New-York tribune., 1916-02-17
White SOx Would Give the
Outfielder for the Star
Third BaSeman.
LOCAL OWNERS NOT
KEEN FOR THE DEAL
American League to Meet Here
To-day for the Purpose of
Adopting Schedule.

TO rig up a baseball trade. The Windy
City experts pursued J. Franklin Baker
through one column after another.
They spent as much as s45,0O0 Of Mr.
Comiskey's money in ono edition to
land the Trappe Terror and yet they
didn't get him. Now, they say, they
want Fritz Maisel.
In the opinion of the experts Masel
is the most valuable third baseman in
the American League. Chicago is try
ing to be fair in the matter. In ex-
change for Maisel they would give Joe
Jackson. Joe enjoys the distinction OF
having been beaten out Of the Ameri-
can League batting honors by Tyrus
Raymond Cobb more than any other
single batter in the circuit. II Joe is
addicted TO nightmares his most popu-
lar one undoubtedly would be an i'm
preston Of Tyrus Cobb batting can
non balls at him and using the Wash
ington monument for a club.
Jackson for MaiselI
What do you think Of III
Now what would you have thought
of II two years ago2 But what do you
1 think Of it to-day? If, as we suspect,
/ you are a good, orthodox Yankee fan
I you will join Manager Donovan and
/ the Messrs. Rupert and Huston In
/ declaring the trade no contest For
/ all the power Of Jackson's bat there
are reasons for believing that he is not
] III Arfa Cl
/ particularly since the tremendous de-
/ velopment Of the midget third baseman
during the 1915 season.
Jackson is the kind Of hitter who
| has prompted some one 20 say they are
! born. His stance at the bat Is 20 base
/ ball hitting what Chick Evans's address
/ is 70 golf. As stylist Of hitting Jack
son is very nearly in q class by him
/ self. He strikes a picturesque medium
/ Of Cobb's studied alertness and Wahoo
/ Sam Crawford's toe-hold solidity. For
/ that reason Jackson smacks the ball
! harder than Cobb and yet is not SO
! slow 20 get away as Crawford.
Jackson Is the beau ideal of hitting
but when that is said most of the story
is done. Lack of more than normal
pedal ability makes him fielder Of
. limitations. His arm Is first Glass; his
! base running almost negligible. That
| is Jackson.
OF the two Maisel Is the more versa
tile. The relative value Of an infielder
and an outfelder perhaps may be
| found in statistics. Jackson handled
! l64 chances successfully last season as
| against 407 for Maisel. Jackson's field
ing average of .953 was thirteen points
superior TO Maisels, but the complex
difficulties Of policing third base are
In no way comparable 70 the idyllic life
OF an outfelder.
More, perhaps, than by any other
method the one run game Is won by
the batter who reaches first, steals
second and then is driven home by q
sharp single. The man who is more
than average as a base stealer always
is q dangerous gentleman in q tight
| ball game There IS where MaisePs
advantage over Jackson IS so obvious
as TO stamp him player more valuable
IN combination thin Jackson. Maisel
stole ffty-one bases last season, as
against sixteen for Jackson.
The White Sox need a third baseman.
They have needed one ever since Harry
Lord bid Comiskey adieu. The Black
burnes, Bakers and Bretons have rend-
cred the third base property Of the Sox
| IN that fearful condition where II has
been said that ground balls no longer
even whistle as they go by. A good
third baseman last season would have
pumped the Sox into position higher
than third.
This is the open secret in the Ameri-
can League, and it Is so open that
other managers are taking particular
pains not to assist Comiskey in the
least In acquiring a third sacker Of
even reasonable ability. Baker In
| Chicago would have made the Sox u
/ top-heavy favorite this year. Maisel
would do the same thing.
Even if New York would benefit by
a Maisel-Jackson trade the roar in the
| American League would probably be
larger than anything since the cyclone
! of st. Louis.
Until yesterday II was expected tho
National Commission would officially
chant the requiem for the Federal
League in meeting here to-day. That
was before the Jury Commissioner in
Cincinnati summoned Hermann for
duty. Herrmann's inability to reach
/ New York to-day has resulted in q
postponement of the meeting of the
| National Commission, which will be
held later, probably in Chicago.