The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-03-29
LEFT TrELDERS.


The outstandtnuE features % ~" dope
OF the left feeders. the first Of the "u'-
fsetdc studies. il the remarkably close
rating OF tho Aemrlcan League teams N
position value. and the ragged IncQuan-
ties shown in the national LeaGur.
or course the suPCr-cxcelicnce or
George Burns IN almost every depart
msnt Of offensive and defensive play.
and the weakness Of number OF other
clubs N the circuit, tends 70 straEg.e
Inc figures
Tho thing. howSvc-. which strikes ne
hardest IS tho equality % strength
SHAWN in the American League. Jack
son, never \ great ball player, excepting
n hitting power. showed better baseball
during the early part Of last season
than ne ever has played: | mean outSid"
Of his hitting. There were times when
ne played really Intelligent. ball al
though toward the finish Ut the season
his work Slumpcd back again. He was
spurrcd durlnE the early season b. crit
icism and. Instead % breaking under -.
he was stirred 20 better playi0c. Al
though I anticipate q HGE slump IN Jack
sons work DURING the coming season Il
IS impossible TO cN,Culatc tIt IN thr
preliminary figures. 7 Elvc X merely Is
a prediction not based II figures.
Detroit and Cleveland bo,A show
strong in the dope figures. ami am =
bit shocked to find New York :" far
down the hist. Lewis : not. ~ course
quite as good as ne was. He - slow
starting each spring. and gets slower
every year. Besides have an IDEA that
Durs heart is not n the old game as
I. used to be. and that shows IN HIS
work
II we could be certain as % whether
Connie Mack win keep his trial line UP
or make frequent shifts. Il would ne
very probable that the Athletics would
show more figure strength than they
do 7 have had 70 use combination tlE-
ures in doping that team and perhaps
viii be forced 70 amend them some what
before the final calculations arc made.
Washington, OF course. shows very
strong and II Griffith can handle Roth
successfully and get the best that IS In
Bobby out Of him. the chances are
much Increased.
Those things show the difficulty Of
doping weeks ahead OF the start OF the
season. and explain why the figures may
have TO undergo some radical changes
before 7 compile the individual values
into team values.
II VIII surprise many TO find those
Pirates and Card; nails showing strength
IN another department One cannot help
but think that these teams are coming
along to a point where they are actually
dangerous Il seems rs IL the strength
OF these teams in some positions has
been discounted by weakness in others
and that they arc IN the position where
no development OF one or two mon
would change the team outlook entirely.
Cincinnati. tho Worlds Champion.
SxTrs TO show the strength m left that
one world expect Duncan evidently Is
not as strong as ne looked to be In the
Worlds Series and Moran appears to
have made a wise move N securing
capable uudcrstudies FOR the JOB. Dun
can, however. may improve steadily
with experience, and come 10 his full
power later
Tack Wheat has slipped somewhat but
stfll shows a Tot OF class among the LETT
tieaders- chiefly because OF his hitting
abfr1y I wish to explain 70 those who
are following the dope, and who may
be trying 20 apply the figures to their
own calculations. that u is well espec-
iaTry among the left tielders, to study
their homo lots
be VIII notrate rs highaas tho Brooklyn