The Washington times., 1936-03-25
Stress Put
OnPitches
ByHarris
BY FRANK BUCK" ONEML

LAKELAND, Fla, March IS.
Great pitchers should make great
artillery officers when their base
ball days are over, for greatest
hurlers are supermarkSmen.
Great pitchers change their de.
Elections and targets as batterS
shift constantly trying to out
manouever them. If they can't
do that, they're not great pitch.
erS. That brings us to Dick
Lanahan, and the loss OF yester.
days ball game with the Min
neapolis Millers.
Lanahan went into the game
against the Millers in the sixth
inning with the score tied at +
all. In the seventh inning he
whipped over two strikes on Spen'
Ger Harris, a strong left-hande6
hitter, with q lifetime batting
average Of better than 300. On
the next pitch Harris smashed
the ball over the center field
fence. terrific drive, that won
the ball game.
We return to the realm Of guns
and artillery fire, the science Of
opening and closing on key pieces
and the arts Of reflections. Billy
Starr gave the sign for a fast ball,
which was not altogether right.
Starr, however, placed his glove
low and over the outside corner,
giving Lanahan q perfect target,
and letting him know where the
ball should be pitched.
High and Inside
Well, Lanahan has not yet
achieved greatness. He fired q
fast ball letter high on the inside,
Harris fell back a few inches, thus
making the pitch a groover, and
slapped it beyond the borders Of
the field.
Lanahan's blunder was in not
pitching to the target; in not try.
ing to score direct hit. STAIRS
mistake, half covered by calling
for ball low and outside, was in
not calling for q down breaking
curve, good enough to be called q
strike, and not good enough to be
hit with power. Every indication
given by Harris in three previous
trips to the plate was that he
could not power q low ball that
was over the outside corner.
When the game was over Bucky
Harris went into conference with
Starr, told him where he had
made his mistake, and also told
Lanahan that he should have
shot for the target offered BY
Stars glove instead of lust
r'aring back and blasting a ban
over the plate.
1t has ever been the conten,
/ ton Of old masters Of baseball.
men Of the type Of Clark Grit.
fifth, Connie Mack, John McGraw
and Miller Higgins, to name 0
Few OF the great Strategists, that
the average lefthanded hitter
cannot overpower q lefthander's
curve ball. Therefore, their con,
tention that Lanahan had blum,
dered, and that Star was only
half right cannot be so much AZ
remotely classified as a second
guess.
curve nan OK.
II Lanahan had pitched q
curve ball and Harris had busted
1t out Of the lot, no comment
would have been made. And If
there is any busting the count
TWO and nothing, you can bet IL
will be off a curve ball.
Aug1e Luther, a 12-letter man
rom Luther College, somewhere
In the West, is going to get q
chance to impress the Washing.
ton chain officials. Luther, who
hit a home run yesterday, win
be loaned to Chattanooga BY
Mike Kelly. president Of the
Minneapolis cub. Luther is Just
a freshman In professional base.
ball, but the way he powered that
ball impressed Griffith, and Kelly
agreed to send him to Chatta.
nooga. A few more homers and
Luther will be in Griffith sta.
dium.
Griffith was inclined to dis.
count the deal by which Chatta.
nooga acquired the rights to Lu.
ther. If you know Mike Kelly
and Clark Griffith, you know
that these two philanthropists
don't go loaning and borrowing
promising youngsters Just for the
fun Of the thing.
Bucky Harris stated emphatic.
ally this morning that nothing
could pry Dee Miles loose from
the ball club. Miles went into
left field yesterday and greeted
Belve Bean with a terrific home
run over the right field fence.
Miles is improving with each
game in every way. He is going
to be real good ball player.
It begins to look now as II
Arndt Jorgens will remain with
the Yankees unless Griffith is
willing to pay more than the
waiver price. Mccarthy stated
that he would be attentive to
| on 0offro nf}yya y11.oyNoSifinyo1 uyIoa =.