Omaha daily bee., 1912-02-25
Swell Bunch of Outfelders This Season
BY MONTY.


NEW YORK. Feb. 2A-Aimost every
team viii be well cared for In the out
field when the curtain rings up on the
1919 big league season.
With variations this heraldry has been
exploded at this time every year since
base ball became Uncle Sans greatest
! game-the chief variation being that ii
applied 10 the hull durn team instead
Of Just the outfield. This year 1t does
not apply to the 'shuIl durn team" for
with. a few exceptions the big league ag-
gregations are woefsIIly weak IN some one
or two departments Of play-the infield.
pitchers or catchers-but the class OF the
outfields throughout the circuits Is tre-
mendousiy above par. There Is only one
team in each league that cannot claim
an aIl-star corps of outer gardeners.
The Brooklyn Nationals and the 81.
Louis Americans are the only blots on
the outfield escutcheons for 1872. And.
even At that. the Brooklyn and ST. Louis
fly-chasers figure better than the.worst
outfields OF other years.
But. getting 20 the more pleasant end
OF the discussion. no less than eight
teams would put in claim to having
the best outfelds in the business. TAX
ing them in the order Of the strength OF
their claims. as they appear 10 US, they
the the Detroit Tigers. Chicago Cubs.
Chicago White Sox. Philadelphia Athlet-
les. Boston Nationals. Boston Americans.
New York Giants and Cleveland Maps.
Each OF these outfits has q swatting bril-
gads that averages over or near the 100
mark. In addition to being fast on the
paths and capable in the field.
With Ty Cobb and wahoo Sam craw-
ford cayorting together in any teams
outfieid the boast Of supremacy could
be made. regardless OF who worked In
the other position. The departure OF Dagy
Jones after Matty Mcintyre had been
traded to the White sox seemed for a
time to have put Detroit literally into
the position Of having only two outfield-
ers. but the youngsters. Drake, who was
sent In 10 FIJI the breach. delivered the
goods In more than passabie style. hitting
for an average Of .gTs and fielding 90
In ninety-five games. A promising record
for first-year man Drake was going
better at the end of the season than
whsn he was first injected into the fight.
ana his work bore evidences that more
improvement could be expected.
The Chicago Cubs have AZ the backbone
OF their second line of defense the great
home-run manufacturer. Frank Schultz.
and Artie Holman and Jimmy sheckard
figure equally a. valuable as he from an
ail-around standpoint. Tho Cub outfield
represents more brains than any other.
unless II be the trio OF the champion
Athletics.
The white sox broke record last year
when they presented brand new set OF
feeders that compared with any In the
game. Il was the first appearance al
sox OF Matty Mcintyre. who was obtained
from Detroit Jimmy Callahan. now man
aEcr OF the team. was showing In his
initial engagement as q White sox. after
dassrtion from the Cubs followed by sew
eral years OF serpi-professionai ball. And
then along came Ping Bodle. who 10
hailed by Chicago fans a. the greatest
OF all fenes-busters. Callahan has taught
Bodie to choke his bat and thereby
turn few long hits into lot Of short
onex Bodie should be much better this
year than he was last season. and Nc
Intyre and Callahan show no aEn Of go
ing back oven II thay should, Dough-
erty 10 waiting there as utility outfieldsr
20 get iato the game.
Rube oldrinx. Briscoe Lord and Danny
Murphy did such wonderful service for
the Athletics In the last two worlds
series thai thay scarcely need comment
ana young Amos strunk. the substitute OF
the Mack outfieid. II very near to them
In general prchwcss. gA
Mike Donlin. Galatians rival as .
"comehack," 10 paired up with two
phenomenal youths IN tho Boston Ma
tional,s pasture Doc Miller and
"stonswAil'' jackson, who played on
either side Of nonlin at the Gag end Of