New-York tribune., 1918-01-24

critics spent busy time pro and
son, if for no other, it was welcome
would have to build fire under
it get up.
Current opinion seems rather equally
divided whether "Hug" pulled cuckoo
or put over an advantageous deal when
he shunted Cullop, Shoc&er, Ma'sel'
Nunamaker and Gedeon to the Mound
C;tv in exchange for second baseman
who last season hit .oA7 and forty
two-year- old pitcher.
Some of the critics who are aligned
on the negative side Of this deoa'e
SPOKE 90 convincingly Of the preposter-
ous error that lIuggins made that 1t
was necessary for us to reassure our
self that with the valuable quintet
that has gone West ovid Bill" Dono-
van succeeded in finishing sixth and
losing his Job last season. To be sure,
they might have finished seventh, but
eighth was out of the question, as
Connie Mack's dashing Athletics dashed
right into eighth place at the kickoff
last season and clung there like stripes
on barber pole.
No Reason for Excitement
Consequently, if figures and posi-
ton are the measure of success, 1t
will be necessary for the Yanks to
finish seventh or eighth in 1918 to
prove that Higgins will presently be
styled the ex-manager of the New York
Yankees. So far as we are able to
appreciate there is nothing to get ex-
cited about anyhow over a team that
finished either sixth or seventh, and
even at this early date Connie Mack
is making rather pretentious prepara-
tions for finishing eighth again next
season.
In fact, you might say, he is going
out of his way to do it. We are unable
to chronicle what the Athletics follow
ers think of it. He is said to be IN bed
with an attack of grip.
Ere going further it is justice to
Colonel Rupert to say that the Browns
didn't take him for $4,000 on the deal
in addition to the players specified. 1t
merely happens that anything less than
f,ZO.UUU THESE Udy ~ 1cSdi uSU 60 oi'ioAi
change, and none wished to detract
from such a lustrous barter by ringing
in a figure that would make head
waiter turn up his nose.
But even If some of the colonels we'll
known bank roll did depart for the
West, the merits of the trade, after all,
arc based on the playing talent eX
changed. Twenty-Five $1,000 bills
wouldn't be worth a nickel when it
came to working in the middle of a
snappy double play.
Stylish Fielder, but
Every one agrees that Joe Gedeon is
q stylish fielder. But unless we miss
our guess they arc going to curve ball
Joseph out of the American League
He has been entirely at the mercy OF
even fair breaking curve for the last
Two seasons, and the fact has worked
80 on his nerves that at bat ne has been
spectacular bust.
If the American League pitchers
would promise to refrain from throw
ing Joe curves it never would have been
necessary to secure Pratt. Joe may
t.id-but it is unlikely. Once curve
ball sucker always ono, is u pitchers
maxim. Otherwise Gedeon is a poten-
tal star, though he is not feet enough
ever to be rated among the keystone
kings.
Maisel is a bloomcr from Blooming
ton, and when he has stolen base the
curtain should be drawn on his act. He
has poor hands, and at best is only a
fair fielding third baseman. At second
his errors of omission let him COM
pletely out in consideration for that
position. In the outtield he needs a
rruY,oaticn catchor'S
possible injury, being one of the worst
judges of ball in transit it ever has
been our privilege to behold. But his
outijelding is only an ante-ciimax for
his hitting. The last time Father Chad
wick rolled over in his grave was when
Msisel came up in d pinch.
Nunamaker has been a promising
ball player for number of seasons,
but he never made good on it. Those
who are best acquainted with the fam
lily life of the Yanks say that after
Ed Sweeney, of Marblehead. Mass,
petered out the Yanks went back to the
same town and dug up Nuny. At times
the big catcher has looked like star
performer, and he unquestionably
caught fine ball in 1916. To our way
of thinking he is the best bet that
huggins shipped to the Browns.
knk in Arm Stuck
Cullop fell and threw out a shoulder
muscle one year ago last Labor Day,
and the doctor evidently neglected to
throw it back for him This affected
his curSe ball and, deprived of this
pitching commodity last season, it was
only a question of the inning in which
Nick woald be knocked out. He proved
that he favored no particular inning
by being knocked out in all Of them.
Urban Shocker is said to favor the
Gay White Way. He will get a nice
rest in st. Louis. Otherwise, Urban
always looked a bit unsteady, and
needed three-run lead to make US
feel entirely at ease.
Huggins is we'll protected with
pitchers and he is bug" on veterans.
lie proved this by collecting such
weather beaten relics as Perdue, Ames.
Packard and others while managing
the st. Louis Cardinals. They un-
doubtedlv serve their useful ends, and
4 there is one point upon which Hug
gins is a shrowd observer it is pitching.
He never yet has wasted a minute with
y Finger who didn't sooner or later
amount to somethng-possiblv cX-
ceptine Jake Gcyer.
Pratt VIII put a strong right hand
betting punch into the Yanks' offensive
and he completes what should be a
corking COOL intield, Baker, Pipp. Peck
inpaugh and Pratt constitute a defen-