South Bend news-times., 1915-10-06
MAYER MAY ALSO
BE IMPORTANT IN
COMING BATTLES
Damon Runyon Says Grover
Alexander is Not Only Man
to be Counted on by
Moran.
BY Damon Runyon.

BY Damon Runyon.
NEW YORK. oct. 6.-In 1914, j.
Frskine Mayer won = games and lost
70 for a sixth place club over IN Phll-
adelphia. This season up to the last
accounting. he had won - and lost
Is pastimes for the championship out
ht led by Pat Moran. Toss out >.
Erskine Mayer's underhanded work
and where would Philadelphia pen
nant be?
II is difficult TO see how the experts
can overlook ]. Erskine Ia the ante
mortem statements. True, the louu
cries over the exploits OF @. Cleveland
Alexander have drowned out nearly al
other sounds connected with the Phil
adelphia club, but even after they get
through talking about Grover you
rarely hear the name OF "lrksome
faver They mentioned George Chai-
mers. the Harlem hurricane, ahead
OF Mayer and even Epha Jeptha
Rixey. the well known college cry, has
been noticed before Erskine.
Not to BE Dispiscd.
Naver has not been going we'll OF
late according 10 the men who fol-
low the Phillies but the last time the
club was in Brooklyn he seemed To
be all right again: and a pitcher with
his record is not 10 be dispised in
bear fight. Wild Bill Donovan, man
ager Of the Yanks, made the state
ment some days ago that ne woulo
not be surprised if Mayors underhand
delivery did not cause the Red son
a lot of trouble. basing his assertion
on the showing that Jack Narhop
used to make against the Boston cluD-
MAYER and Warhop have similar
pitching styles. but Mayer has much
more stuff" on the ball than Jack.
He is stronger physically and younger
He worked in As games IN 1919 ana
in IL this year up TO the last edluoh
of the records George Chalmers has
been making a strong finish, but
George had none of Mayors effective
ness early in +he season when Ersklne
and Alexander carried the club along.
Southpaws Bother some.
Good Iefthanders bother the Red
Sex. but Moran is practically all out
OF good lefthanders. He has two left
banders. all right. but neither has AS
vet produced records that quallnes
him for the good class.
Eppa Jeptha Rixey, the elongated
Virginia collegiau who was extracted
from an educational institution cou-
pie of years ago boy Parley Rlgler, the
National league umpire, Is credlJed
with II victories and II defeats IN
the averages which are before US He
figured in % games this past season.
In 1914 he was out q times and pro-
cured Just two wins, against II de-
feats. showing that he was used chief
Iv as a sweeper-up OF pastimes.
He has never stood out to any eX-
tent in point of ability among the left
handlers of the National league. Now
and then he would have a good day,
but generally he was regarded as easy
picking. withal he displayed enough
stuff" TO warrant the Philadelphia
managers in carrying him along and
some day he may be very great
pitcher. He is one of the tallest men
in the game and drops the ball down
on the batter from way, way up yon-
der Some baseball men contend that
"A pitcher cannot be altogether too
tail for effectiveness, but the average
manager likes 'em just as tall as he
Rixey May Get i'm.
IL the SoX give the Philly right
handlers a sound beating, RiXey Will
undoubtedly get his chance; but he
viii probably represent Moran's very
last line of defense. Pat has another
sidewinder-young Baumgartner-0ut
Baumgartner is not likely TO be start
ed. Neither is George McQuillan re-
garded as a possibility in the series,
while Al Demaree would be another
long shot. Alexander. Mayer and
Alexander is the logical sequence OF
Pats pitching experiments for the
first three days at least assuming that
Alexander gets by i'm his opening start
Even If he is defeated "Ahck" WI
unquestionably get another crack at
The Sox but his decisive defeat viii
mean a general shift in Moran's plans
If YOU have ever paid any partiCulS l
attention TO the Philadelphia fingers
YOU must have noticed that they have
a style somewhat different from the
pitchers of other clubs. At least the
pitchers who might be called Phila-
delphia-trained have this distinctive
style, although Al Demaree anC
George McQuiIan still pitch about the
same as the average hurler.
Alexander Mayer and Chalmers
however. all have way of twistins
their bodies i'm a wind-up SO theil
backs are 10 the batters just befor,
they swing around again 10 deliver
the ball Charley Doom instilled this
style i'm the pitchers and ball expert!
say il is responsible for much of Alex
ander's effectiveness.
Was Good Coach.
That Charley was "a good pitcher
coach whatever he may have lacke,
as n manager. is indicated by the pres
ent stars OF the Philadelphia stalf. bu
some managers do not like the back
to-the-hauer method of delivery
However,. it must he remembered tha
many managers do not care much To-
pitchers with the sidearm motion
characteristic of Alexander
Several OF our aCQuaintances had
hard time sccinv Alexander at all 70
some years. They felt sure he woul,
wear out with that motion and ye
~Alick' is gOing along about the sam'
as ever