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Show I . I Some Remarks on Hawk Holke Eagermess to Learn Js Trait By DAMON1 'RUN YON. "Yaw York. December 0. AS A SUBJECT for a sort of baseball sermon, consider Holke, of the Giants "Hawk" Holke. This is the blond German lad who was serving as doorkeeper for the Big Town club at the close of last season.- He led the National league in both hitting and fielding, on the face of the returns. True, Holke appeared in only about thirty-five games, and, therefore, cannot can-not be justly regarded as the r.eal leader in either department, but it seems to . us that his feat has been passed by .with too little attention. Maybe he was hitting away above his normal notch. Maybe he was fielding field-ing beyond his speed. It is even quite within the bounds of possibility that he may not be able to keep up with the big league pace in either line next season," and finally drop back into the dismal stiadow of the bench, but as he finished fin-ished IfUii he lookeel to be about the best prospect in the land. Any club would give $15,000 or $2U,0U0 for him right now, and gamble on the chance of "The Hawk" making good. If he should happen to go on through 1917 in the same seusational style he will be worth twice $20,000 at the end of the season. He will be among the baseball greats. And whatever Holke is, now or in the future, ne owes largely to himself and to his willingness to listen and to learn. That -kind come rarely to baseball nowadays. It is the text of our sermon. When he first joined the Giants for a try out at the Marlin training camp a couple of years ago, Holke was a very green, gawky youngster. He had made : a good record in a. minor league in the northwest, but he gave little indication j of any hitting ability, and there w.ere many faults in his tirst base play. I '"He gets all crossed up on himself over there," commented MeUraw, after watching him a few days. "He is certainly a raw ?un." In those days Holke was a right-handed hitter, with a very awkward position posi-tion at the plate. On his form it seemed a cinch that he would be a "sucker" , for smart pitching, such as he would encounter in the big league. When the training camp broke up that spring, McGraw sent the big Gcr- i man home with the second team of young Giants in charge of Mike Donim, and ! few of those who had watched the training siege that year expected to see "The Hawk" in the big league again, Donlin's Good Advice. It was Mike Donlin who finally gave Holke a friendly tip. The old-time slugger watched the young German's efforts at bat through several exhibition games with considerable disgust. One day in practice he saw Holke take a smash at a ball from the left side of the plate, and was surprised at the force with which the rooky hit. - "Say, why don't you hit left-handed all the time?" he demanded. "You are an awful thing up there right-handed, but I think you can whale 'em from the other side. Try it and see." Holke tried. "One thing about Holke, he was always willing to -try. He found he could do much better left-handed. When the second team reported at New York. Holke found he had been consigned to Rochester, in the International league, John Ganzel having seen him at the training camp and taken a liking to him. figured Holke would improve. He did not Jake at all to Holke 's idea ot hitting lett-handed, however, and so, through 191o, in the International league, "The Hawk" did mosfc of his batting right-handed. He did fairly well at that. Even as a right-handed hitter, Holke always did well in the minor leagues, and none of the baseball sharks could understand it. Some of them cannot understand it even now. His technique was a violation of established rules and customs, but he got the hits. They were nearly always funny little hits, just over the infield, but. they were hits none the less. They were always looking for the pitchers to get Holke's measure and pitch him right out of the league, but "The Hawk" usually wound up the season with a corking good average. He did it in the Northwest. lie did it in his first season in the International. Last year Tommy Leach managed Rochester, and Holke turned completely over, as the ball players say, hitting nearly all the time from the left side 'of the plate, except against left-handed pitchers. Willing to Learn. Despite his record in 1015. he escaped purchase and the draft. It is the impression im-pression that McGraw always kept a string on him, but he was not recalled that year, and it is believed now that the Rochester club had clear title to the, young man. In 101(i a lot of big league scouts looked him over, and Connie 'Mack especially thought, well of, him. Holke had improved vastly, yet some of the scouts reported back that he would not do that he would never be able to hit big league pitching. It developed de-veloped that while McGraw may nor, have had any legal claim to Holke, ho had some understanding with the Rochester club, because late in the season ofU91(5 ' " The Hawk '.' returned to the Giants, fitting into the new infield right awav and figuring largely in the run of twenty-six straight victories. When the International figures fer 10 lb' were issued, it was found that Holkr was tied with another player for the batting lead, giving him a record" probably unequaled in baseball. Back in the big league, and apparently a "phenom," Holke suddenly discovered dis-covered that his schooling was not over. He returned with a left-handed position at (he plate, all right, but he was batting from an awkward crouch. It was a very bad form, yet he "continued making mak-ing base hits, and McGraw let him go along with it for a time. Then Holke fell into a slump. The pitchers seemed to have his number, and McGraw told him it probably was the crouch. Straightway. Holke abandoned the crouch, and began smashing from an upright position. The result is told in the final figures of the National league. He is always willing to list-?a and to learn, and he is so modest that he j seems too good lo lie true. McGraw asked him for terms as soon as he joined the team, offering him a contract. Ilnikc said he wanted to see what he' could do first. He said if he ecu id not make good he did not want to be hanging around, even if ho had a contract. If he could make good, he said, then he would discus? terms. That the way it stood at the ciosc of the season. |