The Detroit times., 1912-04-18

\ Considering the fact that the II
gers have had no respectable spring
training by which they might fit them
selves to be classy opponents of the
National game, they open their home
season at the new Navin field with a
record OF work behind them that COM
bares very favorably with what the
tgures show they did during the whole
Season last year.
Lack of condition in the contests
mus far played has told. Ii has told
more In the individual records than
N the results OF the games. While
The Tigers can alibi poor individual
showings with the no-training excuse,
SO can every other team in the Amerf-
Ii was admitted at the first OF the
season that Connie Mack's Athletics
had whatever spring good fortune had
befaIlen any OF the organizations in
Ban Johnson's circuit, and it has evil
IDENTIFY told.
A fielding average of .944 for this
time of the year as compared to .g5S
for the whole of last season, Is not
a team have. An omission of any one
OF the misplays made thus far would
have given the Tigers a better record
I'm figures for the season TO date than
they had for last year
The marked slump in batting was
predicted by Manager Jennings be-
fore the season commenced. tt was
only to be expected after the disad-
vantages of the spring work.
Edgar willett tops the list in the
average columns with a percentage
of 500 in hitting and a perfect record
in FIELDING. The westerner has been
clouting 'em for fair ever since he
began to find himself in spring work.
Over at Toledo he came across with
a homer over the left field fence into
the coal yards, place where only
one man before him had placed the
pellet. He shares with Crawford the
only honors in the three-base drives
since the season began. While he
hasn't had many chances in the two
games he has played TO err, yet he
has accepted six of them without a
hIunder
The column OF hitting averages
looks strangely misarranged. Oscar
witt is the only man who seems 10 be
about where he rightfully belongs. Al
that. he is perhaps, a little higher
than he will be later in the season
after the old dependables get 10 work
ing.
There Is Oscar Stanage leadinf
everybody but Willett in hitting will
figures totaling .391 With nine hits
he is tied with Witt In the number O
bingles he has received, but he has
been at bat seven times less.
Bush is away up in Gamers fourth
Mace among the sluggers, and hi
lacks but little OF equaling the aver
age of the whole team in fielding, {
remarkable stunt in view OF his lacl
Of preparation and the number o.
chances at his difficult position tina
& he has taken.
Cobb and Delahanty look like begin
ners way down next TO the bottom
II Is indeed, a strange state of az
fairs when the Peach and Jimdel have
10 peer upwards TO find the rest q
their teammates in the hitting column
That big day at Chicago did more
fhan anything else TO boost every
body over Ty and Del. Perry, for in
stance, had only one hit up to thu
fime he got those two OF the l6 thu
Tigers took from the Sox huriers
I,ouden, too, fattened up then with I
couple. In fact, everybody but Game
rot something, Bush having the leas
OF those who connected safely, will
only one bingle. Crawford, Willet
and Stanage got three-apiece.
BAG Gamer has been clouting the bal
hard but without any horseshoe STUFF
all spring. He has been lining lont
ones out TO the field TO somebody ant
retting robbed OF hits. He's BUSTING
them, all right, but they don't fall II
the right place. MANY an, extra~bas'
slam will come his way when the!
start falling right
The n. A. c's win play al FLINT sun
1aY.