The Detroit times., 1909-12-14
FIELDING FIGURES
FALLACIOUS IN
THE EXTREME
American Pennant Winners Gould
Not Boast a Single Leader IN
Any One of the Games
Positions.
Deep Delve Into Statistics Discloses
Some Interesting Facts in Inside
Ball, Nevertheless.
BY PAUL n. 6RUSKE.

By PAUL n. 5RUSkE.
Put not your trust in fielding aver
ages. OF all the deceitful lines OF
baseball dope, they are the most mis-
leading. Aside from the index whlcA
the number of put-outs and assists
a: times give on the activity OF a
player they are practically valdeiesS'
Such must be the conclusion 10 oe
derived from the statistics as gwen
out by the official custodian or the
records. Robert c. McRoyi who's Ban
Johnsons hired man and draws salary
for the pleasure of figuring up the
dope each wear and Of playing the
part or noar-czar at world ; series.
while his boss is attending 10 'hr
duties OF conyiyiality. attendant ON
sCCh occasions.
Everybody knows that the Detroit
bf seball club won the American league
~ INFANT last year People Seuef-
;illy recognized the Tigers as bunch
uf good batters, superb base-rnnners
and fairly accurate fielders. Barring
% little scare toward the end of the
season. Jennings men won their pen
Iant without extending themselves TO
the limit They were obviously the
CLASS Of the league.
Md YET
There wasn't a single Tiger Who led
the lcague in his department in the
field
Not Even Near the Top.
Furthermore. there wasn't one Who
ON the base of percentages came any
where near II
All the world knows that DOME
ush had the greatest year OF snort
stopping that ever fell 10 the lot ~
mortal man The fielding averages adj
nit that he nut out a total OF 3oS men
and three out no less than 3oi--a
y, performance never before attained IN
the annals of league ball. Yet the
sCrappy Detroit midget stood tentn IN
the averages Turner or Cleveland
led technically through Mcbride OF
Washington must be considered the
real leader with . really remarkaOl"
record. though nething like that Of
the little Tige
Then. who wouldn't pick Ty COBB
as the king OF the outer gardeners
Leave ont. IL YOU please, the batting
and base-runuing in whcih this marvel
las secured his greatest prominence.
Where is the man who turns OF such
sensational catches and marvellous
throws? Where is there an out
fielder that save more games Cor his
team, by virtue of his defensive play
And echo answers nowhere"
II Ty Cobb doesn't lead the out
Folders. where Is he? Laborious
counting brings out the interesting
fact that. pudding ON the basis OF
fielding averages. there were no less
than 25 outhelders in Bans neat lit
tie organization, who were superior
10 Tyrus.
sehaefer Beat Oelehanty.
And it's the same way right down the
line. Tom Jones is sixth and Claud
Rossman twelfth among the first
seekers Schaefer is practically third
and Delehanty seventh among the
second-basemen. yet the latter was
secured in place OF the former in
trade and some boot went with the
deal, too Moriarty was fifth among
the third-saCkers, and O'Leary
Twelfth. Stanage stood fourteenth.
Beckendorf seventeenth and Schmidt
eighteenth. among the catchers XII
liam was eighth, Donovan thirt aent',
Mullin fifteenth. Summers seven
teenth and Willett fortieth among the
pitchers Help Police!
OF course. there are several depart
mcnts in which the Tiger players real
~ show 10 advantage, when one digs
n biz below the surface. Aside from
the figures showing the astounding
agility OF Bush. there is the fact that.
while charged with plenty OF errors
S,anage and Schmidt allowed ia com
bination only six passed balls. evenly
divided respect in which theY led
rival STATS bv mile CObb's 1i
assists from the outfeld were OK
ceeded only by Hinchman OF Cleve.
land, and Demmitt and Engle OF NeH
York. Stoyall was the only throwing
first baseman whose assists totaIled
anywhere near that OF Tom Jones.
Considering the number OF games he
played. Moriarty's whip moved down
more men than any OF his rivals at
third, though Bakcr and Lord eXcelled
HIM ON their seasons total Sam
Crawford caught more fly balls than
any liyiIG outfieder but Enrlc OF New
York and Speaker Of Boston No less
than 90 men fell victims 10 the base.
gunnery of G. Mullin. in which re-
spect he was surpassed only by Nor.
gan and smith Of the Sox
Ideal Fielding Team.
If fielding would win a pennant the
ideal American league team ought 10
be composed Of Spencer OF Boston -,
catcher Sutor of Chicago. Criss OF 81
Louis Dcisllng ~ washington and
CT esbro OF New York pitchers; lsbell
or Chicago. first base; Purtell Of Chi.
cago. second base Bradley OF Clovc-
land. third base; Turner OF Cleveland.
short stop. and Parent of Chicago.
Miller OF Washington--whO is Miller.
anyhow --ahd Lord Of Cleveland In tho
uutfield
And that's a team that would have
40 awful tine winning she pam1W
va good class y league
The Busy Pool Shark
I.ou / lJubscher. thp skiii, -iuu
~ oi fancy pool, has huokcd al cA.
hfbition for rHesilav uisht tH Elrt.