Show aPA D R C RCA A A FEW timers old-timers were talking a aday aday z A day or two ago about the best combination pitching staffs including including ing two stars It all began on a visit to Detroit where naturally they were talking about and Trout who came close to winning the pennant for the Tigers last 3 fall I could take them themba ba back k to the days of Mathewson and McGinnity Mc Mc- Ginni Ginnity ty a pretty fair two man com corn ry r There were others including Jack Chesbro who were just as good Dizzy Trout or just as effective an anyway way But those were times far faraway faraway faraway away and long ago ago go Few modern fans recall their names But this is getting away from star all-star pitching strength where two men are concerned concerned concerned con con- on one team Several requests requests requests re re- re- re quests have come in from servicemen servicemen servicemen service service- men especially those overseas to hear more about and Trout the winning Tiger tion We put this problem up to E. E A. A Batchelor the Detroit expert who came through promptly with the following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing had threatened to be bea a fine fore pitcher ever since he joined the Tigers at the age of 18 with a avery avery avery very limited minor league ence He had plenty of sw swift t and an excellent curve but he also had two serious defects He never could get the ball over the plate without easing up on his stuff and he sulked and pouted whenever things went wrong for him It used to be said that Harold was licked as soon as asan asan asan an error was made behind him him him- that he was a rank quitter if he didn't get all the breaks Couldn't Stand Defeat eat The trouble seemed to be that he be couldn't get over the idea that he should win every game he pitched No matter how good his performance perform perform- ance if the other team outscored the Tigers he felt that Fate had kicked him right in the seat of the pants There may be better ways of acquiring unlimited unpopularity with wadi ones one's teammates than a chronic chron chron- ic martyr complex but we dont don't recall recall re re- re call calI any of them at the moment was cordially disliked by bythe bythe bythe the entire Tiger squad When he pitched the whole team tightened up and played its worst ball Paul Richards probably is deserving deserving deserving de de- serving of a great deal of the credit for development from froma a problem child into a real rell pitcher This veteran backstop was acquired by the Tigers from Atlanta where he had been manager to help Oil fill the hole left by the departure of George Birdie Tebbetts for the army He conveyed the idea that a successful successful successful suc suc- pitcher works on the batters batters' batters batters' batters batters' bat bat- weaknesses and does not merely merely merely mere mere- ly try to throw the ball past them by main strength And so in one year he developed all the latent talent talent talent tal tal- tal- tal ent of the young southpaw and helped to earn for him the award of most valuable player in the theAmer Amer American can League Gay Eccentric Trout Trout in many respects is the exact opposite of in mental mental mental men men- tal make makeup Instead of being a sulking sulking sulking sulk sulk- ing self centered athlete he was al always always al al- ways the good Cell fellow ow He worked all his waking hours at his trade of being a charming eccentric Nothing Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing seemed to worry vorry him not not even the necessity for Cor winning an occasional occasional occasional occa occa- ball game It was the feeling of the fans that he lie was more interested interested interested in in- in clowning than in pitching pitching pitching pitch pitch- ing that he would rather get a laugh than a digit in the win col col- Everybody liked him and everybody everybody everybody ev ev- wanted to see him win everybody everybody everybody ev ev- except it seemed himself Then uThen all of a sudden Paul seemed to tumble to the idea that his extra curricular activities as the life of the party could be reconciled with doing a serious job on the mound Just about the time he was ready to receive one of those long green railroad tickets to the minors he settled down to work He won 20 games in 1943 with a club that wasn't going anywhere in particular and he liked the idea of being a winner winner winner win win- ner so well that he kept it up in 1944 with 27 victories It wasn't that Paul suddenly uncovered uncovered uncovered un un- un- un covered some new stuff He hasn't a bit more on the ball now than he had when he was struggling to break even He always has had a afine afine afine fine curve ball and exceptional control to say nothing of poise that even an earthquake couldn't dis dis- dis- dis He just naturally grew up up- up at long last One characteristic that these two pitchers have in common is their willingness to work One or the theother theother theother other was in over half of the games that the Tigers played last year in inI I almost 70 games of record Even EvenI I when they were starting games far oftener than is customary in the majar major ma jor jar leagues they were doing relief relic work for faltering associates And their associates tes last season had a aI I positive genius for faltering In fact all the rest of the Tiger pitchers combined won only 32 games or a little over half as many as the two stars |