee
youngsters. were talking about
pitching one day before the sea
son opened.
81 like to pitch one of these
IA to l gameS," Van Pelt said.
II like a lot of runs SO
don't have to worry"
Not me-" Gomez retOrted.
II like the close ones where
a guy has to bear down every
minute and where the least
little slip might cost a ball
game. That keeps you keyed
up nd keeps you bearing
down. I'll choose the close
ones every time"
tt answer to that one is that
Gomez already has won two
games for the Yankees and looks
like one of the finds of the
season. Van Pelt is back in the
mnicrs without pitching a single
inning. Van had as much stuff
as Lefty He knew as much
about pitching. But Gomez had
the rea. pitching disposition.
Hug certainly knew his stuff
Disposition counts for almost as
. much as ability in this game and
the more I stick around the more
I apprecite just what a real dis.
position will do for a ball player
(CopvriEht, 1850, bv The Christv
Walsh Syndicatel