Rock Island Argus., 1913-01-22
Time of Hitter is Past;
Speed Now the Essential

I to grab the banner this season, and he
blockers in favor of athletes who do
not need a couple of triples to send
/ them home from second base
The fact that Clarke let Donlin go
I is proof thai the Pirates chief has no
use for the slow performers. even
! though they may be able TO hit, which
Mike certainly can do. Until Donlin
1 had the misfortune to sustain an in
/ jury that robbed him of his speed he
would have been considered a prize
/ by any manager. Now he is able to
| bring only the waiver price. with no
great amount of jostling among the
National league clubs for the privilege
/ of paying that
The Pirates of 1912, so say critics
TO have a great ball club. They could
/ hit, their fielding was first class and
( they had the best sort of pitching
/ Yet in spite of all these desirable at
tributes they couldn't win consistent
/ ly. Many followers of affairs in the
: Lynch league are picking the Smoky
City as the probable resting place OF
the 1913 pennant, but always with the
reservation that the Clarke club hasn't
chance 10 beat out New York unless
it gets some speed.
Some wise" persons declare that
in order TO secure the necessary speed
Clarke would have 10 sacrifice much
. Of
wouldn't be enough men getting on
the bases were this done to make all
the celebrity in the world count This
latter class OF critics would have as
believe that the best Pittsburgh can
expect is to browse around in the first
division making lot Of trouble and
getting people excited without really
grabbing anything more valuable than
place money.
In Detroit the demand for speed
has resulted in the sacrifice of
some good batters. Take Jim Della
hanty. for instance. He could hit 300
with his eyes bandaged, and was fam
ed for the frequency with which he
chose the psychological moment to
bust one. yet he had 70 go because he
was totally useless on the bases by
reason OF injuries to his legs, and was
unable 10 cover ground afeld
The list OF other capable batsmen
who have been turned loose BY rea,
son of their slothfumess on the paths
is long one, but Delahanty's case
comes to mind by reason of his unusu.
al ability with the ash. ii mere hit
ting would hold a big league job, Jim
would be in this circuit for the next
SIS years. Rossman is another man
who could have stayed here for a cen
tuTy If batting alone counted.
Down in Cleveland they say thai
Larry Lajoie is to have a large chunk
pruned of his salary because he j:
slowing up. Both on the bases anC
in fielding. the big Frenchman is re
ported TO have become lethaTgic
though he didn't appear to have gont
back so very far when last seen a
Nayin field. Nobody can deny tina
Larry retains most of his boyish bat
ting vigor and that he still must b.
numbered among the FIVE or six grea
batsmen OF the time. Yet he cannO
any longer come up to the standart
in speed and therefore stands to havr
his emoluments cut
Perhaps il would be more acCurat
TO say that applied speed" is wha
major league managers desire now
There are a number of extremely fas
men in both circuits who are poo
baserunners because they do not kno7
how to make the most of their Ia
ents. Davy Jones, of the Tigers. one
as speedy a runner as baseball boas
ed and even now able to hasten col
sjderably. never has been a path-burr
er because he never has learned th
proper time TO GO
Y In 8 footrace, there probably woul
no. be o1e Yards difference in 10
between Jones and Cobb. yet tn
| Peach steals sacks by the score, Will