No. 19, Keep Your Eye On The Ball. The first law of batting is keep your eye on the ball. And, as Chick Hafey advises, never take your eye off the ball from the moment the pitcher begins to wind up until it actually hits your bat. It may seem impossible to see a fast pitch as it hits the bat, but with long practice the eyes become sharper and in time you will be able to see the bail even though it looks only like a white streak almost up to the moment it strikes the bat. Inexperienced batters lose sight of the ball just in front of the plate and swing where they think the ball is; but where, more often, it is not. - By Austen Lake, Baseball Editor, Boston Transcript.