The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-05

fnOeTlX, ArlH., MHTCn O,-NOFJ- What did or Pete Alexander really say when he was called in from the bullpen that afternoon to strike out Lazzeri on the Tanks and win the World Series for the Cards?
 How does a baseball scout go about his business, and what is the first thing he looks for ir a young player?
 Who is the greatest right-hander who ever pitched ball?
 How do the old spring training camps differ from the ones today?
 can tell you the answers to these questions, dear readers, be. cause few days ago I talked to the man who knows the answers.
 He Is Walter tDutch) Ruether, who from 1913 to 1927, was one of the most formidable southpaw pitchers in the game, and man, who, being as he worked for Pitts burgh, Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Chica. gc. Washington and the Yankees, didn't miss much in either of the major leagues,
 Dutch, now scout for the Chl- cago Cubs. was in the bullpen for She Tanks that fateful afternoon when Alexander was called in to go
 gainst the Tanks.
 "pete had just pitched the day before, and was just stunning him self out In the bullpen," Ruether told me, "He had been out most of the night before, and had no Idea of getting in the game. He was dozing away when he got the call. All he did was to shuttle to his feet, slip his cap on. spit In his glove. and amble eff. He took about ten steps and then turned back to me and said: See you later. Dutch, I gotta stop this damn rally.I
 Never Equalled
 Dutch swears there never was another right-hander like or Pete
 Just suppose Pete had really taken care of himself" Dutch unused. Think of what he might of done then. Even so, you would have had to pitch against him to know how tough he was. He licked me to 0 three times in row in 1922, and one of the games took only 5l minutes to play. He had everything oa earth that a pitcher needs"
 Ruether has been scouting for the Cubs since 1888 and in that brief time has come up with such players as Novikoff whom he yanked right out of softball; Lou Stringcr, who has q chance to play regular second base this year; Verne Olsen. one of the leagues most promising left handlers; Glenn Russell, first basemann. and Della Sandro. outfieldcr. He got these men for song, ard has yet to "discov- CT" one of those 5000 lemons that scouts come up with every once iil q while.
 Ruether spends most of his walk ing hours at baseball games. Up and down the Pacific coast he trav- els, looking at sand lot, high school, semi-pro. college and professional games. It is nothing for him to see four or five games a day. starting in the morning and finishing with a night double-header.
 Promising
 One of the rockies on the Cub squad this year is Robert Hendrick- son, and if he pans out as a win ming southpaw pitcher Ruether will deserve the credit Dutch spotted, the gangling Hendrickson when he was l7-year old pitcher for Hol- lywood high school.
 T saw him strike out 2l men in seven inning game" Ruether told me, and still lose, l to 0, oll walk, sacrifice, and an error. It was the way he too: his defeat iii the dress ing room that appealed to me, even more than his strikeouts. He pat ted his fellow players On the hack and said to forget it. that there would be another afternoon. A tenn perament like that is invaluable. From that day on worked with Hendrickson every day. I got down on my hands and knees to show him footWork. showed him how to hold the ball, how to hold men on bases. how to field his position. and everything else I know about pitching. He likes to work, likes to learn. and I think he is going to make the Cubs a fine pitcher one of these days. He is only l9 now. and just graduated from high school in January of this year"
 Ruether said that scouts great. est danger lay in judging college players.
 College baseball is so bad these days. that if q fellow has any tai. ent he stands out like a monu. mcnt. So you have to be careful not to go overheard on a boy who looks good only because all the