New Britain herald., 1930-04-25
YOUNG PLAYERS
 ARE IMPROVING
Howard Ehmke Delivers Mes
 sage to Bal-MindA Youth

New York, April o5 Pl-Howarl Ehmke, the lanky blonde veteran with the slow smile and the slower curve that confounded experts and Chicago Cubs alike in the last world series, has reassuring message for base all-minded youth
 Not only are better young ball players coming into the big leagues all the time, but the calibre of the youths has improved steadily since Howard first wandered out to a big league pitching mound in Detroi. fourteen years ago. Furthermore opportunity and financial rewards for youngsters never were greater than today.
 "They say good young pitchers aren't coming up to the big leagues any more" he snorted as he warm ed up in hotel lobby, for the chill outside prevented any hope of a ball game. That's false. Look at Liebhardt, Mahon and Mahaffey, all newcomers to the Athletics this spring. All fine young pitchers.
 All a kid coming in needs is na- tural ability and ambition today He'll find all the veterans eager to teach him. He'll find clean, whole some athletes to live and team with. The slack, unkempt element has gone from baseball.
 Young pitchers usually arrive with a lot of speed and stuff and things to learn. Usually they learn rhythm, boise and to field their po- sition. Experience comes with these and then you have q real pitcher"
 The big blonde with the aching arm, permanent reminder of an old injury. climbed to his feet and scratched an imaginary pitching rubber on the rug. He took his stance and except for his clothes looked exactly as he did when he stepped out of obscurity last fall to panic the Cubs, win the first game Of the world series for the As, and pile up 1S strikeouts.
 Most new pitchers place the for. ward part of the right foot on the rubber so that the foot points direct iy at the batter. During the wind up they must turn the foot so tha. It points to third base. That throws the body out of line, the rhythm ;s lost. and the ball doesn't go exactly where you want it. The cure is to point your foot to third base before you start the wind up."
 Then Ehmke bent over as though he had a golf club in his hands. He still looked like Ehmke, the pitcher.
 Its the same principle in golf," he explained. T play fair game but when I sway backward-like this-as l swing, I lose my rhythm and slice. I've moved the wrong part of the body. It affects my con- trol of the ball just as twisting the foot affects the pitch.
 Youngsters should pick out four good pitchers and study their styles instead of trying to copy something from every thrower they see. I ad- wise the new pitchers to study Herb Pennock of the Tanks, Ted Lyons Of the White Sox, George Uhle of the Tigers, and Sam Jones of Wash ington. l believe they have the best styles.
 Nonchalant, easy-going kids make the best pitchers because they are cool under fire. They must have eAperience-sitting on the bench does no good And finally they must held the position. If a poor fielding pitcher misses fifteen out of thirty balls hit to him, half will drive in runs and maybe four will win ball games. Those four games can turn an ordinary pitcher, winning 15 and ioslng To, into a great pitcher, win nlns l9 and losing H."
 Ehmke likes the youngsters. He IS coaching Connie Mack's rockies thls spring. By the middle of Nav, when the sun comes out he homes 10 be ln there winning ball games, He wants to be ready for the open Ing game of the next world series.