Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-29
5ACksON MAY ACHIEVE
AMBITION THIS SEASON
Admirers Predict That "Shoclcss Joe"
VIII Win Batting Championship
Of American League.
HAS BARELY MISSED HONOR
During Nine Years of Play Has Hit
for Average Of 1856, but Ty Cobb
Never Reached Top.
HAS BARELY MISSED HONOR
BY JAMES j. CoRBEr-r.

Joe Jacksons terrific hitting stands
forth as one Of the most specra cular
features Of the inaugural month of the
ss1sis campaign. And ii has caused his
ardent admirers TO predic, that at last
the great Southern slugEer will
achieve his ambition---to annex a bat
ting championship OF Ban Johnson's
circuit.
4 Fortune has not been kind 20 Jack
son. Year after year he has hit al a
phenomenal rate; banged the bali for
mark SO wonderful that il seemed
his efforts to win the crown. But that
miracle always has happened in the
person of one Tyrus Raymond Cobb;
oyer the sweep S OF nine , year syo pay.
1of 1856. mark ecl!psed by only one
other athlete In the entire history Of
bs,sr Se, ne'er sss
SIoe" has hit for An average nearly
stwenty points beyond the mighty Wag
sner. but while Wagner was winning
! the throne.
Has outhit Kings of swntdom.
4 Jackson has outh!t Lajoie, Speaker
Spaubert, Zimmerman, Arson. Brouth-
sars, keeler. Duffy. Burkett and all the
fother kings OF swallow. And ne has
southit them by many points. But they
awon championships while Jackson has
Ebeen forced to content himself with
10 y
sthat he has made batting records that
And Cobb always has been hi.
!lsic. and at once once mashed some h briiliani
Uniting. In twenty big league combats
sTlory OF. being. the batting king was
idenied him owing 20 the fact that hs
had participates in so few games. And
ITO Cobb went the honor:
i, ~
FIRST complete year as big Lacquer,
startled the baseball world by hitting
for the wonderful! mark OF .ioS IN l47
games
Surpassed by Ty Cobb.
IT was a record that would have
given him top ranking ?9a times out OF
1000. But it so happened that Cobb
reached the absolute crest of his bat
ped out the horschide for marx
twelve points beyond that OF Jackson.
And SO. TO Cobb. with 400. was given
the crown,
m back 1% ss in s 81 cash ssks s
other. Wonderful figure: Put Cobb top
pad him 9th 40 Jackson hit for
nut by hitting for $50. In 1914 JACK
son slipped a little. batting for 55s,
while Cobb hit for .ass
Ii And SO II has been year after year
through all the time that Jackson and
Cobb have fought II out for supremacy
in the hitting world. No matter how
terrific was Jscksons batting, and no
matter how wonderful was record
Cobb always seemed TO be able 10 20
ssNt little bit better. Cobb seemed
to wait for jackson TO Get the pace and
then would move along at hurricane
speed toward the fas end OF the sea-
son, catch Jackson. and then lead him
to the October wire.
Nine Years Wonderful Work.
4. Nine years a major Lacquer: nine
years over which he has averaged 356:
,ntne years during which he has gone
beyond 400 once, and was on the hor-
,derline several Times; nine years during
which he has ranked as one OF the
sIp66t feared hatsmcn that ever lived
And nine years that have been barren
is far as realization of championship
aims have been concerned. That is the
story of Joe Jackson
8 And now ii would seem that Jackson
5naH more glorious chance than ever
ahefore TO reach the heights. He has
been banging the ball for mark
around 400 ever since opening day. and
he shows no sign OF let up Meanwhile
5hts old batting rival is hitting nearly
seventy notchcs behind him II is n
tremendous gap for even so wonderful
q player as Cobb to overcome when tho
other side Of the gap houses :"SluggincS
Joe JACK son-Copyright, 1919. by King
sFeetures Syndicate, Inc.