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

out 10 the ball park last week
When he came back he was
bursting with a discovery.
4 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. Why
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 win bump together trying
for a fly ball, and on the next II viii
fan safely among three Of them, with
nobody trying for it,.
IRON what the Retired Sporting
1 Editor said. ! judge he must have
bumped into a pretty bad game-or
his digestion is out Of whack
But stin there is lot 10 that criti-
cism.
The Cracker team is not the smooth
organization in the field that BIZ
Smiths teams usually are.
MY private opinion IS that the
w Crackers are depending too
much on hitting That is usually the
fault of a team of slugGcrs. In spite
of themselves. they let things slip.
They figure, "Why should we worry
about perfecting team play inside
baseball and stuff Ike that We can
slug out a victory any old time we
want TO-"
They do not mean 10 dope 10 out
that way. Maybe they don't give II
thought But the old subcongcious
stun is getting IN its deadly work.
II the Crackers had "a curliug
pitching staff they might "get by" on
pitching and hitting alone
But the Crackers pitching stan Us
weak. Therefore. to win consistently
st is necessary TO evolve defense
that viii cut off as many hits as pos
siblo
THE Cracker club OF 1918. though
L 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 In a week
as the Crackers of 1913 make I'm
game. But the defense was there or
course. the pitchers were good But
so was the inheld and the outheId.
The fieldors not only covered "a lot of
ground but they made all the plays
right There were seldom any uues
tious of who was TO cover Thcy"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 inoprtitu1e
about making "a lot Of plays They
seldom seem TO know how they are
coming off
The odd part about II IL that it's
smart inheld too. They are all light
ming thinkers and well-trained play
ers
The players go out or their posi-
tions after balls-Which is poor base
ball even If 10 does show willingness
Wally Smith. an eageruess 90 do his
share. is everlastingly running over
into Bislaud'g territory Alporman
tries to play more than his share of
the inheld and considerable OF the
outfied. And it's % most commend
able fault-hut il does not make for
great team play.
THE Crackers must shake them
selves together They can't lay
an the blame on the pitchers They
must realize that Atlanta expects
them TO win "a ucunant n win be
absolutely and sublimely ridiculous il
the Crackers do 100, cop. But at
their present rate of going they viii
never arrive. Therefore. il rs time
they walked up, took an inventory
considered their faults and failings
and HIT a stride that win carry them
10 pennanL 1t is a peunaut-win-