The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-17
STARS PAST AND PRESENT.
Was Arson Better Batsman Than
Lajoie Is To-day?


by w. A. PheIon.1
Which was the better batsman,
Adrian c. Arson or Napoleon LaJole j!
Had Arson stayed in the game. till
would he have beaten Larry out in
the seasons averages2 Had LaJoie
been in the thick of the game twenty
years ago would he have displaced
uncle as the king of hitters?
Men who saw Arson crack them
out in the hazy past will argue all
night that uncle was the better hitter
and that Lajoie never had the eye
man the terror of all the pitchers
Men who have been watching Ma
poIeon soak the leather since he came
to the front will aver that the French
man is faster, more graceful and even
more effective than Arson ever dared
to be. This, of course, applies spe-
cial1y to fans in other cities than Chi
cago. Here at Comiskey's park La
Napoleon's hoodoo town and there are
.175 point batters in the American
league who can hit harder at Com
iskey's park than the mighty CIeVe-
remembering Arson and seeing Larry
hzzle, still swear that uncle was the
greater, but in Cleveland, PhiladeI-
phia and Boston they think the
Frenchman Incompatible.
Arson is somewhat larger that La
joie, although the Frenchman is of
great size and massive strength. La
jOie is merely a large man. Arson is a
giant There was never anything
graceful about the bulk and gait of
Arson, but his very appearance was
calculated to strike terror into the
heart of any pitcher. When Arson
advanced to bat he came up with his
red face set into frown that made it
resemble cents worth of dog meat
He beat his bat with dire ferocity
against the plate and then hitched up
sleeves MaWaF z
test seasons, did Arson cut off his
sleeves or even shorten the uniform to
wear a thinner shirt beneath. He
hitehed UP those sleeves three or four
times, and then let the first ball go
by, no matter how close or tempting.
Then he let another go, and usually
roared prodigiously at the umpire if it
was called a strike. Then he hit.
Uncle'S drives as a rule sailed just
a little above the infield, too high to
be reached, sinking too low for the
outfield to get in on top of them
When he lofted a ball it was at a
sharp, rising angle. When he hit a
grounder it ripped up the sod and
made life a danger for the shortstop
or third baseman. If the ball was
safely handled in the infield uncle was
a dead man, for he couldn't do much
toward beating out a short groundeT.
once in a great while uncle calmly
hunted and got away with it, because
the third baSeman would be so aston
ished that he couldn't do anything.
Thus did uncle swat, and great was
the crash when he swatted.
Lajoie comes to the plate with less
of the look out for the elephant in
his gait and motion. He bends far
Their forward than Arson was wont
to do, and his sleeves are so much
shorter that he does no physical cul-
ture stunts in hitching them Neither
is he addicted to pounding on the
plate. He hits anything that seems
good without waiting. When he hits
on a curve than those Arson hit. The
infield does not get near those Larry
hits, but the outfield can frequently
take them on a brisk run. When he
hits then on the ground they go with
about the force of those uncle biffed,
but Larry has uncle buffaIoed on
beating them out if the f1elders handle
them The big F'renchman can run
some, and goes to first far faster than
the Old Man used to do.
Where uncle had the bulge on
Larry was right here: he was a safer
man in an awful pinch than Larry
Possibly the Frenchman may be bet
ter in other cities than in Chicago, but
here we are accustomed to seeing Ma
poleOn come up in the ninth with the
bases packed and send out a long
fly which the felders easily capture.
In fact, there is very little diSQuietude
or terror in the South side stands as
Larry dawnS. If it is the last inning
everybody goes right ahead busting
his clothes and preparing to go home,
just as though LajOie We're Case Pat
ten or Fred Abbott. But in the old
days when uncle came to bat and
there were men on bases, there was a
buzzing in the stand. Everybody set
tied back in his seat; every heart
thumped with excitement and eager
expectation, and when the crash came
of bat and ball there was a shrek of
Wild frenzy as the leather sped bullet
like across the lea.
Napoleon Lajoie could make more
hits with his team ahead, or with the
bases empty, and could beat out more
grounders than the Old Man. But
VIZ, WIN the bases packed and the team
a baidheaded man at PaderewsIli
carnival and the game may never see
Speaking of batting. Artie Hofmann
dld some great stunts for the Cubs
yesterday. He ripped off five hits. and
was the sensation of the afternoon
That's going some this early in the
year. - ''ie