Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09
RED SOX PITCHERS OUTDID
THEMSELVES WITH CRAVATH
Boston Twirlers Used Everything at Their
Command and Thereby Prevented Phil
adelphia Star From Shining in Series.

series. because he was undoubtedly in
a slump, that possibly may have been
caused by the magnificent pitching
he was forced to face. as well as the
fact that at all times the Boston
twirlers worked most intelligently by
keeping the ball where 1t was least
desired.
Hitting Is the Feature.
That hitting is the one feature of
base ball that appeals most strongly
to the average fan was clearly DEM
onstrated in the last world series.
The failure of 'Cravath to hit was
featured in every paper during the
event. Inability to swat home runs
at the opportune moment has caused
the Phll1y slugger to be a much dis
cussed man ever since In this con-
Iris Speaker.
Speaker is undoubtedly without a
peer as a fielder. I have seen Speaker
make SO many wonderful catches since
he entered the ranks of thu American
League that such performances have
gotten to be commonplace. Each year
Speaker rohs many a batsman of
drives which would be the cleanest
/ of hits with other star outfeIders.
because of his wonderful ability TO go
back after a ball. Speaker PLAYS the
shortest outhe,d of any player in the
business. Sometimes it. seems as
though he is alnos, playing an infeId
position. so close does he come in.
especially on batters known as weak
was the greatest fielder tina ever
grabbed a fly ball. A great MANY mod
ern experts still rate Jim as the great
est of them all in judging fly ba lis.
! once asked Jimmy who was the best
outhelder he had ever seen in action.
II have never seen any one who com
pared with Speaker" was Jimmy's i'm
mediate reply. | regarded it as some
compliment coming from a man like
Now in all the dope prior to the start
OF the big series critics were united
on one point, for to q ma they agreed
mat Speaker was in a class by himself
IN That n position the Boston club
was conceded a decided superiority.
\ great many of the critics were Of
the opinion that Speaker would surely
treat the spectators to some wonder
full bits of fielding. That Speaker should
fail to shine in the field was even more
unexpected. than that Cravath should
fail with tine bat. Yet that is just what
happened. To fans who see only the
Dig series Speaker was probably Just
as big A disappointment as Cravath.
Out-of-town ~enthusia SITS watched close
ly every move Of these two players.
and very naturally expected great
things. hat Cravath should fail al the
mat and that Speaker should not per-
form brilliantly in the outfeld were
TWO conditions that no one had even
anticipated.
Never Misjudged Flies.
In all the games 7 have umpired in
which Speaker has played-probably a
couple of hundred have never seen
that famed outfelder m~isjudge a fly
ball. In all these games 1 have seen
him drop only one fly ball, and that
didn't prove costly. because he forced
a runner at second on the slip. In the
two games at Boston Speaker was
forced to play a sun field that was en-
tirely new to him, the games there
being played on the National League
field, and Speaker was a total stranger
TO conditions.
1t is a known fact that center field is
a most difficult one to play, because
Of the binding rays of the sun and
grandstand. The first man to bat in
the first game played at Boston caused
Speaker to make a play that I figured
almost an impossibility for him.. Stock
hit a fly into Speakers territory which
he lost completely. the ball falling
safely to the ground. while Stock was
credited with a double on what shout
have been an easy out. On two other
occasions only Harry Hooper's alert
ness saved two other balls from falling
safe because Speaker had LOST them in
the sun.
l cite the case of Speaker simply to
prove that a player acknowledged to
be in a class by himself as a fielder can
slump in that department of the game
to an almost unexpected degree. /
could also cite the case of Cobb, con-
ceded to be the premier batsman of
them all, who in two world series bat
ted only 200 and .231. Cravath's fail
ure was a severe blow to the Philly
followers. but the big fellow will loon
make them forget all about it, when
he crack out a couple of his justly
famed homers next season.
Copyright. 1916. by ". C. Evans