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

TINE Retired Sporting Editor went
out to the ball park last week.
When he came back he was
bursting with a discovery.
u 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 viii bump together trying
for a fly ball, and on the next II viii
fall safely among three Of them, with
nobody trying for it,.
IRON what the Retired Sporting
Editor said. I judge he must have
bumped into a pretty bad game-or
his digestion is out Of WhaCk
But still there is a 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
AFI Crackers are depending too
much on hitting That Is usually the
fault Of a team Of sluggers. In spite
of themselves, they let things slip.
They figure, why should we worry
about perfectinK team play. inside
ma Ffae fg1Fg that NNa
slug out a victory any old time we
want to-"
They do not mean to dope 81 out
that way. Maybe they don't give It
thought But the old subconsCiOus
stuff 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 1918. 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 1913 make in a
game. But the defense was there OF
course. the pitchers were good But
so was the inheld and the outfield.
The felders not only covered n lot Of
ground, but they made all the plays
right There were seldom any ques-
tions Of who was to cover, They did
not bump while fielding balls They
let few fall safe for lack OF somebody
TO 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 II is that it's
smart infield too, They are all light
ming thinkers and well-t trained play
.ers.
The players go out Of their posi-
tions after balls--which II poor base
ball, even If II does show willingness.
Wally Smith, all eagerness to do his
share, is everlastingly running over
into Bisland's territory. Alperman
tries 10 play more than his share Of
the infeld and considerable OF the
.outfield. And it's a most commend
able fault-but It does not make for
great team play.
THE Crackers must shake them
selves together. They can't lay
all the blame on the pitchers. They
must realize that Atlanta expects
them to win a pennant. II win be
absolutely and sublimely ridiculous IL
the Crackers do not cop. But at
their present rate Of going they will
never arrive. Therefore, IL is time
they walked up, took an inventory.
-AVggEgwaH #hafVa Fasr1fu 90
and hit a stride that win carry them
to a pennant II is pennant- win
ming club. II needs only to show it.