Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-29

There YOU are. fellows, How! and
kick all YOU please, but that Is the
way the dope argues the National
League iniiclds 20 rauk 1t Is a sur
prisins thing 10 add up and discover
now the teams rank as to the inner
line of defense because. To me at least,
there are several contradictions Of my
prcconCeived ideas.
1t is not surprising. Win Marauvllie
and Evers on the list. that i5oston's in
field shows to he The class OF tho
league 1t, perhaps. would not have
been but for the acquisition OF Ed
konctchy. Nor have overcstmatcd
konetchy. could not in Justice. to
chance. credit koncy with beini; as
good ball player as he VAS last sea
son in the Federal. or could rate him
as being as bad q ball player as he
was with Pittsburgh. I figured a com
poSitc OF the TWO ana three years OF
his work al 81. Louis. and believe the
figures | credited to him are CloSt. to
his real worth. II depends. OF course,
upon now ne works under Stallings
II StallinSs can inSpiT. him 10 DIRK
all season - top gait and his tenn
permanent does not Interfere and cause
hGht with Evcrs. he is likely 10 be
one o: the great assets Of ;hc Rraves
ON" is stunned To discover Cincin-
matt with the second best inucId in the
circuit Never thought OF it that way.
aid YOU" Neither did ]. but when YOU
hgure that iniicld Of regulars and give
them Esinond rs an undcrstudy. ,hcrc
YOU arc. You can't help IT, 1t is
quite as well balanced as any in the
league. too. not strong in one place
and weak in another. hut the strength,
IL we'll scattered between the men
which makes IL all the more valuable
New York is Il consistent third and
not far enough behind TO make any
vital difference. 1t is an evenly bal
anced and consistent inncld OF
course. il is It problem rs TO whether
Doyle and M"rL<!e can keen UP the
salt II is not rs good fielding outfit
as several others in The circuit but
makes up by strength ana resource i'm
attack. Funny thing almost had
figured New York out of it. We get
INTO the habit or doing that merely
because Of the slump OF last season nut
analysis OF tn" iuticid fails 10 show
that much Of the teams slump yas due
!" mat lire Of defense.
Erooklym is close up fourth. well
balanced. without weak spots and bet
ter fortified than it ever has been with
subs Chicago. on til" contrary. was
rather a disappointment to me out
there they have been making huge
cicaims as TO what the cubs are goin.,
TO 10. Nothing but the pcunau; figures
IN ih"u calculations, and after Civ
ihS them credit for every possible |
ma that the infcld. rc-cnforcrd by the
best that the Fed. League champs Of
Hast year had. figures NTH Il is ONLY
f"" points hcnind l:rookiyn, hut still
nun. IL is more uneven than any Of
IN" hrSt four teams. strong IN attack
III third and weak in defense strong
IN defense at short and weak ia attack
'bhN" average in both respects ut fist
and second and well fortified with
Suha begin I" fear. however. that
IInkcr has been handicapped in choos-
ing MS team by begging compelled to
keen some fellows with lOnE-tcrm con-
tracts ana cut loose stronger men, who
"crc not tied up. Xvidcr however
makes "a whale. of q sub at second short
or ihiTd. and YOU may safely figure he
VIII he in 10" games n one place
or another.
st Louis lines NJ little stronger
than | expected IL you'll do Il is n
fair INNER line OF defense. but not one
upon which first division hopes may I've
placed. II figures above Pittsburgh,
r"t | find more RAYS Of hope for ritts-
hurEh than for st. Louis. IT Is al
most Cinch that Pittsburgh will bc
stronger a month after the season
starts than IL nov II. That is one OF
til" odd things about doping weak
teams ] have 10 figure the material
that is ~ hand, and pretty soon tho
manager drops TIC weakest one. and
II h" has any luck, holsters up. Pitts
hurGhs inhcil is not 81 all satiafac-
tory. although the acquisition OF Jimmy