The Washington herald., 1912-03-11
ALL-sTARs' GAME
SHOULD Be C0RKER
Gassaway Has Strong Team
to Face Young Nationals
on March 30.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
By WILLIAM FEET.


Probably no game scheduled for the
Nationals here this season will attract
the attention OF the local amateurs more
than the contest booked for the concrete
coliseum on March 30 between Clark
Grifiths Yanhigans and Jack Casa
ways All-Stars.
1t will be remembered that the battle
was arranged a month ago. and Is made
possible for the reason that the Nation
ais first squad plays Jack Dunn's Orioles
in Baltimore on March 30.
Gassaway called at the ONCE last night
and said: I've got the best-looking ball
team you ever saw and am willing to
bet we will make the young Nationals
go some TO beat US.
Take my catchers. / have Sid Lodge
and Blk Six Brewer. For pitchers,
Phil Buscher, Walter Herrall. and King
Brady. Litz, the Navy Yard star. will
cover first base. Hurley or Chick Davis.
| second: Harris, shortstop: Bob Murphy,
third base, and in the outfield will be
Al Handiboe, left: Earl Steele, center,
| and Country Morris, right"
Gassaway thinks that Manager Grif-
nth will ind he has a diamond in the
rough in Joe Boehling, the kid who
twirled such fine ball for the crack
Richmond amateur club last summer.
and adds that Boehling. with any kind
of start, should make good from the
jump.
There are a number of others in town
who think the same way.
II Jack Flynn, former Pirate and
Georgetown student. hits the ball as he
did in the American Association. It Is
hard to sec where Grifith will be able
to improve on him for first base. 1t Is
not exposing any state secrets to say
that Grif wants hitters, and wants them
badly. The youngsters who show symp-
toms of developing into sluggers will be
sure TO receive first consideration.
While the crowd Of fans at Union Sta
tion when the FIRST lunch of recruits left
for Charlottesville was a big one, 1t was
not a marker on the mob which said
good-by to Capt. George Mcbride and
his merry men yesterday.
II seems as IL every man. woman. and
child in the District was interested In
each move made by Manager Griffith and
his band of hopefuls.
schedule for the HIghlanders' prae-
tice games on their way North fropl
their training quarters in Atlanta this
spring has already been arranged by
Arthur Irwin. The Hiiltoppers will IN
wade Cincinnati, indianapolis, Dayton.
and Columbus on their reverse march
from Atlanta to the sea-
They played in some OF these same
cities last April, but on their way North
stopped of at Birmingham. Chattanooga.
Nashville, and other points, which will
not be visited this spring.
Games have been arranged with the
Atlanta team for March % and &c. and
one or two National League teams may
be taken on in Atlanta There has been
talk OF the Athletics opening the new
ball park in Cincinnati. but last spring
II was agreed between Hermann and
Frank Farrell that the Highlanders
should open the park with the Reds.
and the dates were agreed upon. They
are March 30 and 81 and April i, and
the Cincinnati club is expected to abide
by its agreement. The Highlanders will
play In indianapolis on April 2. J. and 4:
will meet Dayton, champions OF the Gen.
tral League, on April 8, and hold forth
In Columbus on April and Z.
John B. Foster, editor Of spalding's
Guide, points out the following weak
points in computing the work of the
pitchers:
In the effort to establish the strength
OF pitcher by the medium of the games
which he wins or loses the fact is over
looked that IT is false standard of esti-
mate.
The best pitcher in baseball might
not be better in rating than an ordinary
pitcher were the luck of the game to
hrao L. lr- fv,a& IT,, ~
son Of bad work on the part of the
fielders who were behind him or lack
of batting on the part Of his own team
mates
There is no such thing as an equal
iZation of averages in the matter of
mistakes in play in a single season. 1t
frequently happens that better pitcher
will have the worst support. not through
intention on the part Of his team mates,
but simply because they are unable to
help It. ~
Assume that the record Of Mathewson-
for 1911 be taken as a standard of COM
parison. II any one will take the trouble
Of going through the games of last sum-
mer he will discover five contests which
were lost with Mathewson in the box
when the pitcher was doing as well as
he ever did. Two such were lost in Chi
cago and two were lost on the Polo
II any 10
on the mere fact of victory or defeat, 1t
certainly follows in cases of this kind
that the toll is paid heavily by Mathew
son, who is made to assume the respon-
sibility for defeat when he was blame
less.
The weakness Of the victory and defeat
theory exempllfies itself strongly in the
case Of a very good pitcher in ver5
weak fielding team. Put Mathewson, Mar
guard, Bender. Coombs. Ford. Walsh.
or others whose names could be as
readily mentioned in a team of players
who were clumsy and slow on the field,
and how long would they compare in
records with the pitchers who were re-
ceiving the best Of support, providing
nothing but victories and defeats should
count for their final standing?
This subject was touched upon most
admirably by the baseball writers OF the
United States In the 1910 issue OF Spald-
lng,s Guide, and the opinion was prac-
tically unanimous that victories and de-
feats counted but vaguely as the true
standard OF pitchers work on the field.
Well get a hard and fast rule one Of
these days in which II Is possible that
the earned run. which was abolished for
no seemingly logical reason, viii be re-