Show I t g MATTYS MA TTY'S COLU 9 Sport Comment and Vie y CHRISTY MATHEWSON th th New York Giants' Giants Famous Pitch Advice t to the Boys Boys' From Matty l' l Copyright 1916 1915 by the Wheeler ler In this Syndicate Inc article I am to try to In knickerbockers Thi Is i to boys you yona my fifteenth camp and I think I have an Idea b by this time year In the tho big Jea league e t. t back back to to the tho bushes each why most ot of the re Teen spring They ca cant can't t hIt The ordinary 1 hopeful who comes into the with a a. big leaguer leagur but In the words of at a a. Chicago camp can field floM lS pret dead now newspaper man i 11 Keogh the tho Is they cant can't hit M Ian J Many agers ager seem Beem to believe that tha batters are arc born and S inaSe ly made when the not made T They a as they have rown to he be old enough to but hut work In the bi big l Ie they can bo le Improved even at that r t. age have hav fellow s seen en man many v ai al In come and look bad a hitter as only to turn Into a year or two You ou cant can't manufacture a batter says McGraw w if tIt the do doesn't him sn provided t carry carn the he e has roudI roud I tor for It It but hut you can improve a man YO by by certain qualifications to start with When Mike Ilko Donlin was with the Pittsburg club two threes three three or The ago ho he devoted a lot of ot his time to coaching Carey the fast ont young Pirate outfielder was a a n. speed hound in the outfIeld but not not connect connect solidly often otten enough to give him mu much h of ot an average average J 1 showed him a a. lot ot of things and h ho has developed Into a a. dangeo dan with the stick ot at any stage S C S 9 J Takes Lots of Practice Ji that U If the interested fan will go back through h the records he will win d Eddie Colllns Collins did not bat three hundred the first two or t sons he was In uth the Jea lI when he was Just learning the rop ropes j i friends or of his who knew hIm white while ho he was In ln school Preparatory a ai I I branch lege t toll i m me rue me t that t h ho was constantly practicing batting cultivating t 11 Perhaps lher there are fewer men adept at batting than at a an r part of t the e game b because it ft r requires more nerve to stand up gains and not put put one foot foot- In the water pall pan than it does to run bases 6 a And big league pitchers tho the majority of ot them in spits spite of ot all you you mi m nui to the contrary tt try t to- to scare the young batter balter when he first come cornea the plate plato Go through h tho the veteran big leaguers of ot the game and as ael and nearly every everyone one will tell you that he was put through the 1 know that Joh Johnny ny Evers was hit b by pitched balls twice in the fire J In which he ever wore the big league spangles S Now let Jet us go back a lI little Ue and see why batting appears appear to bo be scarce commodity in ball ban pla players ers When I was a kid I 1 11 used to sp my time shying stones at squirrels arid and rabbits and other woods and I found I could curve curvo stones Next I began to play c cat constantly I was lo tossing a a. b baseball back and forth with any othe could find who would stick with m me The result was I developed d r m but not m my hitting I became a pitcher Now look over tho the kids nel neighborhood and you will wm find them playing catch in odd mornen mome seldom batting There are reasons for tor this Batting practice is Isi take In a confined neighborhood for tor it Is difficult to control the b ba neighbors generally object to having their windows broken ordinary boy does not get as much batting practice as he doE does i heidi catching Then too only onh one boy can hit at a a time and it takes takes- fielders to chase the ball ban when he wallops It Learn to Bat First of All p Here Is the advice e I 1 want to give I e to young oung boys hoys who become ball ban players whether the they Intend to make baseball their pr or not Get Just as much batting hatting practice as possible You will wilt hay hav hayot of ot fielding work in odd but but g make it It a point to walk or Jog lot Jot where It is safe sate to swing a bat and then try hitting the ball 1 1 is easy to learn It Is not a bad idea to pick out a n side of ot a no barn burn windows or other perishable material in it and let some other boy you You c can n slam tho the ball ban up against the wall and two boys can can hitting by themselves that way One can pitch and the tha other bat ha after time I have seen slow fielders held hellI in the bl big league could hit Sl Star r fielders ar art ar turned back In droves spring after sp ap cause caus they cant can't hit A man who can can an bust them Is always sure i because he can be he taught to Take the heavy hitters of the and arid will find that game ame you ou most most- were partial to the batting end when the they were youngsters a as for tor Eddie Collins T Ty Cobb has has' told me that ho lie spent most oC or othis his days trying to bust cm I r always liked that end of the game when I was a kid said felt so good to hit them Tho The other boys In the bunch hunch w wanted t toI tol to tolI I had my chance to practice I believe belleve It helped to make me mc me able little Of or course cours a nearsighted boy or a lame bo boy or a a. one armed bo boy become a hitter no matter how much he tries But the average e A Aboy Lo boy can go a long Jong way toward making himself a batter by working end of ot the tho game It is because of or the popularity of or pitch an and ca cat most boys think th they y are arc pitchers when they start and try tn v ores nr his position Make yourself a hitter and you OU are arc pretty prett sure or of a athe a i ithe the school team the college team and the big league outfit if It you break Into professional baseball Competition Is not so keen H Ha will develop almost any quality If It the bo boy has the have Even brains are not developed without hard work ork Tit Tb advise boys to work vork up the batting end of the game Jame j 1 1 have ha seen t tIn tin in the spring camp at here this year ear not to know how sea scar batters Are art Hitting Is th the framework of baseball of or a strong stron cl |