The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-01

Here are two youngsters. coming stars, who are just beginning to shine brightly. facing each other in world S series.
 It is a tossup between them in al most every department of the game and they figure so closely together that it is hard to choose between them
 Beyond doubt, Bancroft will be a greater ball player than Scott ever can hope to be. Nature has given him some advantages that are denied the Red Sox brilliant shortstop. The fact that the Quaker youngster, fresh from the Coast league, where he was a marvel does not outshine his rival more in the figures, is due to the fact that Scott has played with an infield that could teach him more of the inside work than Bancroft knows Last year Scott got his training down there with Nag- ner and Gardner and Yerkes to instruct and lead him. which in itself is a llp- eral education for youngster, and this year he has had Jack Barry, the wlsesi of all the infieIders, ana the most pa tent teacher ot youngsters,
 1t is small wonder that scott mas improved greatly, so greatly that even the cripplng or Wagner by rheuma- lism has not hurt the team as Il would otherwise have done.
 Bancroft is a first year man. He IS perhaps the most brilliant youngster sent on east from the coast In many a year, and down at Philadelphia he IS regarded as the wonder of the season. Naturally, in the enthusiasm of victory, his faults have been overlooked. He is not yet a finished ball player, ana he makes many blunders in the play around the base; blunders that are hid den to a great extent by the individual brilliancy of his work.
 Bancroft, a "busher," practically won the pennant for Philadelphia. To him. even more than to G. Cleveland Alex ander. belongs the credit of the vic tory. or course, neither could have won without the other, but Bancroft made" that infield, transformed 1t from an uncertain and ragged de1en- sive proposition into hard fielding, clean working machine.
 Getting down to figures, Bancroft can outhit Scott about 50 points against all kinds of pitching; he is speedier on the bases, and clever at getting the jump on the pitchers. l shall have more to say later about the effect of the American league "balk upon National league base runners who are not accustomed to such l1b- eral interpretations of the balk rule. This is something Moran would best caution Bancroft about, or Boston s adopts at the balk will nip him off first about as often as he gets there.
 In the field, the men figure very closely together, Scott not being quite the equal of his rival in going toward third base or in coming forward and cutting across in front of second base, but he plays the deep field perfectly and is steady and brilliant in short play, especially with the infield drawn close. He handles a ground ball cleanly and gets 1t away to the bases quickly, but in that he is not the peer of Ban croft who shoots from almost any po- sition.
 The players declare that Bancroft, in this respect, is almost the equal or Doolan, who was considered the great est of all players at that style of de- fensive work. Bancroft is faster in double plays, but there is one thing l want you to obsere in comparing these two fellows Watch Scott when he passes the ball to Barry and see the difference in the manner in which he handles it from what he did last year. Then watch Bancroft and Niehoff make the same play This play is, I think. executed better by Evers and Maran- vile than by any pair. They slip the ball to each other with a scoop mo- tion. merely pitching it toward the bag, while the other is sprinting to meet the ball and trying to reach the bag in po- sition to make the throw to first quickly The danger of an error that will ruin double play is minimized and the danger of the ball going far enough to make the error more serious Is eliminated. Beside that, the ball is at the base, easy to handle, and the other player can move freely and without fear which lets him cover