Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-27 | Page 13 | Bodie Offers Alibi for Sun-Field Man

bodie oSm" : ! FOR SlIHIELO II : : Says Can't Be Expected tc j Hit After Using Dark Glasses. " i i OKI Piiiff Bodio" offoroil nn alibi rc ! ccnlly for left fielders thnt rinp;a trm and pives the average bfitcball bu; 801HC food for thought. Ping Avjis shifted at tho tunc fron Ic'ft to center field by Manager Milk II uphills of tlio Yankees and he do clnrcd he was mighty glad of th change. "What'a Ihe idea you're glad to pla center?" asked a scribe. ' ' , "That's a cinch luh answer, " re turned Ping with a grin. Center fiek is easy on the eyes, like Sojdcmbc Morn or something. ' ' ' 1 Now, get me,'" continued the ma who covers lots of ground sit tin' dovn j "what I mean to say is thai in lef , j field you are always looking into th , i sun and you get rnzzle-dazzled in tli ; vision. Result, when you come to tak i your turn at bai, you are out of hie '( if 3'ou happen to be the fiist man uj , and even though you don't things some : ( times look hazy to you if the sun i strong. ' i Knocks Batting Average. ' ' I figure that playing left fie! knocks about 25 to Ju per cent off flout fl-out fielder 'a hit ting. I "in certain it, '. . heen that way'witli me. and 1 wouldn : ! be surprised if oilier players who ha v. covered left field would tell you Th same t hing. ' Playing center field is dif fesen t You seldom have to look into the sui and there's no hazy film in front c. i yon when you're trying to see what, ' coming up to tho plate."' , Ping's argument is a sound one, t ( say the least. Even with smoked glass' to wear when the sun is burning dnw at its brightest, the left t'ieklcr, unle,-ho unle,-ho has an abnormal pair of "glims, t must find things looking hazy alter 1 has peeped into the eye of t Md a couple of times, only to be. en lb f on a romp in 1o the b'Mich, pick up , bat and face real jazzy pitching. Pointer is Good One. In swinging on a pitched ball the ba ' , ter must meet it as nearly squarely r ' possible to get; tho best results. If h hits the ball on top he will knock 1 down to the infield or foul it ol'f. ) he hits ft little, under the point w hie should be the center of contact who ( bat meets ball, up she goes. Hut, i he meets t lie bu U srpia rely some) hin is going to happen, and in this case ', $ all depends on what kind of a pile he! ' ball he is swinging ai. If it n hig" low, wide, or on the inside. It take i a different dirretion, and judging -' is part of thi' bailer's art. That 's wli Ping's pfiintrr is so logical, and whe, von figure that the average ma.k league pitcher has a lot of steam on tM ( uill you can iniagiue what chance j I baiter with two eves full of sun gin haM with a wingst er who knows h, business. ',