As part of a series of syndicated articles which asked some of baseball’s biggest stars to talk about “How I Win,” Joseph B. Bowles, a Chicago journalist, interviewed Herman “Germany” Schaefer before the 1910 season.
Germany Schaefer
“Work hard and think hard, and keep working and thinking all the time, whether you are winning or losing, is the way to win in baseball. I have been with losers and been with winners, and my system of losing is the same as that of winning.
“People have an idea baseball players are some special make of men. The fact is that hard work and steady practice is what makes one man better than another in the game, provided they start with equal strength, health and speed, and have determination and grit and no strain or streak of yellow.
“Anyone who is timid, who gives up quickly or lacks gameness never can become a winning player.”
Schaefer
Schaefer said when he played with the Tigers, the players had a code of honor about their individual “gameness;”
“We had a test with the Detroit team that proved good. Every man in the team was supposed to take chances in preventing the other players from running. In blocking runners or in sliding a player voluntarily risks getting hurt and it was a point of honor with the players not to whimper if they got cut or bruised. The ones that complained did not last long.”
Schaefer said keeping his head in the game and self-confidence were his best attributes:
“I think my best success as a player has been in keeping thinking all the time, both at bat and in the field and in trying to keep the spirit of the team up when we seemed licked.
“When I was a boy I played on a team in Chicago that lost 14 games and won two, and after every game, I had a battle with anyone who said our team wasn’t the best. I guess that is what makes winners, never knowing when they are beaten.
“I think the way I have won (which is too seldom) has been by hard work and studying the game all the time, taking advantage of every new thing that comes up. When I was in the minor leagues I must have been a bad ballplayer, as several clubs released me, but I never thought so, and kept up both ambition and confidence. If a fellow loses either of these I think he is gone, and I would rather lose a foot than either.
“I try to keep in condition, to be there every day, and work hard and keep fighting until the last man is out, and then go back at them just as hard the next day. If there is any other way of winning I don’t know it. I have found that the coolness and ability to keep my head in exciting situations helps a lot to win, especially if the other fellows get excited. The cool-headed player may make a play that will turn the whole game, just when the excited team has its best opportunity to win.
“I’d rather be a good loser than a bad winner, and win or lose; I believe a fellow ought to come out of every game feeling he has done his best. If he feels that way all the roasting the crowd can give don’t hurt.”
Baseball History Daily 
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