Norwich bulletin., 1909-10-16
COBB OR WAGNER.
Chance to Pick Fav6rite Eastman of
 the Major League.

There seems to be great differ. ence of opinion throughout the coun- | try among baseball fans as to whicf of these men-Wagner or Cobb should be considered the best bal player in the country. Since they dc not play the same positions and are as different as any two men could general baseball form, the only way to judge them is by consulting theil | records, says Frank l.. Dickinson in the New York Herald.
 Cobb always seems to have more motive power stored up than he car use, which is in evidence in his every movement. Wagner, on the. other hand. is just the opposite-coOl, cal culating and quiet, but possessing 8 muscular development very much greater than Cobb's.
 In the days of ancient Greeks Cobt would have been an ideal representa- tive of the Athenian athlete. while Wagner would have been the personi- fcation of the Spartan.
 Comparative Position at the Plate.
 Cobb's position at the plate is a masterpiece of good form. He stands with his feet about six inches apart his weight resting mostly on the back ~leg, ready to step in any direction that he may desire. Wagner assumes an awkward ungainly position at the plate. with feet far apart, knees slightly bent, and in a half crouch. depending mostly upon the wonderful strength of his forearms and shoulders to drive the ball
 Cobb grasps the bat about six inches from the handle, with hands varying from four to six inches apart In this way he gets better control of the bat for his quick. decisive chops, and at the same time he can watch balls close to him before starting his swing.
 Wagner varies the position of his hands. sometimes swinging from the extreme end at other times choking the bat up close.
 Stepping Into 1t.
 In the act of hitting the ball Cobb drives his body forward off his back foot by switching his weight from one foot to the other so that the upper part of the body is resting on the front foot In this way he concentrates his whole strength in his swing, using his arms only to guide the bat. except in the last decisive chop He develops the propelling power in his body and uses his arms as the final force of transmission. Wagner. on tne other hand does not step far, depending more upon the marvellous muscular de- velopment of his forearms and shoul ders to drive the ball.
 He switches his weight from the back foot to the front more through power developed by his abdominal muscles than in the direct act of stepping into the ball. He can watch the ball as close to him as Cobb can because of his additional muscular development.
 Cobb has decided advantage over Wagner in the fact that he bats left handed, in this way being from four to six feet closer to first base, and in hitting to right field is in his natural stride as soon as he swings. Being 1 good bunter and also a clever left field hitter. he keeps the third basemen guessing all the time. too.
 Base Running.
 As base runners both Cobb and Wagner are wonders Each one studies the peculiarities of the pitch er's delivery, and starts al the psycho- logical moment, but Cobb, having more speed and perfect slide. gets to the base quicker and is harder to touch. Being naturally fearless and keeping in mind always the position of the ball-sliding in front of high throw, sliding behind on low ball and going in straight on a perfect sometimes spikes the base man. but only when the baseman is on the base line and blocking the play
 Wagner, on the other hand has longer stride and wonderfully atten- uated slide, but cannot get his huge body away from the plays as can Cobb.
 Choosing the ball to go on when he has the best lead and working with the latter. who can help him out. are in- assets in base running upon which both Cobb and Wagner depend to large extent.
 Fielding.
 In comparing the ability of Cobb and Wagner, the batting and base running honors are easily Cobb's. It is an es- tablished fact that shortstop is a much harder position to fill than right fieldAI and consequently Wagner gets the choice when it comes to fielding