OCR Text |
Show BASE LINE COACH CALLS IT SCIENCE Aims to Make Every Word Suit the Occasion. Probably one (if the most-abused members of tiie Philadelphia club is Penny ("Megaphone") Meyers, baseline base-line coaeh. Meyers' resonant tone qualities have echoed through major and minor league baseball for the last 20 years, for Penny has always coached, even in his early professional profession-al and still earlier amateur days as a player. He is one of the tvw who regard re-gard their vacation in the light of an art, not so much depending on the skill of directing trallic on the bases as the aptitude of remarks to meet changing situations. "You may not believe it," says Meyers, "but many a ball game hinges on the psychology of a toucher's remark. re-mark. In a tight game, for example, the ninth inning, with the score tied, ore out and it man on second, I may address my batter and say, 'A hit will win Ibis ball game.' I say it good and loud (I never whisper, anyhow), so's the opp"sing pitcher can hear it. "What's the effect of that remark? Why right away Mr. Pitcher is reminded re-minded of his responsibility. lie turns the situation over in his mind and says to himself, 'Gee, this loolcs bad.' Naturally he isn't at his best and the chances of the run being scored are just so much improved for our team." The volume of Meyers' voice and its irritating qualities have a definite market value. lie once was purchased pur-chased from Newark by Jim McCaffrey, McCaf-frey, then owner of the Toronto International Inter-national League club, just to keep him "from tantalizing the Toronto club auy more," as McCaffrey explained. "If they stopped tiie coaches from saying anything,", said Meyers recently, recent-ly, with a certain touch of wistfulness in Ids voice, "I might as well fold my tent and be on my way. I wouldn't be any good to my hall club. A coach that doesn't say anything or that just makes noise at random is a total loss. I aim to make my remarks fit the occasion." |