Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-27
CRACKER CLUB
DEPENDS TOO
MUCH ON HITS
By Percy H. Whiting.
THE Retired Sporting Editor went


out to the ball park last week.
When he came back be was
bursting with a discovery.
i know why Atlanta is losing
games"
This was interesting.
We have all been wondering why
the Crackers. with the greatest bat
ting club the league ever saw. were
making hard work Of staying within
reach OF the leaders
So we bit and asked, ''Why7"
They are losing because Of lack Of
efficient management in the field he
said. They are leaving first base
uncovered, and second and third:
they are not backing up with any
Intelligent system. on one play three
of them will bump together trying
for a fly ball. and on the next if viii
fan safely among three Of them, with
nobody trying for it,.
IRON what the Retired Sporting
Editor said judge he must have
bumped into a pretty bad game-or
his digestion is out Of whack
But still there is lot to that criti-
Cism.
The Cracker team is not the smooth
organization in the field that Bill
Smiths teams usually are.
MY private opinion is that the
WI Crackers are depending too
much on hitting. That is usually the
fault Of team Of sluggers In spite
Of themselves, they let things slip.
They figure, why should we worry
about perfectlng team play inside
baseball and stuff like that We can
slug out a victory any old time we
want to-"
They do not mean to dope It out
that way. Maybe they don't give It a
thought But the Old subCongciOus
stun is getting in its deadly work.
II the Crackers had a Corking
pitching staff they might get by" on
pitching and hitting alone.
But the Crackers pitching staff is
weak. Therefore, to win consistently
IL is necessary to evolve a defense
that will cut off as many hits as pos
sible.
THE Cracker club Of 1913. though
made up Of brilliant individual
players. is not welded into a team.
That old Cracker ball club Of 1909
didn't make as many hits I'm a week
as the Crackers Of 1918 make in a
game. But the defense was there or
course the pitchers We're good But
50 was the infeld and the outfield.
The felders not only covered a lot Of
ground. but they made all the plays
right There were seldom any qucs-
lions OF who was 10 cover They did
not bump while fielding balls They
let few fan safe for lack Of somebody
10 get under them
THE trouble with the Crackers OF
this season is an incertitude
about making a lot Of plays They
seldom seem TO know how they are
coming off
The odd part about It is that it's a
smart infield too. They are an light
ming thinkers and well-trained play
ers
The players go out Of their posi-
tiOns after balls-which is poor base
ball. even If it does show willingness
Wally Smith, all eagerness 10 do his
share, IS everlastingly running over
into Blsland's territory Alperman
tries 20 play more than his share Of
the iuheld and considerable Of the
outfleld And it's a most commend
able fault--hut II does not make for
great team play,
THE Crackers must shake them
selves together They cant lay
all the blame on the pitchers. They
must realize that Atlanta expects
them to win a pennant II vim bee
absolutely and subimely ridiculous II
the Crackers do not cop. But at
their present rate of going they viii
never arrive Therefore, it is time
they walked up, took an inventory.
considered their faults and failinrs
and hit a stride that VIII carry them
20 a pennant. 1t is a pennant- win
ming club. II needs only to show H..