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Show CONTROL OF THE BASEBALL First Requisite of Pitcher Cannot Be Too Strongly Emphasized, Sy Christy Mathewson. The first necessity for a pitcher Is to have control of the ball, say Christy Mathewson In St. Nicholas. That can't be emphasized too strongly. strong-ly. A boy may be able to throw all the curves Imaginable, but If be can't put the ball where he wants It, the batter keeps walking around the bases, and be will never win any ball game. Therefore. I would, first of all, advise my young readers to practice prac-tice accuiacy, until they can place the ball Just where they want to send It. I-et them pitch to another hoy. with a barn or a fence as a backstop, and try to pnt one high, over the Inside, In-side, and then blch over the outsld", and again low over tbe outlde, and keep up thin practice patiently until mastery of the control of the ball ! obtained. A boy will find that even If he can't pitch a curve, but has good control, he will be able to win many more ball games than If he has a lot of benders, but no ability to put the ball where he wants It. |