Evening journal., 1919-10-11
GLEASON CHARGED
With POOR TACTICS
Criticised for Choice in Re
lief Pitchers in Final Game
of World Series.
KERR Is HERO
OF THE SERIES


Kid Gleason, White Sox manager. in
,oneratulatng the Reds on their victory
the worlds series. expressed the
opinion that his Chicago club stlll is
America's greatest ball team. A few
American League partisans. biased
strongly toward the younger circuit.
have expressed similar opinion.
Their argument is that luck and the
breaks OF the game were against the
Sox from the start. and that If these
,lubs met again Chicago would score a
cleanup. They base particular stress
IN the manner the White SoX hit each
Red pitcher when they opposed him
ine second time, and Eddie Collins's re-
covery from his batting slump in The
last two games OF the series
Gleason has come in FOR no little
criticism himself for his choice Of re-
lief pitchers in that last game. When
the second guessers thought 10 over on
Thursday night they decided that Glea-
son pulled the managerial bone OF the
series by permitting James and VII
kinson 10 dub around while he had
Kerr. a man who had proved he could
stop the Reds. on the bench.
This criticism is more or less iusli-
fed. Though Kerr had pitched a hard
fca inning game only the day before
IA was a case Of do or die with the SoX
last Thursday. II Kerr failed. well and
good. Gleason at least would have
nlayed out his cards 10 the bitter end.
The probabilities are that little Dickie
could have silenced the Cincinnati bats.
srr Il. frtr~ l. -hn
not have been taken into considera-
ion. Where the stakes arc as high as in
his 1919 series HERE was no saving
pitchers. Though Kerr is a pitching
pygmy he is well knit together and is
one OF those strong little men so fire.
uently encountered in the West and
outhwest. Kerr is a Texan.
Had he failed Kerr could have had
he entire winter TO rest up. Had heI
succeeded Dickie would have been one
n the greatest worlds series heroes ye'
.ievelopd, while Cicotte would have
been Glesson's ace in the hole for The
ninth game.
These arguments. OF course, rest on
lhe assumption that Chicago would
have made nve runs and that PAT
Moran would have kept Eller IN the
game We're IL not for the fact mat
Cincinnati had a n'ne-run lead when
the Sox went TO bat in the eighth. III
ler never would have lasted that in
ming Rins would have been rushed IN
'ss soon as the Sox started hitting
Little Dickie Kerr comes closer to be
ing the hero Of the 1919 series than any
man on either team. The shortest man
that ever pitched in the major leagues
md big league freshman. he alone
.fnod between his club and utter an
,ihilation. Whatever credit belongs 10 |
mo Sox for CARRYING the series out TO |
light games belongs almost wholly 10 /
serr. !
The failure OF Cicotte and Collins the /
mo leading lights Of the SoX. was /
most conspicuous. Cicoite who won %
vames in The American League. landed /
,niv one out OF three games. hls
crushing defeat in the first game start,
sd the Sox of on the wrong 1901 anu
vave the Reds the confidence ueN
lecded.
Cicotte pitched great ball in his sec
ond and third games. but his own er-
~ors heat him IN his second start. How !
ever that was the game in which lung ]
nermitied only three hits, and the best
rddie could have done would have been
u tic Ring at the end Of the ninlh IN
ming
copins's failure to hit was Just as
startling 10 the SoX and their admirers
a. was Cicotte's inability TO pitch. BE
fore The series Collins was known as
ihe greatest money player the game mas
,'et PRODUCED. But in the contest lot {
49, worlds series greatest purse hddle
,,ss sorry failure In the hrst SIN
canes Collins hit only two singles one
- in,eld scratch. Five hits IN the last ,
t,yo games pulled. his average up 10
2es. The same average ulet Mott =
path. The Cincinnati second n'seiiisn'
hung Up. And Raih was discarded pg
,hc Athletics. Cleveland indians anu
white Sox. The Indians rescued MIN
from The bushes when he was ~ years
old
rven in fielding Rath had slight I
odce on Collins. Eddie made two errors
and several plays were gummed up
aro,,nd second base. where Collins at
least was partly TO blame Rath stood
ont esnecially in running out to snort
rirht fleld for balls that usually drop
~ Texas Leaguers. The kopi-Hath
combination around second base worked
much smoother than the Risberg-Lol-
iins team. Risberg is no Jack Barry
nor even a Buck Weaver at snort
Persons close TO Collins say he Wor-
,ied and fretted in The series because
he wasn't hitting And that unquestlon-
ahlv hurt his game. Bisbcrg, too, was
.s.,ofi.. .bo,,tfnay hard luck because