Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-31
(By Latest NALL

lby Latest MAIL.
CHICAGO, Ill.-Ray Scnalk, Comis.
keys catching marvel, has won tEi-
umph seldom achieved by a ball play.
er of his diminutive size and tender
years.
One year ago this young backstoy
was singled out among several as a
candidate for the highest honors in
his department. Today by a large
majority of the critics and by most
of the fans he is set down as the
worlds greatest catcher.
In Class by Himself.
Everywhere the Sox travel this sea-
son new admirers of Schalk spring up
to join the ever increasing circle who
place this young catcher in a class by
himself. The one convincing thing
about Schalk that stamps him as the
king of present day backstops is that
he can do more things well Dian any
other catcher in the big leagues.
$ Wherever the Sox travel In cities
where the National and American
league teams play, baseball writer's
are found continually reiterating that
Scha1k excels any other baclstop in
the big circuits.
Recently Schalk ran to third base
to make play there when that posi-
ton was open. Il have seen Schalk
do about everything on ball field
now except back up second base, said
a baseball writer recently, land .ex-
pect to watch him turn that trick be-
fore long"
Greatest Catcher in the Game.
The National league undoubtedly
has more good catchers than the Am.
erican. It counts among its star back
stops such men as Archer. Bresnahan,i
wingo, Gowdy, Meyers, Killifer and
Doom. The younger major circuit
cannot enumerate such a
fright galaxy of stars, but It has the
honor beyond doubt of owning the
greatest catcher IN the game in the
person of Schalk
President Comiskey of the Sox
thinks Schaik is another edition of
Buck Ewing, which is putting it as
strong as 1t could be. Before the adj
vent Of Schalk the Old Roman thought
Ewing was the greatest catcher the
world had ever seen. Now he Is way
ering. The Sox magnate is not sure
but that his young 'backstop wizard
is the greatest in his line of all time.
The opinion of Comiskey is today
shared by a majority of critics OF
baseball in the big league cities. Re-
Gently in a series in New York one
of the Gotham scribes marveled at
the wonderful work of Schalk.
81 used to consider Archer the
greatest catcher in the world, but /
think Schalk has something on the
Cubs backstop,y said this writer.
never saw q catcher 60 down on q
bunt and field it to first faster than
the Sox player He's q wonderful
niece of human mechanism"
Recently in Cleveland sporting ed
itor of one of the papers there who
formerly considered Wallie Schang
the greatest catcher in the American
league had the following to say:
.-SchaIk is today the greatest catch
ar in the world. There isn't any 9TH
er backstop In his class. i thought
Schang was his superior, but | have
been converted. Schalk has progress
ed faster than any other catcher in
the game. He is not merely a sur
prise-h he's q marvel"
Can Handle All Kinds.
One of the wonderful things about
SchaIk is that he can catch any kind
Of pitching with equal facility. He
has stood on the firing Inc and ac-
cepted the fastest shoots and the most
puzzling curves of such rapid fire art
lists as Walsh, Scott, Cicotte, Benz,
Russell and Faber and has seldom
been injured. He has received more
kinds of pitching perhaps than any
other catcher in the game in recent
years. Walsh with his splitter, Scott
and Faber with their difficult break
ing curve balls, Russell with his
southpaw low ball flinging. Cicottel
with his varied assortment of offer.
ings and Benz with his repertory. diff
fering from any of the others, all
have been comparatively easy for the
catching phenomenon of the south
side club.
Things in which Sehalk probably
has no equal in the big leagues arc
receiving, catching foul balls, seeing