The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-01-12

tolneu tndt Tue Detroit cdlSneTs, III
e---~ spite OF their re
DErRorrs peated erretl
CtTCHING work during the
h'SA'oo' worlds series Of
years. are nevertheless, pretty good
backstops. after ali. anG class in com
parison With those OF the other ciuOs
of the American league. IL has oeen
their misfortune, however. 10 De com
PEELED 10 show their work IN the
worlds series. alongside OF the man
who, each year. has been probably the
premier AT his art. King. OF Chicago
and Gibson, OF Pittsburg. were ooth d.
their best against the Tigers. whiie
the Detroit catchers, barring one OK
TWO brilliant games. have been oit
shy their regular form in the Dis
series. This idea is shared by bos-
ton chronicler who suggested. in semi
Jest, during a holiday visit 10 his home
in Detroit. that the writer advocate
tine carrying OF Schmidt and Stanage
for the regular league season next
year. aud the development OF Becken-
dorf and Casey solely for use IN ths
big series at the end.
4 DGlIOlI Was tHQNu 0AlNhAtA
he bat last year than in many sea-
sons and should be still better In 1910.
Ii has been many years since the local
team has possessed real star BACK
stop. however and some OF those who
have done duty during the develop
Eient process have been 10 blame Tor
many interesting incidents.
There was Ira Thomas, for instance,
who did so well catching Connie
Mack's left-handers last year. With
Detroit Ira had bad arm and wasn't
favored with pitching that held the
runners on the sacks after the style
OF the article furnished by Eddie
Plank
Ira was catching Summers one day
In Chicago and the game worked
along into the closing stages with the
Tigers one run ahead, the bases fuli
OF whitesox and Fielder Jones at bar.
There were two out and Summers
worked the count on Jones up 10 two
strikes and two balls.
The chief paved the dirt about the
pitchers box and rubbed the ball In
his mitt with a copious decoration OF
dust He and Thomas unchanged sig
mails.
Wait a minute" yelled Herman
Schaefer and came running In from
second base to hold speech with the
twirler.
What are you going to pitch him.
Chief" inquired the German who was
then acting as field captain.
"A knuckle ball." responded sum
mers without hesitation.
"All right" commented Schaefer.
but do you think Ira can catch III?
Schaefer trotted back To his position
and the Chief handed up the particular
delivery OF which he is the famed ex-
ponent. The ball shimmered back
and forth. Jones made futile swipe
and missed The ball hit Thomas on
the back OF the mitt and dropped to
earth. With a whoop Thomas pounced
on IL and heaved straight into Ross
mans hands at first base.
And that Is a fair sort OF sample
Of one OF the handicaps against which
in years gone by-and pennant years
they were too. TO a degree--the De-
troit Tigers have had 10 fight.
Wonder II that man who Is going
10 run a school for umpires will In
clude a course in bottle-dodging?
The As emergency hitters used 0y
the Tigers last year may have brought
up the tag end OF the procession with
their average OF 1872. but the emergen'
cies when the hits were needed didn't
occur so often as TO make the situation
really serious
Recurring TO the catcher question
elaborated above IL is notable that the
one man let out OF the Tiger roster
who would have been OF assistance II
kept, was a catcher. And before let
ting him go the local club had an ex-
pert oculist's verdict that the man
was going blind. He didn't have a
blind year subbing for John King last
season. though.
Unless the owners OF the Cleveland
Maps let Jim Mcclure loosen up a bit
on the propositions he has made for
player-exchanges. lot OF newspaper
threats aDout new faces will be set
down as bluffs.
Hughie Jennings is quoted as es-
teeming very highly the advent on
the Tiger roster OF one Chalmers
Wonder IL Hughie didn't mean EMF