The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-09-27
BY HUGH S. FULLERTON.


Baseball "dopes out" II "dopes"
better than horse races. claim
that. by the system of doping
evolved through years of study or
the game. I could. II knew in ad-
vance what pitchers were TO work in
Z any game. tell you which team would
win series. which games each team
would wen. the approximate scores
of each game. and almost the exact
number OF hits.
may be misled as TO which
pitcher will start a game. Managers
have a habit Of doing that. Also. one
= trying 10 dope" a series must be-
ware being misled by false reports
Of condition. Last Fall almost every
one picked the Athletics to win be
cause we had done our picking be
fore we discovered that the Ath-
letics were badly disorganized and
broken ball club. Even then my
dope figures showed startlingIy close
TO the exact scores in each OF the
four games played, so close that had
not Meanwhile made a miraculous
double. play In the second game. the
scores OF the first four games would
have been almost exactly as I doped
them in advance.
I'm going to take you all in on the
dope. You won't believe me-so let
US figure IL out together In cold hg-
iues, forgetting that we have friends
or enemies. l viii explain. step by
step. how ! reach the results. You
take a pencil and dope right with
me. II you think | am wrong in any
figures, change them TO suit your
self
The Basis Of All Dope
The basis Of all dope Is compari-
son.
Let us start with the presumption
that 1000 Is perfect. n any baseball
player were perfect, there would be
mo interest In the game. Cobb is the
nearest perfection. and rate him
922' deducting by comparing speed
3 hitting power, quick thinking. thu wv
ing, base running. etc rate Speaker
az 800. and Milan al SIS. and so on.
Cobbs total value TO his team In
season ] figure az $50 Now. Il
makes no difference whether We say
Cobb j. $50 or 500 or ESQ. u Is ar
arbitrary figure assumed for pur.
poses OF comparison. But II Cobb
batting $40. stealing 100 bases. scor
Ing 80 runs. making plays all the
Time. worrying pitchers drawing
bases on balls. heldlng. tbrovInr
covering lots Of ground. and getting
into the team play every minute. ir
rated $50. We can compare his ne
ures with those Of Others. and dis
cover exactly what the other man
IL worth in fatiO 20 Cobhs $50 q.
az We desire TO discover is compare
i've hgures, we may assume nu
worth anything we desire
We will FIRST take every plsyer on
the two teams that are to heht TO-
iue championship. and study the ga.
usucs We viii find out what each
man bats against right and left-hand
% pitchers. against speed pitching
and against slow pitching We vii
hgure BITE speed. aggressivenoss. con
dillon and disposition
never rely upon ny own iudgmenf
Tor these things I figure them alb
out in advance. take tho figures and
70 over them with members % thr
players own team. with piayors of on
posing teams. with men who know
Dim better Than do 7 fnd on
whether DO .g working with bite team
whether the strain OF the season has
hurt his work and an q can about
him. Whom : get down those nguroe
ln each department az fhe game. D
know and con represent In figures Cd
most exactly what that player Dr.
worth ln "a regular season Al that
point We merely have the basis of
calculating mans worth In tho
worlds series
Calculating Players worm in N
Worlds Series
player may bo worth 500 Ir a r.r
ular season by ftis system of .ro-in.
end may ba worth only GOO Lob
worlds series. let me- illustrate
bvcrs bite. roughly. Iss. Hr rum.
bases effectively. but does not rfesI
many TIE advances tho limit % no.
hlf on each Ulay fo rankr fret as
helder DOB bic own league am
forced 10 subtract Ga points from biz
total worth ln "a season because b
klckf himself out Of Thar proportion
~ gamss Nov. Evers. ACCORDING Dob
my figures Oh worth $50 as a PLAYER
Do Offensive play. and biz value fo biz