The Washington times., 1921-07-13
JUDGE sNOOzEs.

S4NooLESfJs
Joe Judge lost game for Mogridge
in Boston by failure to keep awake.
allowing Scott TO score from second
base on an infield out. Runs have
been thrown away by slipshod base
running and handed 10 the other fell
low by wretched outfielding. Indeed,
the outfielding has been generally
poor all season.
The principal criticism of the. out
fielders is their failure to play the
batters properly. Time and again
they have permitted Texas leaguers
to fall safely when ordinarily big
league methods would have resulted
There have been numerous in
stances OF two and three players
starting for a fly ball only to have IT
fall safe. This argues for a grievous
lack of team play and a noticeable
absence of field leadership. Mechan-
ical misplays can be overlooked and
forgotten but no major league team
can succeed when IL is playing dumb
baseball day after day. The Griffs
have been doing just that little thing,
too, though they still have a winning
margin since leaving home.
MUST MAKE UP.
It is well understood that the real
fight for 1921 honors is just begin
ming. All games now played have
been merely preparatory for those to
come between now and the dropping
of the curtain. 1t must be admitted
that, while several of the Griffs srs
playing up-to-date ball as a team, they
are approaching a cliff. Unless there
In a quick change for the better.
serious results may be expected
The batting is falling off rapidly.
That was to be expected. 1t always
does about this time of the year. Fur
thermore some OF the Griffs have been
hitting far beyond their speed and nat
urally must come back to their right.
full place.
BucISy Harris. Sam Rice, Hank
Shanks and Pat Charity have been
In slumps, especially when IL came
TO pitches and their failure to knock
in runs has been very costly. Charity
for instance, could have given the
Griffs an even break In st. Louis with
an ordinary long fly in the seventh
inning of Mondays game. He rolled
weakly to Austin and Judge died at
the plate. To make matters worse,
Judge failed TO prolong the play by
turning back and permitting the rum
ners behind him to advance, showing
a lack o. quick thinking.
No adverse criticism IL offered be-
cause players don't hit safely every
time UP nor because they don't han
die every drive clearly. But very
severe criticism is coming to those
players who are playing dumb base
ball. There may be leagues where
that goes, Nut they are minor leagues.
GEONGE HAS KICK.
McBride's picShers have been Sc
verely scored all season, but they
have some defense of late in the low
order of intelligence being displayed
behind them. George Mogridge, be-
cause he has yet TO pitch a bad
ball game, has the most cause for
complaint, though he is too expert
enced to voice his troubles. But more
than once the others have had their
troubles made for them by their sup
porters. In that case the pitcher has
escaped blame.
Bill Jacobson's fly ball. which gave
the Browns Mondays victory with
two gone in the ninth. should never
have been a safe hit. Sam Rice
should have caught II easily had he
made any effort. 1t was not Zach
ary's fault that extra innings did not
follow that drive.
on the same kind OF a ball. low
liner in a tight game in Boston, Zeb