Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-08
GREAT QUARTET
SLAMMED BALL
FANS RECALL DAYS OF BIG
FOUR
LaIole Is Wonderful stiekmsn, but
Batters of the Past Have Hit
Ball Harder Than Peer
less Frenehman

Batters may come and batters may
go, but that big French manager Of the
hard hitting Clevelands- Napoleon La
ioie-appears like the lyric brook of
Tennyson. to go on forever. And there
are those who think this big, swash-
buck1ing. free-swinging Frenchman Is
the greatest batter of all time. BE that
as II may there Is hardly any doubt but
that he is the best. most consistent and
truest hitter Of the present time.
The responsibility of managing
team, the irritation of keeping that
team in the lead the eyes of the base
ball spectators of the world focused on
him do not seem to dim the wonderful
eye or palsy the stout wrists of this
wonderful batsman of the American
league.
Since his advent into fast company
Lajoie has been surely a sweet hitter
He came in some years ago with the
Phillies. and had for batting compan-
ions such clean hard hitting teammates
as the once peerless Ed Delehanty,
Thompson, Flick and such fellows.
Right from the start this ex-cab
driver took rank with the marvel bats
men on the National league. His free,
easy style. his confident air and his
ability to hit any and all kinds of
pitching hade him marked batsman
from the start. While he has not al
ways been a leader in his league, It |
has been his wont to take standing
among batsmen of the country.
Idol of Fans
He has been the idol of the spectators
and has drawn more money into the |
Golfers of organized baseball than any
one man now playing the game. 1t was
he alone who went to Cleveland and
resurrected a city from the baseball
grave.
Lajoie's success calls to mind some Of
the master batters of the past. To
former generation of baseball fans it
recalls the famous big four, Brouth-
ers. Richardson. Rowe and White, bats
men all. and leading willow pushers of
their day.
For hard hitting that quartet never
had an equal, and it is doubtful if the
baseball world will ever look upon their
like again.
Brouthers was the king pin hitter of
the quartet A big upstRnding fellow,
six feet, powerful, with an easy, grace
ful swing, he would tear off terrific
hits. He played first base for the De-
troit team in 1SS6-S7-sS. and was EASILY
the leading litter of that day. There
was nothing childish about his hitting.
He would welt them to right field in
variably on low line. and woe betide
the fielder who tried to intercept their
passage. 1t sometimes meant a broken
hand and always meant stung digits.
In his long career on the diamond this
big, knockkneed, rawboned fellow was
never known to hat under the 300 mark
Rowe. who played short stop for the
Detroit team at that time, was more
compactly built fellow. He hit hard
and often. Not as hard or as often as
Brouthers, but hard and often enough
to always entile him to a place among
the leading batsmen of his time
White Was Great Hitter
White, the deacon-like third basemar.
did not hit as hard as either Brouthers
or Rowe, but when the pinch came he
would be relied upon absolutely. He
was a keeneyed, shambling sort. Moth
ing dignified in his style. Not much
ease or grace in his stride. nor had he
the most correct pose at the bat, but he
was hitter true, keen and alert. Old
timers would rather see White at the
bat when hit was needed than any
player of his generation.
Richardson was built on lines of COM
pactness like Rowe He was a graceful
hitter. The hits used to sing as he
slapped his big bat against the efforts
of opposing twirlers.
In his long service in the game not
one of the big four fell below the 300
mark. In eight seasons Brouthers
played in 716 games. He went to the
bat S056 times. made 1107 base hits. and
had a grand average of 1862. White in
twelve seasons played 976 games He
went to the bat 4OSO times. hit safely
12S2 times and had an average of .314
Richardson in nine seasons went to
bat 370S times, in S53 games. made liza
hits and his average was .311
Rowe in eight seasons played in 1922
games, went to bat 3O97 times and
averaged .3O4.
Where will we look for such averages
today? Cleveland has it's Lajoie, Pitts
burg its Wagner, New York its Donlir
and Keeler, and st. Louis it's Stone but
baseball will hardly ever see four such
men together on one team again.