The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-03
Athletics and Giants Have
Strong Staffs-Near Equal.
Schang and Meyers Appear to
Have First Call to Duty.
EACH CLUB HAS SELECT THO
Indian ExceIs in Some Places
and German i'm Others.
Lapp Is Mack's Second Choice
and Mclean for McGraW.

New York. Oct. 3.-The catchers .
the New York Giants and Philadelphia
Athletics will play an important par
in the coming battles for the Worio
championship in baseball. and thf
managers of the rival clubs are Iortu
nate in having dependable trloS 1ol
the position behind the plate. CONNIE
Mack has Schang, Lapp and 1horh1S
IN use as his Judgment dictates ana
McGraw in Meyers, Mclean ana VII
son has an opposing squad or catcheLf
which. viewed in a broad manner 81
fer little if any when compared VIZ,
the Philadelphia wearers Oh illi'' 0iiN'
mask. ,.o
Movers and Schang appear 10 nave
first call for the position with mclean
and Lamp second choice and w ilsoii
and Thomas as third string caIchelS'
Movers and Schang will be called upon
- Az tho brunt of the work, barring
illness or accident. and are therefore
first to be considered in a comparison
of the catching strength OF the lWo
cIubs From an offensive standpoint
Movers is the better player OF the Two
due to his ability as batter Inc DIG
Indian has an unofficial record OF 81 U
for 115 games this season as against
259 for Schang in rs games. On the
bases the Philadelphia backstop is a
faster man, but this asset IS more OF
less nnlllf1ed DN the IdCI IlAdI -
Gets to the initial bag more frequent
" than his chief rival in the world $
series. Both are accurate and fast III
throwing to the bases but the Atnlel-
les voungster has a margin over heH-
ers in this respect. for he shoots 10
second with less apparent eXertlon ana
more speed than the Chief Tories.
Lam has taken the ascendency over
Thomas during the past season anu
Judging from present indications VIII
be Connie Mack's second choice Tor
the stand behind the home plate He
will have a formidable opponent IN
Mclean. who joined the Giants Via
the trade route from st. Louis after
the nidseason mark had been passed.
AS in the case of Meyers and Schang
The Giants second string catcher mas
a decided advantage over Lapp IN pat
ting for the records show that the tor-
mer Cincinnati-St. Louis catcher has
a batting average of .2S5 as against
Iapp's PIG. The figures are all the
more impressive since both catcherS
have worked in about the same num-
Der of games. AS an offset the Phila-
deIphia catcher has proved to be dead
" in throwing base stealers out at
second and third and in this respect
the veteran who was traded
into a worlds series pot of gold after
his new teammates had secured a COM
handing lead in the race for the pen
nant.
Ira Thomas. one of Mack's veterans,
in point of experience at least out
ranks Wilson easily, but the old adage
of youth VS.. age may equalize this
should the pair don masks and pads
in the same game. Thomas is a
catcher who rises to emergencies and
as a tactician has few equals. AS far
as batting is concerned he is far SUI
perior to Wilson. but the latter has
been improving steadily and may sur
pass expectations in this respect in
case he has an opportunity to break
into the series at critical period.
Once on the base lines he will have
an excellent chance to pick up Thomas
advantage with the bat, for he is
fast, considered from the standpoint
of q catcher
The records of the catchers of the
two clubs this season follow: