Evening star., 1942-07-18
Confidence in Swinq
Goes as Joe Loses
Poise al Plate
Feels He'll Soon Regain
Balance; Speaker Rated
OutfieId's Best Ever
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent of The Star.


Joe Di Maggie moved into the
1912 season with six-year big
league average at .345 His average
was above $50 for his four years
with San Francisco. Then at the
age Of %, at the peak of his physi-
cal prime. he finds himself strug-
ling desperately to reach the 800
mark
The trouble?" he repeated. "As
far as I can figure it out it has
been bad timing. Timing is hard
thing to explain in words. 1t
comes and it goes But it never
hit me this hard before. Timing
is partly physical. partly mental.
Good timing is largely based on
confidence. When you feel you
can step up there and crack one
you have no trouble concentrating
on the pitch and swinging smoothly
without any hitch or extra effort.
But when something happens,
you can't start hitting and your
confidence blows up and that's an
other story. You seem to have
trouble getting your feet set the
right way. You have trouble wait
ing long enough for the pitch.
Something happens to your balance
and you can't get it back. Not in
. hurry. anyway.
Joe Is Like Butterscotchmen.
Good hitters," Joe said, get a
good part of their power from the
back leg-the right leg in my case
You still should have most of the
weight on your right or back foot
when the hands and wrists start
to swing the bat. You keep most
OF 1t there through the swing.
But when you get in a slump
you somehow have tendency to
get the body forward too quickly
That means you are overanxious.
You might think it is an easy fault
to correct. but it isn't. The harder
you try, the harder it is to keep
your weight from moving forward
to help out. That, OF course, ties
up your hand.
"One trouble" Di Maggie said,
SIS you get caught in a sort of run
around. You can't get any conf
dence until you start hitting and
you can't start hitting until you
get your confidence"
You are something like the But
terscotchmen," said.
Il don't know about the Butter
scotchmen," Joe answered.
They were in Davy and the Cob
lin,'" I told him. "'You don't have
to worry about these Butterscotch-
men, the Goblin told Davy. They
can't run until they get hot, and
they can't get hot until they run"
Joe laughed. Il guess I'm a But
terscotchman. But l have a feel
ing I'll soon be on my way again,
and when pass that 800 mark it
will be all different"
Speaker Was IN Outfield Marvel.
Iris Speaker, the old-time out
fielder who was stricken in Cleve-
land few days ago, was the finest
defensive outfielder I ever saw. I
saw him play when he broke in
with Little Rock around 1908 or
1909. He was all over the lot then
before he left for the Red Sox to
become an all-around sensation.
Speaker was a great hitter. But
he was an even greater outfielder.
He was an infielder playing the out
field. There never was an outfielder
who could play ground ball as we'll.
He could 60 back or come forward,
cUin0 ri0ht NY Ynnvo loft
Beyond this he had the rare
knack Of locating the right spot in
advance. On one hitter I've seen
him only few yards back OF sec
ond base, looking for line drives.
On the next man up he might be in
deep right center or deep left center.
iris had an uncanny knack of
figuring in advance where the next
drive would land. But If some one
crossed him with a long smash,
right, left or over, the Gray Eagle
was in quick flight for the ball,
which he rarely failed to cover.
Curbed Cobb's Leadership.
1t was iris Speaker who finally
stopped Ty Cobb's long run of lead
ing years at bat. Speaker halted
Cobb after the Georgian had paced
his league for nine years. Except
for this Cobb would have led
hard-hitting pack for l3 successive
seasons. AS it was Ty made it u
out of 13 against such hitters as
Speaker, Joe Jackson, Larry Lajoie,
Sam Crawford and many others.
This was the star of baseball's
greatest defensive outflelt-Duffy
Lewis, Speaker and Harry Hooper
an outfield patrol that never has
been equaled. AS a manager he
gave Cleveland her only pennant
and World Series.
What more can you look for, or
ask for?
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