Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-26
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW 5, FRANCE, ,7App
The King Size

EVER SINCE OPENING DAY, when Mickey Mantle
clouted those two incredible home the
field wall at Griffith Stadium it has been fashionable to
that old G. spadngs descendants had put
fresh rabbit in the 1856 baseball At least that's been the
most popular theory.
Some of the parks smaller, too" people have
reminding Nov you take Washington's :"
Just the other day George McQuinn, the old Yankee
first baseman spoke his piece Count the broken bats"
advised George sporting goods dealer in Arlington You
hardly game when there fewer than two
three broken bats The reason? They're making em with
those slim handles The result is sort of action golfer
gets with woods that have wppy shafts In the Of
the baplayer he powers pitch in the seats when he gets
the fat part of his bat but when he swings at pitch
his fists the bat breaks"
Now forward the erudite Dave Grote manager
of the National Leagues Service Bureau who asks logically
enough:
why isn't it acknowledged that the greater output of
home might just be the simple fact that the
majors today blessed by the greatest number of
hitters in the games history"
GRoTE is LARGE amiable young man who for
studied at the knee Of Warren Giles at Cincinnati
and is taking posgrad that Giles boss of
the National League 1t is just possible that Grote is
vocng Giles personal thoughts which Is all right here.
There may be knowedgeable baseball man around
these days than Giles.
It's about time writes, that detractors stopped
grumbling about the lively ball and the smaller parks
Babe Ruth hit so home runs Dave reminds Jimmy Foxx
and Hank Greenberg hit So Hack Wilson hit S. If the
ball has been ALFRED hoped up and the parks
zewsk Gil Hodges Eddie Mathews Duke Snider Mickey
Mantle hit that many-or TO- or even 80 homers?
Isn't the very simple? Players NOT hitting
MORE home MORE players hitting home runs"
On the whole Grote points out, home hitters
always have been powerfully built Ball players today
bigger and stronger Grote says T used to be that
the club had two three land sometimes only
home suggers The average club today boasts any
number of capable of hitting the ball out of the park
every time they come to bat"
a glance at his findings. to wit
Take good look at the average National League
player and how he's in the last 20 Start
with the first basemen The MI first baseman of 1856
averages feet 2h inches and weighs 203 pounds That
makes him exactly three inches taller and "a pounds
heavier than the first baseman of 1896.
Across the diamond, the 1856 National League third
baseman two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than
his 1886 counterpart Todays shortstop is 2 inches taller
and 10 pounds heavier while the second base increase is
2a inches and IA pounds In the catching department it's
all in height at 5l5 but this years receiver outweghS
the '36 backstop, 1875 to 1885,
"In the outheld" Grote reports "the difference is
The 10 fielding leaders Of 1886 and 1855
what happened to 1882 measured and the result
showed average weight increase of 20 pounds per
Could be they're eating higher the hog these days
PRESIDENT GILES BEIATEDLY is rung into Grotes
picture when he quoted saying regards the physical
growth Of today's major Lacquer
Its outgrowth of the change in scouting tech
nques since World War H. Every scout looking for the
power hitter and has been for the past several
Where the to be the lookout the speedy
kid who good at hitting behind the runner and other
such skls the primary question is How far he
hit the ba These factors also hold good in minor league
camps where the major eaguers of tomorrow groomed
to hit the ball for distance"
Adds Grote 1.-THE obvious rebuttal to the increased
size theory will be- Isn't the pitcher Of today bigger and
stronger? The that he is positively but granted
that he throw harder-though it doesn't necessarily
folows automatic that the faster pitch is thrown the
farther it will travel upon impact"
%A*
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE, represented by Grote and
Giles wraps all pretty neatly pointing out that Richie
Ashburn Of the Phes smallest Of the 1856 group of 10
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