Evening star., 1940-03-27
The
SP0RTLIGHT
Can't Miss Greatness,
Says Witt of FeI|er
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

Special Correspondent of The Star.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, March
~ NAN.AD.-I ran across Oscar
Witt the other night and we stopped
to talk about Bob Feller. Based on
his natural ability, his gain in ex-
perience and the way he has been
rounding into shape, everybody ex-
poets the Van Meter fireball pitcher
to have a great year. So, dis
covered, does Witt.
He can't MISS" the manager of
the Indians said This will be his
best year up to now-another step
on his way to being perhaps the
greatest pitcher we ever have
looked at.
Let me tell you about this kid
You hear all about his fast ball and
his curve ball-you'll find the ball
players will talk more about his
curve ball than his fast ball because
that's what he strikes them out with
In the clutch-but you don't hear
much about how hard he works to
improve himself. And that, if you
ask me, is the greatest asset he
has-or that any ball player has.
Ty Cobb would agree with him
on that. I told him that Ty once
told me he could have been just
another big league ball player on
what he had in the way of natural
ability and that he hit the top only
by the hardest kind of work.
Bob Full Of Ambition,
Ever Reody to Learn
"Sure," said Witt. "This kid feels
the same way about playing as Ty
did. I've seen many young pitcher,
with almost as much stuff as Bob,
fall back into the minors because
he didn't have the ambition and
the willingness to work that this
kid has.
Here's one detail: 1 rounded all
the pitchers up one day and talked
to them about bunting. I don't
mean fielding bunts. 1 mean doing
the bunting themselves.
"'When I send you up there to
sacrifice I said, what do you do?
Most of the time you bunt the ball
right back to the pitcher for force
play or you pop the ball in the air.
Anybody can learn to bunt if he'll
only give little time to it. And
remember this: You're working for
yourself when you're at the plate
just as much as you are when you
are in the box You can help your
self-or you can wreck your ball
game. Do you realize that by learn
ing to bunt, so that you can move
runners along when you're up there
trying to sacrifice, you might win
two more games year? Two more
games won might make a differ
ence in your record for a season.
and might make difference in the
standing of the club!
ToiIed for Extro Hour
Procticing Bunts
"They all agreed with me. They
had to, because I was right. But
you know who has done the most
about it, don't you? Sure. You
guessed It, Feller. He came to me
after practice that day, when every
body else was heading for the club
house. and asked me if I could get
q couple of fellows to throw to him.
""Throw to you?' I asked him.
What do you want them to throw
to you for?'
$50 I can practice bunting he
said.
"'You bet your life I'll get some
body to throw to you,' I said.
IT got couple of strong-armed
young fellows out to throw to him
and he practiced bunting for an
hour. He's been at it every day
ever since. The other pitchers
have been practicing, too. But not
like this kid.
"You see, told him If he could
bunt, it might win two more ball
games year for him. That's all
I had to say. He'd do anything to
win two more games a year. He'd
stand on his head in the box if
he thought it would help him that
much.
Psdeets Way TO Hold
Runners to Boses
"It's the same way with pitching
with men on the bases. That was
his big weakness-but it isn't any
more. They might steal on him
once in a while, just like they will
steal on any pitcher once in while
But if they think they are going to
run on him this year like they used
to. they're crazy I hope some of
them try it. He was a sucker for
them once-but he's laying for them
now.
You have no idea now hard he
has worked on holding runners on
the bases and fielding his position
and doing everything he can to
make himself real pitcher. He
has learned that there is more to
pitching than just throwing the ball
to the hitters and that by picking
up trick here and there, he can
win a few ball games that he might
otherwise blow
''It's great thing to see in a kid
like that. The average kid, break
Ing in as young as he did-why.
wAs looking at him the other day
and thinking to myself he still looks
like baby-and getting all that
publicity-the average kid would
have got swelled head and you
wouldn't have been able to tell him
anything. But this kid just hangs
around waiting for you to tell him
something or asking questions of me
or some of the older players on the
elub-and he is a cinch to wind
UP as one of the greatest pitchers
IA ever had=maYhe the createst y