El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-09-27
TIE THIRD BAsEMEN.

Value Value Valu.
SsH york SIS SIS 5st I Iiis
ERE is where the big argumen
III starts. Admirers Of the grea
= = Zim will rise up on their hinS
I legs and howl when they see the fig,
ures that prove beyond doubt thaN
Buck Weaver is a better third base
man for the purposes Of this series
than the ex-Cub, now Giant, is. Yei
he is.
To tell the truth, started eompil-
ing figures on the third basemen who
are 20 engage in the worlds series
with the set idea that they would
show Zimmerman the better man. IN
stead, they persisted in turning "a
I Weaver-ou inside ball, on base run
ming, on run getting, and on the finer
points Of the defensive work Al
that the figures show the two men
rating close together, and the dope,
compared with my dope OF two years
ago and OF last spring. shows that
both men have been steadily imprcv-
ing as ball players
Those who object 10 the Compare
tive rating will not be the ones who
have watched Weaver play ball this
past season. He has been recognized
as a good PLAYER ever since he Joined
the White SOX-a man OF nerve and
courage and o lot OF baseball sense
hut never, until this season, has he
made good on the promise He came
near being spoiled, because he was
carving too many side lines that in
teTfered with baseball When he
finally decided his business was to
play baseball and devote all his time
and thoughts to it he made good at
once. This season he has been
transformed player. To his work and
to his influence upon other players,
more than to any one element IN the
team with the possible exception OF
Sehalk) is due the success OF the
sor Not Hsmarts Ball Club.
You must know, II you have studied
the American league champions care
fully. that they cannot be rated as
smart ball club. This does not
necessarily mean the players are un-
intelligent. because the smartest man
in the world may look like a dummy
on the ball field But the White SoZ
have not that fine finish and the
quick thinking that usually is found
in championship clubs. Some Of them
possess this spirit and the brains TO
direct and handle the situation
Scha1k and Weaver have proved
themselves the real leaders of the
team. with either out Of action the
spirit Of the club seemed to ebb away
suddenly. True, late in the season
when Weaver was off with a broken
finger. McMuIIen developed some of
the same qualities. When Weaver
broke his finger it seemed as though
the heart went out Of the White SOx,
and they had a disastrous slump, un-
til they discovered McAullen was not
going TO throw away their pennant.
Then their nerve returned again
was compelled, in grading
Weaver. to dock him 20 points IN
defensive work because Of that
broken finger. He will not he
quite aE good in defensive work aH
he would have been had the ncci-
dent not happened. However, he
will be there, fighting and husf-
ling. cheering mp his fellows and
fighting IL out to the end. He has
nerve and courage in addition to
hrains and pep.
Weaver is not the hitter that Zim-
norman is. nor can he drive a ball as
hard. vet he Outrates Zim in the at
lacking end Of the game-first. be-
cause he is much better on the bases,
runs with as much speed. II not more,
and with much greater Judgment.
Also he scores a much larger number
Of runs per hit than does his rival
II may he claimed that Zimmerman's
position in the New York batting list
Is one cause for the few runs he
scores. but Weaver bats In the same
relative position, and with quite as
weak batters behind him had 20
dig back through the scores OF dozens