| Show I j- j MATTYS MATTY'S COLUMN Sport Sport- p rt Comment and cind Views View v I I By CHRISTY MATHEWSON the New York Giants Giants' Famous Pitcher J Copyright 1916 1915 b by tho the Wheeler heeler Syndicate It was was not very ago Johnny Evers aimed a swing awing at an umpire in inthe the heat heat of of a game If the tho records were searched I believe it would bo found that thit Johnny had b be n r guilty of the Ute same came thing b before fore in his ca ca- ca rear reer reer M Mere re recently Fr Fred d Clarke the Pirates Pirates' mar manager ger and Evers got into some cort of a Jam jam Why does Ev Evers s rs hate peace so GO Cant Can't he leave the umpires alone I have been asked hundreds of times of-times times b by f followers of baseball Let mo ma say frankly Johnny just cant Evers finds himself in much the tho same name predicament that II Heine Hems Zimmerman says he faces when a e 0 gets sore sore at an ump H Hems Heine eine was In an argument with Klem Kiem lY It e t 4 r If you open your mouth again threatened Klem Kiem I Ill I put you out of the game and fine you Zim Zim pr promptly made some remark about 1 Klem's Klems personal appearance appearance appear appear- appear ance aries ance and his hia general intelligence and he was soon seen scampering for the clubhouse carrying a afine a fine fina you know Klem Kiem would you today when he said h he would if you you didn't stop talking I I asked Zimmerman that night when I chanced to ru run into him I did replied Heink Heinie and arid I had mi my my- mind all made mace up not o to say ay anything but Iut tho the first thing I knew it had come out of my mouth v Evers Even becomes so absolutely ly engrossed in in a game of ball bail he cant can't restrain himself from talking And then he t too figures a 1 little further ahead It is well weil known an umpire very rarely changes his decision when once made so some fans contend there is no use in kicking further than that since Je the ruling is s bound to stand Johnny Johny calculates differ differ- r- r I 1 I however His theory js that although g ment may not affect that l decilio it it will sway the umpire on or t eJ next one if it is s close John for loses decia decision at ii f n r example a s second cond base when a man tries to st steal He hollers murder a and ci speaks speak o the umpire very generally The ne next ma man who tri tries s to come down js i perhaps pe P a meek eek player without much u h. h aggression Again Again- g i the play i is close claie bu but the ump umpire re calls the man mano out o out t.- t. The ump believes believes' that if he calls the base bae runner runner safe eafe the second time tim will get a wOrse worse roar out of Johnny Evers than before whereas he is i. the meek young ball ballplayer ballplayer ballplayer player wont won't make any remarks remarks to him alio about t his family tree or an anything thing else eili r I Of course o ar an umpire do does s not think hink of f these tue things when he be is IS' calling a play but unconsciously he is bound to tobe be e in influenced u by them I had o oc occasion oc- oc casion cUlon to notice practically the same situation i in court o o rt the other day The lawyer who hollered loudest over the points th that went that went against him got the next noton one in in Jils favor His opponent nt was was' meek and so the crab attorney finall finally had the the whole ue c-ue ease coming oming his way perhaps the Judg judge was only following the tho th In laws law but I thought hought the th the personal personal el element entered into nto It It too tob George likes to see Evers carry earn on at t the umpires I There Is 18 no use uKe tr trying irig g to c slop stop him declares George an and It is ts a I cinch the umpires hate t to have some someone someone someone one crabbing all aU th Tills This j spirit of t Johnnys also k keeps keeps' theother the tho theother other r bo boys fighting and ond puts Ute life Into the team feam Let Let- me add th that thai l this spirit of at Johnnys hn has made him Q one 10 of ot the gr greatest players th the came game gama has hs evOr ver known knowl in spi pito eOr of the t fact cl that he heIs heIs heis is fragilely built and has bas met and overcome In his biB time many obstacles which would have broken a 1 man with less heart Fans are aro enough Interested d in me meto meto meto to write and ask osk whether I think I 1 Iam airi om at nt the end of ot m my days ay as a pitcher Of Ot course courso all alt big leaguers i arc are optimists j when when-it ft it comes cornea to a I Jl titie ri o of og age And Arid t they ey are arc more sensitive about this than that ah an Unmarried tied fled lady ov over over r 35 But But- ButI I dont don't think this will Ul be my last hust season In the the- big bl gira spangles Cant Can't t a man man ben been or jg- jg at at It tt t for r flU flU- t- t teen years ears v h have have-an an off summer bummer once ni ta while rm h has not hOt been boen sl since ce I I injured It lt on th spring training trip tripi at M ilIn V T Tc xv I It L t hurt Kurt l I ph playing n n 1 a form of or rheumatism m d In In Ml If und and In hi the e 1 muscles or orl t J As s long as If It lt tay stayed d' d f onn v r t time mc I raised I It Itt t to th ball l gl pain hot through gh th tho Wing and through gb Recently I have M-e had some omo relief bya ft i treatment of ot It it- QU out and anti tho the hot bot weather i TV i v 4 V 2 v s 's J C y has helped it it to too bu but t tho neck still still- bothers me c What have y you u shortened up your stride for Cor this seas season n 1 Meyers Meers the lr Indian cUan asked me mc me meone on one night latel lately after a game game in St. St t. t Louis in which 1 had worked part way without a great amount of ot success success although the GI Giants finally won won it itI I uJ didn't know kno I had was m my reply I know you have hn answered Chief Then I began an to see something Unconsciously Unconscious because of ot tho the pain which j Jumped O through roush my neck I Iad had ad begun to take of off orr on Oil my step when I 1 delivered the ball This st step i has a n. great deal to do with tho the speed of ot a pitcher and I had now hOW discovered the reason why I had e entirely lost losi rn my ins' fast tast one one It was vas not d due re to m my arm aria nut but to the J length of ot my stride All All' Il pitchers hers who vho have haye had tremendous speed take a a. avery ver very l long ng step when delivering the tho ball Even en when young oung I did not lIa have lIae e an unusually fast ball compared to that l of ot some Speed is not hot so much a n question of ot size or weight or or strength strength strength- or orr ortho the power lOwer of ot the th arm although t they ey all count especially height For this reason McGraw has hag alv always ays favored tall tail pitchers But there have been some short twirlers rs who have ha have e shown a aast vast ast amount of ot steam Joc Joe Wood of at Boston Doston Is' Is lanot not ver very tall tall- but buthe buthe buthe he has plenty of at speed Some Som American leaguers have hae t told ld me inc they bellve Woods Wood's fast tast Fall lall I Is faster taster th than n Walter Va when Smokey Y Joe is working right r Bullet To Joe Bush ll of or th the thC Athletics Is another pitcher who I not so very 1 but Who ho ha has a wi wicked leed t fast st o one r The ht pain in my neck neele prevented mo from Crom taking that overhead o swing with my arm arm which I I 1 h have vc always always' used in ln delivering th the ball ban t to the batter baUer and ni stride was cut down a as a n. result Since Since- Meyers made the tho suggestion sug HUg c to me roe I have ha started to tol l lengthen it out ga again n and 1 I believe 11 i will wm soon have have- back backall all the speed that my aged wing has carried for the pa t two or three seasons My Mv neck Is now mu much h JJ wetter better and I can swing my arm ann back over my my he head d. d It is Is' Is Ism m ray my opinion lon that I can ari keep on traveling the big league pace for fora a few tew season seaBon more by lengthening that step in the tho bo I h hope p to show a. a very CI good game soon which will wUl convince o m me that m my theory is fA cor cor correct teet reet and not Just j st sta a a alife life belt bell of r hope hope- I 1 believe If several se pitchers who are are short cil n speed now will try tt ta taking that step long thc they will find they can dev develop lop a m much ch better fast ball ILhas It IL has much to to do with It U It and all the tho gr great at al speed pitchers pitcher'S take that bl big one |
