The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-13

iyn. The Dodgers have a man who
| strictly as catcher. compares favor
| aply with any. but as a batter or base.
| runner he is not worth his salt. That
is BIZ Bergen. Bill is a wonder be
mind the plate. but heaven help tho
team that has TO send him 20 the ba,
IN pinch. The other seven mentioned
are the exact antithesis OF bergen In
XMAS respect as their batting averages
attest And they are all past masters
at handling the big mitt Combining
the versatile ability. each individual
one OF them Is the equal of any catcher
In the rival organization.
AS against this array the American
League offers Charley Street. Ira
Ihomss' Ed. Sweeney. Tod Easterly,
Jimmy Stevens. Billy Sullivan an,
nu.s 'san and Oscar stanage. All good
.Hco, otherwise they wouldn't be hip
leasuers. But where do you find A
star in the whole bunch? Home tea,
partiSans will pick out Street. Thomas
o! sweeney. ana the man will be loud
ca as the greatest in the business
~ the ian will carefully analyze his
man and weigh him part by part win
me cracks Of the National League he
WI! realize that there is hardly team
IN 'he Lynch organization that cannot
! put Forward a better man During tbe
last few weeks. I have asked ever
cluo manager, National and Ameri-
lean: for his opinion as to the
truth OF that broad assertion.
! Without exception the American
League moguls refused 10 discuss the
matter. saying there was no way or
deciding 1t Several National League
leaders were willing to talk lucidly
on the subject. They declared their
association far superior to the rival
In the catching department
Tho taclturnity of the American
Leaguers on the general subject serves
as verdict that is as near final as
| could be desired.
Promising catchers is a different
matter. In this line the American
seems TO have a little the hotter of
| the argument. With two youngsters
like Stanage and Easterly showing the
form they are. there is good ground
for the representation that ore OF
the pair Will surely become a world
| beater before Father Time calls him
from the game to gentler pursuits
! Both young men are put up along the
same lines physically. and their me-
chanical actions are much alike: they
would be dead ringers for one another
| in moving picture. Who has the
/ greater "noodle7" Apparently STAN
! age; at least he seems to have exer-
| cised his more than his rival, and that
| Is the thing that will count In the
! long run
The youngster who sprouts into a
great ball player. one whose name
| goes into the baseball hall OF fame. Is
not often he who startles the circuit
with phenomenal work the moment he
| strikes the big league. Nor is he the
man who after laboring along as
mediocre performer for some time, sud
| denly strikes hts gait and flashes
| forth. as 1t were, overnight The
| greatest players. almost without ex-
| oeption, are those who started out s
| an average sort OF a worker. getting
z little better each month and season.
until at last they have reached
the bunch. passed them and then
| left the others behind. Such
was Mathewson, such wos Wagner.
| such were kling. McGraw. Wallace and
| Cv Young when they We're Just grow
| ing into stars Such IS Oscar Stanage.
| The netrol, Tigers have been piungins.
tearing banging their way pennantward
| despite the m.stcrfu! game OF the AthiS-
! ties The Jennings tribe ara hard hi,ters
| and daring hase-runners: they are about
the best run se;ters in the world. And
| Stenage sticks the pellet at a clip that
keeps him we'll mp with the band wagon
| Blu, neither Detroit nor any other team
1 could win games by sheer scoring unless IT
! had some way O.. keeping the other fellows
| ,ali.es from being TOO numerous. Detroit
| is not good held,ns team as whole. Con-
| seqGeatly the burden OF keeping\ the OPP
position thfe devolves upon the pitcners'
| and tho catcher in keeping the enemy from
running wild on the bases Leave the lat
| ter task to stonege. He is there: probably
/ the greatest young bickstop in the business
| nsurinS him from any angle,
One Detroit writer has paid tribute TO the
youth thusy: 'cooi-headed. quIck-thinkinG
strong-armed Oscar. the boy with the broad
shoulders and massive muscle development,
who can throw the oall like shot and hit
II mile is the man TO whom much Of the
credit for the success OF Detroirs pitching
STAFF is due
Tiger pitchers have pitched not alone good
ball. su; In several Instances phenomenal
ball against their rivals There are per.
I tormances by Muliin. Summers. Donovan
, ana Lahtte that stand out as accomplish
ments in pitching far above the ordinary.
Due credit is given these twi:lers. for mas
terly performances but in TINS case as In
others there is man behind and in this
particular case the man behind" is the
youthful Californian who receives the
shoots. curves, fast balls. spiiters and slow
ones o: the Tiger hurlers. Be II known
Stansge is not "one-man pitcher" He
can catch any member OF Jenn:nsS's staf.
Hughie has always insisted tina, stanage
has the makings OF n wonderful cstcher;
he said TIM, few years ago. Since the
| present season has gone half Its route many
have been heard to agree with Hugh AM
brose.
Quick to outguess a batter sure In re-
ceiving. accurate in throwing. and an almost
uncanny Judge OF hit-and-run and base
stealing Intentions. Stanage Ia a!wayo work.
ms his gray matter.
! Stanoge seldom asks for a pltch-out. He
| does not need ten yaids elbow room to get
off HIS throws He depends on a good arm
TO get the man stealing. When he does
ask for wide pitch the chances four
| out of Ave that the runner for whose beEe-
IT.. or rather detriment. the wide pitch Is
ordered. will try to advance. In three
games during the recent Detroit-Philadel-
phia series Stanage asked for total OF
Ave pitch-outs Four times he guessed It
right and got Athletic runner in an at
tempt to steal Once ne guessed wrong. But
| four ont OF Ave is doing pretty we'll, thanls
you.
when Jim MCGUIRE was catching Jim air
ways asked for pitch-out with men on
bases. Jim got the pitch-outs. and ne also
got the pitcher in a hole The pitcher has
TO get the ball over the plate then. The
| batter knows this generally and counts on