Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-03

Outstanding pitcher Is to gain
confidence. Bobo NewSom, who
excelled in pitching and conf
dence, said. Amt nobody going
to give it to him. You got to go
get that little item yourself.
There we're some guys that
hit me real good" Bobo con-
tinued. "zeke Bonura, Rabbit
Warstler and Joe DiMaggio wore
me out, but they had to prove
they could hit me every time
they stepped up to that plate.
always figured 1 had the edge on
them. When pitcher loses that
feeling he'd better give up.
Il never warmed up for a
game in my life that I didn't
get goose bumps" Newsom said.
land in my opinion the pitcher
who doesn't get worker up about
pitching is in the wrong business.
Every game 1 ever pitched
whether it was in a World Series
or being played before a couple
of hundred fans in st. Louis, was
doggoned big stuff to me.
X 4
When / was kid we got the
Hartsville Messenger in South
Carolina once a week. l read
about major leaguers and I'd
think they were as big as that
palm tree over there. But when
l was Is l hitch-hiked from
Huntsville to Clearwater, Fla,
where the Dodgers were training,
and worked out with Brooklyn.
l found out they were just about
my size and there wasn't nothing
to be scared about.
People will probably think
I'm lying when l say this, but
Lefty Grove never beat me and
l guess we hooked up l8 or 20
times. Sometimes Lefty or my
self left early and neither of us
got the win or loss. but he never
beat me. Look it up.
Grove used to like to snooze
a little before he pitched, put
on the day that he was going
to pitch against me Id always
interrupt his nap. I'd go into
the visiting clubhouse and say.
Lefty. I'm gonna whip you
again. Man. he'd cuss me OUT
something fierce.
1T was tough trying to be a
pitcher when l was a kid. had
a high school coach who played
guys VINO paid him. l amt kid
ding. You had TO go out and steal
a chicken for him once III
while If you wanted to make the
team.
Il used to play hockey from
school. ride my bike five miles
out into the country and play
semipro ball. Got two and a,
half bucks for pitching a game.
When pitched double headers
l got four bucks. When I got
home I'd get whipping from
my daddy. He didn't have any
help around the farm and he
didn't like the idea of me play
ing ball when there were SO
many chores to be done.
MY mother was more SYM
pathetic. In fact. she made the
baseballs We played with. We
couldn't afford to buy EN-, SO
she'd unravel my worn cottor
socks, wind the thread around
a piece of rubber. put a cover on
1t, soak it in a bucket OF water
overnight. dry it in the sun and
we had a ball.
I'VE had a house in Hartsville
that was built on concrete pillars.
l never should have been wild.
because I'd throw at one of those
pillars by the hour. trying to hit
the spot l wanted.
AT Carlisle Prep in Bamberg.
S. c.. it didn't look like was
going to be a pitcher. The only
way / could take trips with the
team was to catch batting prac-
tice. Later on l played second
base. In the last game of the
season the coach gave me a
chance to pitch. but only because
everybody else he had tried
wasn't any good. I struck out
II. so I wasn't a second baseman
no more.
If l had a nickel for every
ball I've thrown I'd have more
money than General Motors.
i AAAo0 Va AiSo dP n tiiCOl VI IilltlG.
You see ball players down here
running and running and run
ning Why? To get their legs
IN shape, right? To make their
legs stronger. right? l think the
same thing applies to pitchers
arm. It's my idea that the more
you pitch the stronger your arm
will become"
Bobo will handle a pre-game
television show in Baltimore this
season for the fourth year and
he seems to get a genuine belt
out of working with youngsters
on his knothole gang program.
If anybody had told me
few years ago that Id be ON a
Show with kids Id have told
them to take the rocks out of
their head" Bobo said, but l
really enjoy it. l feel like I'm
doing something worthwhile.
And there's little doubt that
,Bobo is accomplishing some
thing His wife Kav nlicked n