El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-02
THE SHORTSTOPS.
BY HUGH :. FULLERTON.

" ERE are two youngsters, coming
stars who are Just beginning 10
- shine brightly. facing each other
in a worlds series It is a tOssup be-
/ tween them in almost every depart
ment of the game. and they figure so
( closely together that it is hard 10
! choose between them
Beyond doubt. Bancroft will be a
: greater ball player than Scott ever
I can hope to be Nature has given him
I some advantages that are denied the
I Red Sox brilliant shortstop. The fact
| that the Quaker yOungster, fresh from
/ the Coast league, where ne was a
marvel. does not outshine his rival
more in the figures, Is due TO the 1act
( that Scott has q year the adFanIase
Of him in the big show, and that scout
I has played with an infield tnat could
Z teach him more Of the inside Work
than Bancroft knows Last year
Scott got his training down there
with Wagner and Gardner ana
4 Yerkes to instruct and lead MN,
which in itself is a liberal education
for youngster. and this year he has
had Jack Barry. the wisest Of all the
iufielders and the most patient teach
er Of youngsters
scott Has Improved Wonderfully
1t is small wonder that Scott has
improved greatly, so greatly that even
the Gripping of Wagner by rheuma-
tism has not hurt the team as II
would otherwise have done.
Bancroft is a first year man lie
is perhaps the most brilliant young
ster sent on east from the Coast
league in many q year, and at Fhlla-
delphia he is regarded as the wonder
Of the season. Naturally, in the enthu-
siasm of victory, his faults have Deen
overlooked. He is not yet 1lnlsned
ball player and he makes many blum
blunders that are hidden to great
extent by the individual brilliancy OF
his work.
bancroft Helped Win Pennant.
Bancroft "busher,' practically won
the p-nnant for Philadelphia To him.
even more than to G. Cleveland Alex
ander, belongs the credit Of the VIC
tory. of course, neither could have
won without the other, but BancroIt,
made" that infield, transformed IL
from an uncertain and ragged cefen-
sive proposition into "A hard fielding
clean working machine.
Getting down TO figures, Bancroft
can outhit Scott about 80 points
against all kinds Of pitching. he IS
speedier on the bases, and clever al
getting the jump on the pitchers. 1
shall have more to say later about
the effect of the American league
"balk' upon National league base run
ners who are not accustomed TO such
liberal Interpretations Of the baIk rule
rms IS SOmeLnlu5 moran wound oes-
caution Bancroft about, or BOstOn's
adopts at their balk viii nip him
off first about as often as he gets
there
Run Close In Field.
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 clean
" and gets il away 10 the bases
quickly. but in that ne is not the peer
of Bancroft. who shoots from almost
any position.
Passing the HaII.
The players declare that Bancroft, in
this respect, is almost the equal or