Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-27
INSIDE STUFF ON GOTHAM BOXING:
slip Two HURLERS NO.H|T GAMES
'Cicotte and Koob Sneak Into
Hall Of Fame While Door
Keeper Is Pounding
His Ear.
BY JACK VELOCK.

BY JACK VELoCK,
New York, May 26.-Two pitchers
credited with no-hit games by the
othcial scorers in the American
league. this season seem to have
slipped through the door of the Hall
OF Fame while the doorkeeper was
pounding his honorable ear.
Reports from st. Louis indicate
that had not the scorers been very,
very lenient with Eddie Cicotte and
Ernie Koob, their no-hit games would
have gone down in the records as one
hit games. All of which indicates
that the official scorers, even in the
big leagues, are prone to concede a
point here and there to help the
pitchers put over hitless contest.
There wasn't much said regarding
the game Eddie Cicotte pitched
against the Browns on April IL, for
the only batted ball that really re-
sembled hit, according to all re-
ports, came near the end of the con-
test when Eddie was roosting on the
threshold of the coveted goal, and
the scribes calmly marked down an
error when Jimmy Austin smashed a
hot drive At Chick Gandil, which was
fast enough to have torn a leg off
that eminent first sacker. If that
batted ball was as fast and hard TO
held as one St. Louis scribe has hint
ed, then Eddie Cicotte's no-hit game
was in reality ene-hit game and he
breezed through because of the ca
pable assistance of the scribes.
First reports on the "no-hit" game
credited to Ernie Koob gave him
credit for one-ht game. Later, it |
is said, the official scorer, after inter-
viewing the members of both teams
and the umpires in charge that day,
decided to give Koob credit for a |
no-hlt game against his better judg-
ment.
Called Hit at First.
The play in question came when
Buck Weaver crashed grounder to
Ernie Johnson, who was second
sacking for Derrill Pratt, and Ernie,
say the reports, gave it most valor-
Gus battle. He felded it first with
his chest and knocked it down. Then
he picked the ball up, and with
scarcely time to throw, let it slip out
of his hand and over his shoulder.
Then and there, it is said, the scribes
had argument, and finally the thing
was recorded as hit.
AS the game wore on and Koob
went through inning after inning
without allowing anything that looked
like hit the argument that had
come up in the first inning was re-
newed and the scribcs had it out
with the result aforementioned-the
official scorer changing his first de-
cision
First Judgment Best.
The average season base ball scribe
will agree that in practically ten
cases out of every ten the best judg-
ment on play is the first impression
of it. The official scorers should fol-
low this rule invariably. They know
what the scoring rules permit and
how far they can go. They know
that many batted ball is left to their
Judgment, and it seems that in the
cases of both Koob and Cicotte snap
judgment would have been that the
batted balls in question should have
gone as hits-plain, unadulterated
hits and nothing more. |,
If the official scorers are going to
console themselves by saying: "It
could have been scored either way"
many a pitcher will get by with a
no-hit game that he isn't entitled to.
1t is not that the writer has any
thought of detracting from the hon
ors OF either Cicotte or Koob, for
such superb pitching deserves only
the highest praise, but the fact re-
mains that a hit is a hit, just the
same as pigs is pigs" and you can't
get away from it.
Bransheld Making Good. II
Old Kitty Bransfeld is getting by
admirably as an umpire, and indica-
tions are that he will continue to
hold down his berth as long as he
renders the service he is giving in
the National league this season.
Bransfeld's return to public notice
llllS yGdI Itldllo lHC ldIl tlldl do
player he was member of one of
the geratest infelds the major
leagues have ever seen, an inheld {
which deserves or deserved more
credit than was given it as one of {
the best ever gotten together.
In speaking of great infelds, the
base ball scribes always enumerate !
Anson, Pfeffer, Williamson and |
Burns; Tenney, Lowe, Long and Col {
Inns; Doyle, Reitz, Jennings and Nc
Graw; Chance, Evers, Tinker and I
Steinheld; McInnis, Collins, Barry |
and Baker In all fairness it appears
that the Pirate four OF 1908 should |
be mentioned also. II
This great old infeld was COM /
posed of Bransheld, Ritchey, Wagner I
and Leach. There was quality there,
all kinds of it. The members of that
old inheld could hit the ball and field {
better than the best of their day,
and collectively they were as great
as any other, if we are to believe the ,
old-timers who knew them in their I
prime. S
Varied prnnram nf Snort