The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-26

points OF service TINS great team has
been surpassed by other clubs in its
own organization at the same time, its
out6eld being Of but mediocre caliber,
it's catchers positively weak. ard,
while il possessed two or three pitch
ers who have been ciassed as stars
Of tho first water, it was the grand
aiding and abettiDs Of that great iniicld
en- the attack aud the defense that
rendered the success of these pitchers
possible. That all-star iuiield has so
far out.classcd all It's competitors col
lectivclv that IL changed what weuld
have otherwise been but an ordinary
baseball team into what is generally
regarded as the greatest baseball iua-
chine that has ever played the game,
II so far outclasses in collective,
all-around efficiency any other infield
Guartette now PLAYING thc rame that
1t has been one of the wonders of the
baseball critics around the Circuit that
Inc Athletics. with their outiield shot
TO pieces and their entire pitching and
catching force on the blink, dldu {
win the pcnuaut in 1912 on the strength
Of their inficld alone. And this same
wonderful source Of strength and point
of superiority over others is just now
making the Athletics the favorites with
the able critics To grab the flag during
The coming pastiming season, in spite
of the fact that their outfield viii be
reconstructed uncertainty aud their
old reliable pitchers are on the wane.
Comparing the all-around efficiency
Of AIcInuis, Collins. Barry, Baker-in
hitting fielding base running and Sin
side work with other famous inicld
quartettes of baseball history the Ath-
leties youthful inner gardeners un-
doubtedly outclass in collective cffi-
eicnry anything the game has ever pro
duced and constitute the greatest ipdi-
,idual factor in any ball club s success
since the game began, Arson, Pfeffegl
Williamson and Burns of the old CHI,
ego Of 'S6; DOYLE, Reitz, JepniHps
and IcGraw Of the Baltimore Siham-
nions OF -a3E5,s, Ryauthers, Rowe schard.
sou and White. bersaait5 5 ) Big -Four y
OF 81 and Thicker, Lowe, Long and jim
my Collins of the 80 Boston team are
the greatest intield quartettes that can
DC dug out of the musty baseball arch,
ives of the past. but not even tho most
iabid gray bearded partisan OF past sU
periority, can show where any of those
star combinations of past baseball his
s-Barry Baker combination of the
present age for alaround collective e.
ticiency,
This all.around efficiency of Connie
Msck's great infclh quartette that
causes ii to put it all over any combina
ton Of inner gardeners in baseball his
tory for effective service consists not
only of terrific hitting ability, sensa-
tional fielding, fast work on the ba scs
and machine-6ke team work, but 10 do
ing these things In the tpinches aud
at the psychological period when the
most benefit will accrue To their team
from the performances, and in their in
itiative and originality IN devisiug
means TO meet existing conditions. II is
these latter qualities, the mental cqua-
tion Of the men, that raises this quar-
tette far superior as players even to
their great mechanical ability. Every
man on that iptield is n field general in
himself. with brains and an Initiative