The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-25
.LAJO|E HOPE
Of CLEVELAND
Fans Are Relying on Batting
Strength of the Team for
Success Next Year.
JOE JACKSON MAY BE
SEASONS STAR SLUGGER
Hit Better Than Four Hundred
in Twenty Games Played
Last Season.

CLEVELAND, O.. Dec. M-Any
team that can hit is always dan
gerous. That is one of the tradi-
tions of baseball. If the dope holds
good. the Maps should bo decidedly in
the @ running next year.
There is on the Cleveland team one
player who can be depended upon to
swat the ball no matter what any of the
others do. That player is, of course,
Napoleon Lajoie. Last summer Nap
had one of the very best years of his
brilliant career, and there is every rea-
son. to believe that he will rival his
performance Of 1910 next summer
While never regarded as a really
great catcher, there is no one who viii j
question the ability of Ted Easterly to
bat. Ted is one of the freest left
handed hltters in the league, and now
that he is practically certain of being
IN every game, his swatting is sure tol
work to the advantage Of the Maps.
While Easterly. viii never rival Cobb
or Speaker as fielders, still he showed |,
enough last fall to merit his retention !
IN the outfield. With experience he Isl
bound to improve as a fielder, and De-
ing In the game every day is very
liable to improve his batting eve.
Clevelanders who had the pleasure Of
seeing Joe Jackson last fall will be
| 4
of the stars of the American league in
| 1911. In his fall try-out Jackson
looked the part of phenom in every
move he made. and he Jumped into in
slant popularity with the Nap fans.
Jackson was up against the very best
of pitching and didn' 7 appear to hsva
q weakness at the plate He batted
something like 400 in the twenty or so
games he played after joining the Maps.
No one expects him to continue that
great gait next spring, but il his bat
ting average in 1911 is within seventy
five points of what he showed In the
fall, he will have proved himself to be-
one of the best finds of recent years.
There is every reason to believe that
Southern Joe will be there with thsl
bells.
Much Expected Of Graney.
Great things are expected of j.
Gladstone Graney. No player ever
showed such wonderful Improvement
as did Grauey up to the time of his
injury that kept him out of the game
for quite spell. For the hrst six
weeks of the season Graney didn't hit
much over 100, then he struck his
batted considerably better than 500,
bringing his general average triae
better than the $50 mark, Graney's
| injury was A serious setback to him,
and he practically stood still after get
ting back into the game late in the
year Those who should know bail
player when they see one are unit
in saying that the ST. Thomas boy is
one Of the most promising players IN
the league, Graney is deservedly popu-
lar with the fans for he is all the time
trying and never gives up no matter
how bad things may be breaking for
him.
Cleveland fans who have lost faith
in Stovall, would gasp in astonlsh-
ment if they only knew how ANXIOUS axsas
learue are to secure the services Of
Brother George. Hohnhorst is still an
Uncertainty despite has good work o.
the fall. and it's 4 good bet that
StovaT holds down the initial sack IN
1.-THE opening game next spring Stoyall
got away with very bad start last
summer, and there is every reason to
believe that he will bat some 20 per
cent better than he did in 1910 BE.
cause of his great work at third last
wear Terry Turucr is sure to be al the
difficult corner in 1871. Terry wa,
much better last year than in. 1908 and
1909, and looks 10 have come back win
sistent performer in the coming cam
With Grover Land or Sid Smith do
inp the receiving the catching depart
ment win be well fortified as to hitting,
for both these husky backstops can hit
the ball in timely fashion,
It's to be regretted that more use
cannot be made OF Elmer Koestner,
who has Just about decided that be has
had enough Of pitching. hoestner hl5
the ball with better success than any
other twirler in Ban .Iohnson's organ
izatiou. Many competent critics hays
freely predicted that if played regu'
larlv. he would surely ho found IN the
select class OF 800 bittors-
IF team that can hit is dangerous,
then the Maps are almost certain tn
unset n few of the hot faverites next
summer Let's hope so anyway.