The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-09
IS iris new KING?
If Boston Wins Pennant He
win Be So Declared.
Billy Murray Says He Is Better
Than Cobb.

II the Boston Red Sox win the
american League pennant this year
ms speaker probably will be hailed
as a new king of baseball. Boston
oogght him for $500 five years ago.
speaker does not shine so much to
the olsparagement of his mates for
TWO reasons-first, their own individ-
ual and collective ability, which saves
Shem from suffering by contrast with
speakers, and, second, Speakers own
modesty on the baseball field
The others are generally so good
cidI speaker does not appear, like
Copb, as the one man of the team and
that is why Jake Stahl was able to
tell his players:
This is not a one man team; you
are all entitled to the credit
Bnt mere is what one baseball expert
says of iris Speaker, and the opinion
Is beginning to be shared by others.
The critic is Billy Murray, the Pitts
burg scout, whose business it is to
watch and study baseball players and
thelr records Murray has no personal
interest in Speaker, and is not fooled
by dazzling performances on the dia-
mond or flattering press comments,
which emphasize the odd and inter-
esting acts of the stars and make their
general baseball ability a secondary
feature.
Experts Opinion.
This is what Murray says:
You can praise Ty Cobb. Joe
the big leagues, but none of them is
in the class with iris Speaker of the
Red Sox.
Speaker is the best player on the
thrower and baserunner he has Ty
Cobb and others beaten. --..-.--
81 have seen all of the stars of 25
years and Iris is the king
He is only % years old-this
young Texan-and he is getting bet
ter every year.
Because so many of his plays on
the baseball field are spectacular some
fans" call Speaker a "grandStand
player" No man deserves the appella-
ton less. Speaker is never on parade,
rarely bothers the crowd, has few &C.
centrieities noticeable to the rooterS
and goes about his business in bust
neSslike way.
His batting success does not seem
to be due to any particular style. He
has an eye for all sorts of balls. Jack
CoOmbS, Chief Bender, Ed Walsh,
Walter Johnson and some of the 9TH
er star pitchers say he is the hardest
man to fool in the league. They can
frequently outguess Ty Cobb, for in
stance, and make the Georgia Peach"
look foolish, but rarely put one over
on Speaker. In this respect he is
more or less like Nap" Lajoie.
Speaker hits like a bull. If there
is anything he lacks it is finesse. and
that is why he is often not so formid
able in pincheS as Ty Cobb and some
of the others. But he is such a long
distance hitter, srnashes them so hard
and so frequently that he is just as
successful in the long run-but he
loses the advantage of being consfd-
cred clever, and thereby getting his
name in the papers"
Quick Thinker.
When he is 'son''-being baseball
for the bases-he still seems to lack
finesse simply because he plunges
along and appears to make his way
by sheer, brute force. AS a matter of
fact, Speaker does use rare judgment
on the bases, seldom overlooks a
chance for an extra base, is a fast
runner, despite his build, and has
stolen more bases this year than any
other man except Milan of the SEN
ators. He thinks quickly and gets
away with many steals because of his
speed and ability to get promptly I'M
der way. He appears to be clumsy, but
that is because of his build.
He seldom strikes out. His eye for
the ball is so good that Speaker al
most invariably hits it somewhere,
which is another asset in the ''hit-an-
run" play. No record is kept of