Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-01
PLAYING THE FIELD

New York, Nov. Every FAN, just
before the worlds series begins fans
and scribes do lot of guessing on
who's going to be who when the series
is over.
It's great little season.end sport
and perfectly legt. but there are very
few popular players made candidates
for worlds series laurels who ever
grab off the choicest seat in the spot.
light when it's all over.
Everybody agreed that Eddie Col
Inns had a wonderful chance TO shine
in the series this veal but very few
Of the fans or scribes thought that
he would hog the limelight as the
most valuable man in the series be-
cause it was figured that pitching
would be big factor
Likewise, there were few who
thought Of Urban Faher when they
began doping out which Of the eight
odd pitchers who were thought ELI
gible to get into the big fracas would
be the hero
Eddie Cicotte and Freddie Schupp
were mentioned prominently as the
likely pitching heroes, and after the
first game it appeared that Eddie was
going to cut some ice But up comes
Faher, and when the series ends in
New York the former St. Mary's col
legian stands out as the biggest
pitching toad in the puddle.
Faher was credited with the win,
ming of three games in the series
this year. He lost one. the fourth
in New York. After he won the de-
Eciding game he walked from the field
with his jaws oct, and when he got
into the clubhouse he collapsed com.
pletely The strain of carrying the
! pitching burden for the Sox was
mighty heavy, and when it was all
over the sudden realization that he
had come clean" was too much for
! urb, and they had to toss cold water
on him to help him come out of it,
Getting the ball over the plate
where the Giants couldn't murder il
with those wicked bats was IA harder
job for Faher than it would have
been for the average pitcher
Faher is a side-wheeler He de
livers the ball with a cross fire mo
/ ton and because Of this delivery he
has much smaller target to pitch
at than the hurler who losses the
! ball over hand The width OF tn,
home plate eighteen inches, to be
+ exact Is Faher's limit, while the or
binary pitcher has the distance be
tween the batter's shoulders anC
knees in which to cut the pan
In order to keep out of trouble il
ball game Urb Faher has to be il
there with a world of control He
has to be cool as a cucumber, too fol
any time pitcher losses his nut he
becomes wild as a prairie flower
and it's the showers for his. s.
Faher's pitching feats in the big Sc
ries this year were nothing short OF
wonderful and he deserves all kinds
Of praise for the manner in which
he came through
While handing out the laurel tC
the worlds series victors it Is ne
more than fair that we mention old
Kid Gleason, Clarence Rowland's first
lieutenant.
The Kid has forgotten more base
ball than a lot of players ana man
ayers ever knew, and his knowledge
OF players and the inside stuff on the
field was no small help TO the SoS
in winning the American League pen
nant, and eventually the world s
title
Gleason, gray.headed and marked
by the passing years, is still as spry
as kitten He is the kind of a
fellow a manager needs around his
baseball yard, for he knows how to
keep the grumbers in a good humOI
and he can restore the ebbing conf
dence of any player who will 90 to
him with his troubles.
Gotta hand 1t to the ole Kid. thass
all He's worth his weight in gold
to the White Sox.