New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-19

being required Of the pitchers.
The reference 10 shafer leads me 20
publish the following letter. which came
to my desk last week
In reading your accounts Of the play
Ing Of the New York team. ! see YOU are
not at all in favor Of Shafcr at snort
feld-in fact, have not been any of the
tine-but / fail 20 see where Fletcher IS
~ Improvement. except in the NUMBER
G. errors he makes. which are most al
1rs costly 10 the team. Would II he
t,lng you too much 10 tell me why you
shank as you do? ] think YOU are most
'Vdys fair I'm YOUR accounts of the game
anu always delight I'm reading them. hut
this gets me. II New York had Bridwell
or most any other short fielder in the
National League ! think there would be
something doing.
So far as ] can recall no direct state
ment has ever been made in The Tribune
that Shafer was not favored at short
stop but the very fact that he was a bit
uncertain. particularly on easy chances.
and disposed to throw the ball almost
into the erandStand al stated intervals
would be reason enough for preferring
Fletcher slightly, even if the formers dis
position was more temperate. In my
opinion McGraW did wisely i'm moving
Shafer TO centre field and putting Fletcher
at short, but the change may not be per
manent There is little or nothing 10
choose between them i'm the way of field
ing ability. Both are strikingly brilliant
in spots and both are prone to juggle the
easy chances.
n may be suggested that McGraw has
another string to his bow. which may be
strung before many days. Heinie Groh
is not the worst nfelder in the world and
has not been sitting on the bench for
nothing The time for mis- real test may
be at hand.
II almost seemed last week as If the
fates were conspiring 10 keep the Su-
perbas out Of first place i'm the National
League race. Twice the fighting Phillies
were forced 60 go extra innings 10 hold
their place at the top. half a game IN
front while on Wednesday, when the
Pirates. after losing seven straight games.
won their first in the East at the expense
of Dooin's men, the Reds finally turned
and defeated Brooklyn.
The Superbas are deserving Of their
proud place. Nothing succeeds Ike sue
cess. and the confidence acquired has put
new dash and spirit I'm the team. The
players step up TO the plate with all the
assurance in the world and in baseball
as in practically every endeavor, this is
half the battle. They are alive 20 their
own ability. keenly interested in their
work. and the result is they are playing
the kind OF baseball Of which champions
are made. a slump may come. but II
looks now as II il would be hard to keep
the Superbas out Of the first division.
The Yankees have been doing wonders
in the West Winning three out of four
games I'm Detroit. and two out OF three
from the fast going Maps. with a fifteen
inning tie game thrown in for good meas
ure, was a clear indication that Frank
Chance is slowly but none the less surely
getting his machine 10 run with more
smoothness. The Peerless Leader is fac
ing a long, uphill fight. but fortunately,
ne is the kind OF man not easily dis
couraged. and a man who just loves to
battle against fearful odds
Princeton's eight-oared crew showed
great aquatic strength and rare rowing
skill in defeating Harvard and Pennsyi-
Vania on the Charles River basin last
Monday and much credit is due even IL
II Lad to take the wash of Columbia and
the Navy on Saturday II Is question
among rowing men whether the smooth
water stroke taught by DIR. spaeth would
carry the crew over a fOur-mile course,
but that 10 me is beyond the mark. The
Tigers were coached and trained for a
two-mile race. and while no doubt they
would have been handicapped by rough
water at Cambridge. the fact remains
that they proved themselves much better
than the crews developed al Harvard and