The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-10
YE O[DEN PLAYERS ARE NOT SURPASSED
Sam Crane Thinks Old Were
 "Flashier"
GIVES CHASE THE CALL
But Stacks Up Duffey, Horning, Me- Eartney Against Cobb, Speaker and Wheat-PfefYer Better Than
 Evers or Collins
By SAM CRANE

New York, July 9.-(Special)-T out ! field playing of today is hardly up to what 1t was in the earlier days of base ball. In the infeld the present day style ! b faster, for they have more speed boys now than formerly, and also the great advantage that goes with the fielders' glove. But the best individual infielders of today are no better, if as good as those of a quarter of century ago.
 Ed Williamson, Jerry Denny, Jack Glasscock, Fred Pfeffer, Danny Rich ardson, Chub Sullivan, Charley Comis- key, Arlie Latham and other crack in- felders of a5 years past were possibly superior In many ways to the stars of today in the same position. Ed William son has never been suspassed in the all around ability that goes to make a crack erjack shortstop, and neither has Jack Glasscock. "Pebby Jack" who, although he wore a number cap, was all there when 1t was up to him to play baseball
 Jerry Donny was the best third base man of his day. He was a two handed player, and mind you never wore glove when he was at his best. Either to the right or left he was just as good and his over hand Scoops" of hard hit grounders were famous.
 There was Tommy Burns, too who was just as good a third baseman as there is playing ball today.
 Johnny Evers or Eddie Collins never had anything on Fred Pfeffer or Dannie Richardson or Fred Dunlap nfeiding the second base position, or in the head work either, and Evers is considered one of the brainest players today-and he is.
 As to first baseman, all hats must come off to Hal Chase of the New York Americans. He has never been even ap- preached in playing the initial bag. But there were great first baseman in Char lev Comiskey, who first made first base Q fielding position. Long John Reilly, Al. McKinnon and "Club'' Sullivan. Dan Brouthers, Roger Connor and Gap An son were first baseman but not great f1elders. But my. how they could wal lop the ball. One does not see many batsman of their calibre nowadays, and the pitchers box in the days when that big trio of bitters were in their prime was only 45 feet away from the home plate Now it is 55
 But it was in the outhed that the old timers showed the greatest superiority over the present guardian of the outer
  Cris Speakers and Jack Wheat, but in the days of 9 years ago there were the Fred McAleers, the Curt Welehs, the Charley Fergusons. the Joe Horrungs, the Tommy McCarthys. the T4ughey Duffys. the Sam Thompsons. the Ned Hanlons. the George Woods and others. who if they didn't throw out one or two runners at the home plate in every game didn't think they were earning their sal aries, and they were getting just as big stipends in those days as players ,,re to- day Whoever hears nowadays of out fieders pulling off such shrewd tricks in the outfield as those heavenly twins, Tom Mccarthy and Hughey Duffy used to do right along. I saw Mccarthy trap two fly balls in one game ara double-up runners both times.
 The games are faster at present than a quarter of a century ago cerhaps. be- cause there are more fast players, but as all around ball players in batting, fielding and running, the stars of the old days had a shade on the fiashiest of today.