Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-26
Griffs' Hurting
Might Surprise,
Fitz Believes
Several Throwers
Have Potential to
Turn Into Winners
BY BURTON HAWKINS
Star Stan Correspondent

season could make catcher
bitter, but Ed FITZGERALD, who
handled the assortment Of err
ratio throwers on many occa-
sions, believes some of the
necessary suffering Of 1856 may
produce heartening results in
1857.
Pitching is the key to success
in baseball" the veteran catcher
said. Without it, it's impossible
to get anywhere. Right now our
only dependable pitcher is
Chuck Stobbs, but we're not
whipped because we only have
one man who is reliable. Poten-
TALLY we have fellows who could
be big winners. They have the
arms to be good.
Take Camilo Pascual, for in
stance" FITZGERALD continued.
HE has the stuff to be a stand
out, but he has been beating
! himself because Of wildness and
"a temper that gets him in a
lot OF trouble. If he acquires a
bit more control and can curb
his temper he could be tough.
Troubles Between Ears
"Pascual walked SO batters
last season." Ed said. but that
isn't the true picture Of his Wild
ness. There were so many other
times when he got behind on the
count, putting himself in the po-
sition of being forced to come in
with a strike. That's when he
was Misunderstanding them the
fat pitch.
Hell go along at times and
look like the greatest pitcher in
the world. Then he makes a mis-
take. gets mad and he's through.
1 He ceases to become a pitcher
and merely is a thrower. His
trouble isn't in the 60 feet 6
inches he has to throw. It's in
the short distance between his
ears.
Ted Alternately needs conf
dence. A take-charge-and-get-
tough attitude could be the MAX
ing Of him. He has the equip
ment. Maybe this sounds ridicu-
lous because they only won six
games between them last season,
but Dean Stone and Hal Griggs
could develop. Maybe that will
bring a laugh. but they've got
good arms. They could be win
ners IL they learn to put the
ball where they want it to go.
!! Stobbs Learns Deception
/ Catching Stobbs is a pleas
ure. He has confidence in all
of his pitches and you know
that regardless Of what you ask
him to throw he's going to be
near the plate with it. This
time last year nobody was
counting on much from him
He had won four games in 1855
Now he's our only solid pitcher
Actually. there wasn't any
astounding change in Stobbs. He
learned to throw his curve with
varying speeds, he fooled hitters
by throwing more fast balls than
he had previously and he came
up with a new pitch-just a
flick of the wrist as he fires his
fast one. It makes the ball move
bit and gives the hitters some
thing different to look at.
/ In other words. he became
more deceptive. In one year he
went from four-game winner
to a 15-game winner. He should
be able to win that many or
more for several years. He has
Learned how to pitch. Some OF
the others we have on the squad
can do the same.
1 Il don't say it's going to hap
Ipen--that these fellows will come
along-but they have the phys
ical equipment. You can't look
into their heads or their hearts.
1t takes brains, at least in a
baseball sense, and it takes CUTS
to be a pitcher.
"A young pitcher is a Ounce II
he doesn't show up at training
camp already in condition" Fitz
said. I'VE have a swarm of
pitchers here and Chuck Dresser
and his coaches have to find out
See SENATOR'S Pare All