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Show TIMELY ADVICE FOR Small Man Is at a Disadvantage Disadvan-tage as a Pitcher; Out-fielders Out-fielders in Demand. Most boys Tjegin their baseball lives ns pitchors. Tho biggost boy on the team is usually tho pitckor. This, nftor a fashion, is "as it should bo. Whilo some small men have made great pitchers, pitch-ers, tho pitchers usually aro tho tallest and largest men on all teams. Height, roach and width of shouldor are groat assets, on tho slab. Speod is tho first rcquisito of a pitchor. Giro a boy good height and weight and good speed and it is always possible that ho will mako a good pi teller. tell-er. If, on tho other hand, a boy has not got speod thcro is no use in his trying to bo a pitcher. You can in-crcaao in-crcaao spocd (by good, coaching, but you can't confer speed. You can teach curves, change of paco, control, how to field, etc.. but yon can't impart spocd. That must bo natural. If a boy gives promiso of future growth and has more than average speed he is worth working with. If he has not natural speed it is' scarce worth his whilo to learn to pitch. Small men who havo mado groat Eitchors havo beon mostly left-handers, -raus, who pitched for tho Athlotics, was a slender left-hander, who lasted but a few months. He won his first ten gamoB, thon disappeared. Doyle, with tho Highlanders, some seven years ago, was slender and alwayR in trouble, though very skillful. Breitenstein and Plank, two great left-handers, wero rated small men, yet they would weigh 180 pounds in uniform. Sudhoff, tho old Brown pitcher, was, perhaps, the smallest of all successful twirlors. yet ho muBt havo weighed 275 pounds in condition. At that ho did not endure very long. His lack of height and speed compolled him to use too many curva balls. That woro his arm out. Most of the really groat pitchors of recent years havo beon giants, liusio, Mcekiu, Cy Young. Dineeri, Brown, Overall, lteulbach,rathewson, Bender, Coombs, Waddell, Marquard, Johnson, "Wood, Alexander, Hendrix, were, or are, all close to, or over, six foot in height and from 185 to 220 pounds in weight. "Under tho circumstances it would bo unwise to advise any boy who docs not five promise of mora than avorago eight and weight and who is ambitious ambi-tious to play professional baseball to take up pitching as his specialty. Tho chances of a slender and light boy making good as a pitchor aro not numerous nu-merous enough to warrant him giving his time to pitching. Briefly, the tall, broad-shouldered boys, sons of big fathers or of big mothers, who promise to be big themselves, them-selves, may try pitching. Stout, heavj--set, rugged chaps with big hands nnd 6trong bodies should try infielding and catching, whilo the slender, fleet-footed fleet-footed lads should try tho outfield. Thcro is a tremendous demand for good catchors and good outfielders. For many roasons boys dislike to play tho outfield. It is not exciting onongh to suit them. Hitting in boys' games and in amateur contests is light and outfielders out-fielders havo little to do. This is what makes good outfielders so rare. Good judges say that there was but ono good amateur outfildcr, young Bnggott of tho Donnelly Stars, in St. Louis last year. Good outfielders outfield-ers are in demand. So boys should be eager to play tho outfield and play it well. It is "the easiest placo to play, it gives hotter chance for cool hitting and a really good outfielder is a prize second only to a really good pitcher. |