Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-14
Speed Of GREAT VALUE
ss<~s..
= !: IN BASEBALL, ALL AGREE
Miller Higgins Declares Yankees
Would BE Helped by Addition
of Faster Players.
HIT WELL, But RUN SLOWLY
Bodic, Baker, Pratt. Pcckinpaugh
and Hannah Can Clout Ball, but
Arc Apt to Gum Sacks at Critical
Time by Slowness.
ny JAMES }. CounETr.

NEW YORK, August lS.--What place
docs speed hold in baseball
Ask nearly any manager in the ma ma,
as ,mportan; as anything else
There are few PLAYERS in The big
runners and as a rule they are KEEP; on
the roster. but only because Of hitting
Speed in the, field and on the bases
I. pennant race when its hitting or
club. il mus; he consistently heavy
With the. willow. however. can get
pretty good results without great
amount Of speed. But it must have
swift footcduess atield and on the base
paths The club that combines speed
however, is the club with the power
TO make the best OF every advantage.
Recent worlds series, believe.
the value Of speed. Snappy fielding
and speedy base running has been an
outstanding characteristics with most
O fthe American League champions of
the last few years. and ! need not re-
count how many worlds series the
American League has accounted for as
to have penChant for turning out
heavy hitting teams that DEPEND more
on the bat than anything else 10 pu;
HuErins Realizes It's Value.
Miller Higgins. who made his start
as a manager in the National League.
realized the value OF SPEED. Miller
does ne belittle good pitching. which.
we all know. is SO necessary. But he
PLACES speed on the essential list His
1919 Yankees furnish a good example.
He admits il himself. In a recent fam
ming bee HugGins made his stand
plain. He said:
need 10 worry about where the Yam
KEGS would finish We have the pitch
els and We have the punch. but We
Whining club in our league.
"on paper | believe. We have a club
tAat compares favorahiy With any
are few teams that lock good 10
me-, With ne poSs bic :, eXcepihon OF one
,w? positions, ,, 6gl spes wop W9u'd
You don't see any Of our players
heating the record for the loo-yard
dash, ard i, isn't that they. are es.
that they are not quite fast enough
-'-~ Can Hit, but Arc Slow.
Take peek at the sluGgers on our
club. Peck. Bodie. Baker. Lewis. ripp
Gus men with the bat under any cir
cuulstance. They have the hitting
punch. But they haven't all got speed.
shore. Quinn, Shawkey, Thormahlen.
Mays and the rest are pitchers who
can can give any9ods &. b at lie =, n A.
or experienced talent.-plenty Of brains
among our players, but somehow the
Tanks, find The irwin. harder than
they should. We haven't had the best
or luck. I'll admit The breaks have
gone .agains; us time after time. and
our club has has. blown up after pilins un
stances whore little more speed
Mould have won games for us that
realize ne value OF speed more than
= Among the players on The Yankees
who lack the speed that liuECins
Graves to see are Bodie, Baker Pratt,
Pecknpaugh and Hannah. Lewis Is
emily fairly fast. He is faster in the
{ he Id than on the bases. Eod.c is the
type Of PLAYER who is liable TO clog
IKE sacks any time. for he is always
liable TO hit. and If ne gets on in the
middle OF a rally the Hank offensive
is bound 20 SLOW up so far as base
running goes.
= Win Games for Their Club.
Players liH:.. IG9,th, Kauff, sisler,
Chapman, carey ana other speedy base
. runners arc the means OF winning
Inany games for their respective clubs.
, DIVINE Bush. for instance. though he
: has grown heavy. it still speedy
!, la se--unncr and a hcady one as well.
BuSh scores more runs in 4 season
: than any other shortsiop in the husi
ness, for ne is hard man 10 pitch 10
and Ne gets on the bags. OF course.
II takes cobb. Heilman or Ncach to
hit him home, hut once he gets 10
second has. the run is a. good AS
over. IL somebody hammers out =:
single. Many player would escape
pann;uG from the stands If he would
use his noodle in running the bases
The runner VINO isn't speedy often
comes in for share OF abuse that
he could avoid if he would no; run
Wild. Iieinie Z!m. for instance. might
have escaped the now mcmora bic
Marathon with collins had ne STUCK
TO his base It second longer in the
worlds series % 1917.
Speed surely counts where Il Is
needed--in catching the fve-ifteer or
beating u ;nruw.-topEriEnt 1913.