Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-14
BASEBALL STARS FADING
SLOWLY FROM SPOTLIGHT
Season Of 1914 May Long BE Re
numbered in Sporting
Annals.
Major PERFORMERS Sill
Sill DE,
Some of Best Big Leaguers Start on
the Backward Trnil-Fcds kent
Some in Game, but They Are
Slipping. Too.

In spite Of the fact that not many
piu- iIinc iaToritcS passed out OF the
Dig leagues last season. as many Of the
OLD boys found a haven OF rest in the
Federal League. Yet 1919 may Ion: bc
remembered as the year in which some
o! tn. greatest stars ia the baseball
armament began TO fndc from the spot
light.
Before proceeding any further. We
viii say that the Federal League is a
more ana III brewer. and q minor
itnEue. according TO Cozcy Dolam or
one OF the saddles, events in the sad
year or 1914 was the double Hop of
Hans Wagner and Larry Lajoic from
IN" top row OF the sons OF sw:tts TO the
mediocre division. lowering around the
$50 mark. After batting 500 or bet
Hans fell to .232. while Nap, with II
swat average OF .3+2 for nineteen years,
Collins hol. In the Mackian inheld. and
thc big Frenchman Is expected TO
it can be done When q player OF
i::nJo!e's an!tty drops TO 4 $50 average
round!nGs Larrywill he forty next
season and Wagner forty-oue.
Wnl.ncc's Farewell
IN" r,a! feteran of the, pastimc.
ithouE Wallace, perhaps played his
last major league game in 1914. Rhody
,Wallnce. OF the Hrowns. started in the
l.01
two before Wagner His first engage '
Cleveland Nationals ' in i M"I so H last asst
season the ancient Scot completed his
twentieth year under the big tent.
Rhodcrick hit .2l9 in twcnty-six games.
an injury preventing him from taking
part in more
Perhaps some folks include tn. won
derfui pitching pair, Bender and Plank,
as Old timers. who passed over their
former iaurels last season, hut short
In
latest baseball guide shows that Chief
tenders pitching percentage of 1914
mas only been surpassed twice in the
history.
The three best pitching percentages
~ the Ban Johnson League are Wood
1907, .Sd2, and Bender. Athletics. 1914
$50, Despite the Indians lambastine
III his one worlds series game, he
per cent OF his games and run off a
string OF fifteen straight victories
,wo-thirds OF his games oi last e season. oTGr
and the worlds series game in which
Bill James defeated him, / to O in the
pitching feats of his long and honor
able career.
one OF the pitching wizards of base
rccr last season, though we hope not. is
G Napoleon. Ruckcr. of the Brooklyn
Srperbas. Maps arm was in very bad
many friends are dubious whether he
can ever come back. 1t would he one
OF the saGdeSt careers of baseball
should Il pitcher OF Fuckers ability
close his career without ever having
played on a first division team
And Charley IIerZog says there is no
luck in baseball. Once upon n time
Connie Mack had n chance to choose Il
pitcher from the Augusta. South At
lantic League, club. His choice rested
between Rucker and Holmes, and Con-
ME selected Holmes.
Perhaps no club had as many vet
Grams who started to skid back all at
the same time rs the Giants had TO
put UP with last season. \ fun half
dozen of McGraw's stalwarts--in fact
the nucleus of the club-all started to
skid together The list included the
entire Big NJ combina tion-Ma the son.
Marquard, Merklc, Meyers and Murray.
as we'll as Larry Doyle.
NIntty SkiddinE.
Matty did his share early in the sea :
son, but he could not hold the club up
aided only by Tcsrcau, and his wares
We're far from ht-proof in the latter
part OF tho season. From leading the
National League pitchers In efficiency
in. 1913 with .266 runs n game, Matty
fell far down the line to three earned
runs game, showing Matty fell Off
one-third in his pitching efficiency.
AIatty. however. won big percent
age of his games, which Vanguard did