The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-12-13
tItLO|NG FIG URES
FALLACIOUs in
THE EXTREME
American Pennant Winners Gould
Not Boast a Single Leader in
Any One of the Games
Positions.
Deem Delve Into Statistics Discloses
Some Interesting Facts in Inside
Ball. Nevertheless
BY PAUL n. eRusKE.

BY PAUL " ohSo'
put not your trust i'm fielding aver
ages. OF all the deccitrul lines o
baseball dope, they are the most ms
leading. Aside from the index whIc'
the number Of put-outs and assists
a, times give on the activity OF
PLAYER they are practically VaiueieSS
Such must be- the conclusion TO O'
derived from the statistics as sivef
ont by the oficial custodian az th'
records. Robert e. McRoy. vino ~ Bar
Johnsons hired man and draws salary
Tor the pleasure OF figuring up the
dope each year and OF playing tn
part OF a nearczar at world sci ieN
while his boss is attending 10 me
duties OF conviviality, attendant on
such occasions.
Everybody knows that the Detroit
u; seball club won the American league
nnant last year - People -sener'
;,lIy recognized the Tigers as a-bdnch
of good batters. superb base-runners
pnd fairly accurate fielders. BARRING
a little scare toward the end Of the
season. Jennings men won their pen
nant without extending themselves "a
The limit They were obviously the
class of the league.
And yet
There wasn't a single Tiger who led
the league in his department IN tue
field.
Not Even Near the Top.
Furthermore. there wasn't one who.
on the base of percentages came any
where T. -ar IL
All the world knows thar DOME
Bush had the greatest year OF short
stopping that ever fell TO the lot or
mortal man The fielding averages adj
nit that he nut out a total or 30S men
and three out no less than 561-a
performance never before attained in
the annals of league ball. Yet the
sorappy Detroit midget stood tenth in
the averages. Turner OF Cleveland
led Technically; through Mcbride OF
Washington must be considered the
real leader with really remarkable
record. though nothing-hke that OF
the little Tige.
Then. who wouldn't pick Ty CobS
as The king OF the outer gardeners
Leave out, II You please, the batting
and base-running in whcih this marvel
has secured his greatest prominence
Where is the man who turns OF sucn
sensational catches and marvellous
throws Where is there an out
fielder that save more games Cor his
tenn, bv virtue OF his defensive piay'
And echo answers nowhere.
If Ty Cobb doesn't lead the ont
FEEDERS. where is he? Laborious
counting brings out the interesting
fact that. pudding on the bass oil
fielding averages. there were no less
than % outfielders in Bans neat iii
tie organization, who were superior
To Tyrus.
schaefer Beat Delehsnty.
al it's the same way right down the
lire. Tom Jones is sixth and Claud
Rossman twelfth among the first
seekers Schaefer ia practically third
end Delehanty seventh among the
second basemen. yet the latter was
secured in place OF the former in a
trade and some boot went with the
deal, 90. Moriarty was fifth among
the 1ird-sackers. and O'Leary.
Twelfth Stanage- Stood fourteenth.
Beckendorf seventeenth and Schmidt
eighteenth. among the catchers. XII
liam was eighth. Donovan thirteenth,
Mullin fifteenth. Summers seven
teenth and Willett fortieth among tho
pitchers Help, Police.
or course. there are several depart
ments in which the Tiger players real
" show 10 advantage, when one dig
a BIT below the surface. Aside from
the figures showing the astounding
&c hn n a
while charged with plenty OF errors
Stsnage and Schmidt allowed In com
bination only six passed balls. evenly
divided-a respect in which they lee
rival STATS bv mile. Cobb's Il
assists from the outfield were eX
ceeded only by Hinchman OF Glove
land. and Demmitt and Engle Of Ne9
York. Stovall was the only throwing
frst-baseman whose assists totalleC
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 al
third. though Baker and Lord eKcelled
him on their seasons total Sam
Crawford caught more fly balls than
any living outfelder but Engle Of New
York and Speaker Of Boston. No less
than 80 men fell victims to the base
gunnery OF G.. Mullin in which TO
spect be was surpassed only by Nor
gan and smith or the Sox
Ideal Fielding Team.
II fielding would win a pennant the
ideal American league team ought 10
be composed OF Spencer OF Boston 80
catcher; Slitor OF Chicago. Crisis Uf {
fouls. =, isffns or washington and
Cheshire ~ Kew YORK; pi1chers; ishcil
of Chicago arst base;- Purtell ~ Chi
cagu. second base: Bradley OF Clcve
land third base. Turner OF Cleveland
short stop and Parent of ChicHgu
KILLER OF Washingtpn-w who is Miller
anyhow--and Lord of Cleveland In the
Qltneld
And hats 2 team that would have
an awful tin . winning the prun1u,
81, good class r league
snEDI ,ED RATES TO rR ~ t:RSE