Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-10-03
BY BILLY EVANS
Worlds Greatest Baseball Expert

Worlds Greatest Baseball Expert
NEW YORK, Oct. 3:-Greater
teams than the New York Yankees
have represented the American
League in the world series. but
never a club with more color.
A team possessing remarkable
power at the bat, coupled with a
good defense and fair pitchings the
Yankees found IL a very difficult
matter. indeed, TO win the American
League pennant.
The New York team has for sew
eral years been the enigma of the
American League. With an offense
apparently sufficient to crush any
opposition, the Yankees have been
iu-and-outers. At times the club
looks like the greatest aggregation
ever gotten together. Yet almost
overnight the same club can look
very ordinary.
These sudden reversal of forms
can perhaps be best explained by
types. The New York Yankees
from the top of the batting order
down to the pitchers is a team that
can hit. It Is a team that likes to
hit. II plays the slashing style of
a game to the exclusion of all
others. When it is hitting it looks
great. The crack of the old base
hit tends to enthuse, and the gen.
eral play of the club reflects the
enthusiasm.
Morale Suffers as Batting Slumps
On the other hand the Yankees
are easily depressed. Batting slumps
are a part of baseball. No matter
how great a hitter the individual
there are times during the season
when he suffers a slump.
Batting slumps are unexplainable
They just happen. When a couple
of good hitters slump, it is very
often contagious. the inability to hi
spreading through the entire team
1t is at such times that the New
York Americans look like the or6i.
nary ball club. 1t is not a tear
that fights its hardest when in sEct
a slump, but rather a team thai
takes it as a matter of course. Such
an attitude has at several time,
nearly proven fatal to the club.
chances.
Failure to hit naturally affects
the temperament and spirit of the
player or players. In a great many
cases the slump in batting is follow
ed by a similar let-up In the field
Worry over both invariably clog,
up the thinking apparatus. and it i,
not the unusual to have a bunch Of
dumb plays work themselves into
the picture.
A team made up of free-swingint
hitters, batters with a tendency Il
hit for extra bases, is the type mos
liable to suffer batting slumps. The
New York Americans is just such
team.
Yankees Slow on the Bases
The Yankees are slow on the
bases, and very naturally this slow
ness of foot is reflected in the work
afield. 1t is a team that lacks a
varied attack, but how those ath-
letes can hit the BALI
1 seriously doubt if there ever
was a team more dangerous at the
bat from the standpoint of smuggling
strength, pure and simple.
Home runs are nothing out of the
ordinary in the lives of the Yankees
Any man on the club, and I don't
except the pitchers, Is liable tc
bust" n for a homer at any
time.
If a pitcher elects to pass Ruth
he must face Meusel. If he refuses
to take a chance on Meusel, then he
must pitch to pipp. If Pipp looks
dangerous, there looms UP Home
Run Baker of the old days.
After Baker comes Ward and then
Schang, both take a dangerous cut
at the ball.
Even the lead-off men. Miller and
Peckinpaugh, loom up in the home.
run column, while Carl Mays and
Bob Shawkey usually come through
with a couple of home runs every
year.
Most Interesting of Major Leaguers
The Yankees certainly are a color
full aggregation. There is no getting
away from it Despite its slowness
of foot. and the fact that at times
the club can look very ordinary, il
is one of the most interesting ag'
gregations that has ever represent
ed a major league in the big series
1t is a team noted for its hitting
ability. Fandoln has demonstrated
that it loves the slugger and the
New York Yankees lineup fairly
teens with sluggers. 1t is a elut
that gets runs in huge clusters.
In a very important series with
the Washington club before the
close of the season it scored SO run:
in six anne In one OF the all-im'
portant games in the final clash