The Washington times., 1910-10-11


the best hitter Of the year. He gets It
on both the official and unofficial
averages.
Tt was hoped by all fair-minded
sportsmen that after the exhibition in
St Louis last Sunday. when the ST.
Louis players were charged with deliD-
erately allowing him to make hits, that
a careful examination OF the official
scores would show Lajoie had lost out
anyhow. There does not seem a posi-
bility OF that now.
Ed Bang. of the Cleveland News, re-
Gently conducted an investigation by
getting from the official scorers the rec
Ords OF all the games in which Laioie
and Cobb had participated since July 4.
when the official semi-annual averages
were published The result vas that
Bang showed that. while Lajoie was
leading IN the newspaper averages.
Cobb was really on top, iJe to the dis
crepancies between the judgment Of the
press association reporters and the off,
cial scorers It was thought that posi-
bly, even Lajoie's big squirt last Sunday
would not save him, bur Bang says IT
will, and he has kept close tab on the
returns ever since he sprung his origl-
nal surprise about ten days ago
The Cleveland expert says the aver
ages for the season should be:
LB HIS. Pct.
coBb co6Gle ... ......-..........,. SO 79i 1851
If Bang is right, and he probably is,
it can be seen of what very great as
sfstance even, one hit deliberately
thrown his way by an opposing player
was to LajOie. while as for two, or
three. or four, as the St. Louis papers
intimate were tossed to him last Sun
day, that many simply robbed Cobb OF
the honor, TO say nothing OF the in
trinsic value Of the prize, IL the 81.
Louis team did favor Lajoie.
Had the race been decided by a
soodly number Of hits il would nave
been up 10 Cobb to prove that the
conspiracy against him had been
eoine on a long time. but now any
one case would be enough to prove
his point. That in st. Louis appears
so gIaring that it must be thoroughly
investigated, and the inquiry should
start Immediately
The Corriden, ST. Louis third base
man, who is charged with playing
back in order to allow Lajoie TO bunt
He is Il yOUngster just breaking into
the league from Omaha We have an
idea he won't be among those present
when E Lawrence Phillips, Washing
tons Centlemanly announcer. calls of
the 81. Louis players TO the press box
next season
Somehow the idea has gotten into
the heads of our morning COEtempO-
raries. that the afternoon papers yes
ferday were bounding LajOie and ac-
cusing him of being parttceps Grim
inis in the alleged high crime against
baseball in st. Louis Sunday SO faT
as the naked eye can detect we do not
see that either OF the afternoon pa
pers said any such thing. They were
Inclined TO eNOnerate the Frenchman
himself and attribute the incident q
misguided zeal on the part OF his
friends He must have thought Cor
riden had gone crazy. but when such
q sure batter as himself. and exc a
great base runner. saw the third
sacker out on the grass. II was
natural that he should drop a bunt
toward the supposedly dreaming one
lie dropped the buuts all right, and
won an auto Lajoie has never beer
accused OF crookedness. and il is more
than likely that in this case he had nC
knowledge beforehand Of what was
going TO be pulled off for his benefit
Ban Johnson comes TO bat with th'
statement that he is making an inveSu
cation. Let's hope his gumshoeinI