The Washington times., 1930-07-16
PENNOGk AND
ZACHARY
BRA|N|EST
BY BABE RUTH

ST. LOUIS. Mo-, July 16.-You
hear a lot these days about the
smart pitching there used to be in
the old days, and fans are con-
stantly talking about the cunning
of Matty, of Three Fingered
Brown, of Young and Coombs
and Bender and Plank. l know
they're right, too. Those fellows
I've mentioned were cunning and
smart out there on the mound.
They knew how to pitch and they
studied their business and were
interested in it.
But here's the point I want to
make. Not all the smart pitching
was confined to those by-gone
days, not by any means. Despite
the fact that lot of old-timers
insist otherwise, there are smart
pitchers in the game today,
pitchers just as smart and just
as cunning as any OF the old
timers you can mention. Don't
misunderstood me. When talk
about smart pitchers don't mean
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Of curves and trick stuff.
AS a matter of fact, the
thing works out quite the Op-
pOSite, for pitchers never
really get smart until they
begin to lose some of their
natural stuff and have to de-
pend on the old bean to get
by the tough spots.
A fan wrote me the other day
and wanted to know who was the
smartest pitcher in the American
League. That's puZZler but
after thinking 1t over carefully
I've about decided that Herb Pen
mock gets the call. Herb knows
his pitching onions and he knows
opposing hitters. too. His come
back this year has been the most
amazing thing in baseball to me,
and I'm telling you that there
are just two things which have
made it possible. One Of them is
his perfect control and the other
is just natural cunning and the
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Listed among the really smart
pitchers in the American League
I would put Sam Jones, of the
Senator's; George Uhle, of the
Detroit Tigers: Ted Lyons, of the
White Sox, and Jack Quinn, Of
the Athletics. Those fellows may
not have as much stuff as a lot
nf nfIAar Iaifnharc hl1$ met fhn
same every time they go on that
rubber they're tough because they
know what to do and how to do
1t. They don't depend on their
arms to fool the batter. They
out-think him as we'll!
don't know the National
League pitchers as well as 1
do those in my own league,
but I've seen a number of
them and know how they
work. There are no pitchers
in baseball I think any
smarter than old Tom Zach
ary now with the Boston
Braves. Tom is i'm there think.
ing on every pitch, and think
ing mighty fast too.
Willie Sherdel, who lost four
tough games to the Yankees IN
two world series, is another fellow
who has his mind constantly on
his business and there never was
a pitcher any more cunning than
old Alex when he was still in the
league.
And Dazzy Vance, too. A lot of
folks think all Dazzy has is a
floppirig undershirt, good curve
ball and a high hard one. That's
wrong. Dazzy, like all kids. used
to pitch with his arm alone, de-
pending on natural stuff to get
him by and using his head as
little as possible. But now chat
he's older he's getting cunning.
He has learned that it's easier
to out.think a hitter sometimes
than it is to breeze a fast one
by him. Today Dazzy classes
with the really smart pitchers.
I've hit against him and know.
Now one other thing on the sub
ject Of pitchers. We're not get
ting as many real pitchers into
the league now as we used to a
few years ago. It isn't question
though of not knowing or Of lack
OF natural ability. The fact of
the matter is that kids aren't
as eager to become pitchers as
they used to be. Nowadays they
think more Of hitting.
Copyright. 1880 ny The christy
Walsh, Snydieate)