The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-10-02
Crane Picks Cubs to Beat Athletics X

| and while he has improved a. q back
stop since then no cannot approach
the Chicago crack In all that goes to
make a top-notch catcher. Ira Is q
good mechanical man. He thinks be
knows as much real baseball as his
Cub rival. but he doesn't. There are
things thet can be pulled off on
Thomas that he would still be think.
Ing about in his naturally slow-minded
way that king, with his quicker work.
ing and more active mentality, would
have already performed to counterfeit
and be pulling off something new him
self.
! Thomas has to stop and think, while
King does what he has to do In.
tuitively. It may be by reason OF
longer experience. perhaps, but to my
way Of thinking 1t Is superior class
That Thomas Is the better batter. &C.
cording to the records. does not appeal
to me at all. This opinion Of mine
Ia not influenced by figures, past OF
teams and both King and Thomas.
Livingstone.
As to pitchers. I will say that I con
sidered this spring, and do now, that
the Athletics have the best pitching
staff in the country. and that It will
be uD to Bender, Coombs, Morgan and
Plank to make the series as close as
have predicted. Dygert and Krause
may be called on, but I don't think
so. The quartet of cracks first named
will do the bulk Of the work, with
Bender and Coombs given the prefer
epce. Those two will doubtless keer
the Cubs guessing. Against the Quak
ers' great staff the Cubs will have
Brown, the hero Of three worlds
series, who may be going back a wee
bit physically, but he will be there
this time with his old noodle working
and that will count.
Reulbach, If right, will, should
imagine, be close understudy to- the
veteran. Overall and Pfeister will
doubtless figure in the games, ant
Cole. the pitching sensation Of the Ma
tional League this year, will be giver
a chance If any of the more eXpe
rienced pitchers show weakness. Blu
Manager Chance is as wise in his gen
Grafton as our old friend Connie Mack
and he will depend on his vets unit
he is forced to do otherwise.
will accord the Athletics as havins
the superior pitchers.
AS to first basemen, I will picl
Chance as having a shade on Harr.
Davis. / fully appreciate Davis in al
Of his great ability, both as a fieldel
and batter, but one who has seer
Chance when he has a fight on hi:
hands such as this series is bound tt
bring forth knows that he is always a
his best, and l do not know of an!
other first baseman than Hal Chase
whom I would prefer to see on th<
bag. But Chase is in a class by him
self.
Chances many worlds series battles
may also possibly count in his fave ave,
times, but Harry Davis's good ole
lengthy swats over the back fences
also come in very handy in the
pinches.
But. taking everything into consid
Grafton, I feel that Chance has the
shade over Davis. '..
Now, coming to the second base
man, that requires some figuring, al
low me to whisper. EveYs l have al
ways considered to be the brainies
player who ever covered the import
ant position. Everything he does wher
1t Is up to quick thinking to perform
he seems to do by intuition He i.
really the best intuitive player / eve
saw. He might have studied up tina
play when he made Umpire O'Da,
think that Markle failed to touch sec
ond base. I think he had, because
Bob Emslie, who was umpiring on tn.
bases at the time, failed to see Mer