The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-06-21

Detroi's romarkaAle showing this
season. n 'uHtras; with us wrctched
work last year. raises h's Question
IN baseball II any on" can solve tho
myS;try OF briru!i'S U,icr failure last
~'1,"a n he t..Sr Of Is work this year.
n" WI, be abb" To- answer question
wh:rh has been troubling every ono In
Baseball. VIZ. :o-w!t. and name. What
- me matter WIKI baSebal!"'
cobb is leading practically the same
.r;ru jennings had last season. II is not
hanged in any essential respect. ON
pure dope the team figures exactly
.hirty-uue points stronger now than
jennings team figured ~ the sam" tim"
as, season. In hitting power ii has
gained only nineteen points. Yet last
>,Isun Dctro,; could not hit anything.
aud It's attack. supposedly III" strong
point Uf the team. was wrotched. No
enc may claim that the pitching tins
season is mUrh worse than il was
las, wear. In fact. Detroit has faced.
N the average. as strong pitchers TINS
year as I DID iHs'. Last season De
irojt dorcd :" finish fourth. with n
chance Of third. and at worst should
not have fallen below ;ltth. This sea
son II dnped 30 be fourth or f!fih. with
4 fighting chance for third. and q
chance 10 slump to SlXth.-n0t worse.
Yet with prncticUlly an unchanged
team the Tigers are IN IN" fight for
the pcnnant and hitting around $3.50. at
the head ~ the American League.
What Is the Secrot7
1t would not seem to an outsider that
any mere change OF managers could
transform team from a 80 team hat
Ting average To Il $50 average. One
may account for remarkable changes
IN form by team which has luck
enough to pick up u couple OF good
young pitchers or which enjoys the
miracle of finding star ball player 10
IN some weak gap IN the lineup. but
N baseball. tho one thing all players
arc supposed to love IS their base hits
and nothing IN III" world would
tempt them TO rcfrsin from hitting
when the% can. In fact IN the crooked
games that have been exposed one re-
markahle fact is tha, no one seems 4"
have tried /" restrain hitting. although
jackson in his confession declared h"
did not try 10 hit during the series Of
1919.
The big question raised ny Detrotts
change of form is how far player
may 80 in failing 10 give his best ef-
forts 20 his team and AVOID actua |
crooked work indifference - 4
broad term IN baseball. II Is bit
moro than evident that the Detroit club
was far below its true form last sea-
son. and perhaps u bit ahead OF rs a.
, lacking strength th:S year. If the De-
troif players did not try or give tier
best Efforts to aid Jennings there should
DO some remedy.
Is It possible tina, dlscouraGcmcn
and resultant lack OF ambition might
affect the work of players 10 a cOnsid-
cradle eXtcut--but would Il take sixty
points from their batting force? 1t Is
conceivable that Cobb 10y squirting the
ambition and the spirit OF the team
might make II hustle more and hit bet
ter, but could such an influence add
sixty points to It's batting force?
One thing Is Certain--tf Il race horse
showed such 4 change OF form 50 sud
denly there would be an inquiry.
A Question OF Morals.
We Il include myself with the ma
jority) are trying 10 clean baseball and
keep baseball clean. With the aid ot
. Judge Lands We are making some pro-
grcss. bu, thero are some things on
which teamwork and understanding
cooperation is needed, ard directory
Of those undesirable circulated.
AS an instance. there Is person In
tcrcstcd in baseball who VAS named
by two players as the man who ap-
proached them with prrToSlucnS -
throw bail games in connection with
tho Chase matter. These players made
their statements on oath before 4
grand jury and repeated II IN other
places. Tho man was not within the
reach " tho powers Of organized base
ball-that Is. could not be expelled be-