The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-04
ISSUEHHlgES
ON BAT TING, Is
EvENS' BELIEF


8 LII me Oiu 3dfs ~ Was puSS1pfe
to get an answer to lot of things
by having Aladdin massage his. old
lamp. Those were the happy days,
There being no modern Aladdins
available, n becomes necessary to
consult the dope pot, and pluck
therefrum bits of inside informa-
ton about the leading players,
compare these players and draw
conclusion.
In the racing game when an au-
thority seeks to pick the winner,
he considers the past performance
of the entries. the condition OF the
track. the ability Of the jockey. the
1 liking for the distance, and the
class of the field. That is called
handicapping them, and arriving at
a conclusion as TO the likely win
ner. 1t all reads very nice if the
horses run true to form, but they
seldom do The same goes for
baseball:
Let us take the members of the
New York Giants and Yankees,
make a comparison of the players
at their respective positions, decide
which is the superior at that par
g ticular spot, add up our deductions.
and see what the dope pot offers in
the way of determining the winner.
Comparison Of IHfieiGers.
will first compare the infieids
the two clubs
At first base Frisch will oppose
either McNal1y or Baker. Frisch
g is a remar ka BILE ball player. He is
very fast, a good fielder, and has
q great arm. Frisch can boot" a
hall around considerable. and then
get his man through the medium
of his great arm. He is one of the
few players whose record shows
that stealing bases is not lost
art. Frisch hits both ways, SO is
not bothered by either style of
pitching. When a left-nander OPP
poses the Giants he simply shifts
TO the right side of the plate.
McNally will field as well as
Frisch, and is nearly as fast, but
of course will not hit as well as
the Giants third sacker. Baker
will hit as we'll, bat lacks the speed
and will not play as well defensive
ly as F'risch. Thus comparison
OF the possible third base candi-
dates gives that honor to Frtsch OF
the Giants.
How ShOrtst0ps. Measure Up.
In my opinion, in PeckiHpaugk
and Bancroft, two of the greatest
shortstops in the history of the
game will be pitted against each
other. ! have worked in many a
series in which Bancroft has
played, ami have often seen him
in action so that I can appreciate
ms great worth.
On the other hand, to my way of
thinking. Peckinpaugh is truly a
marvel. For years I have been
watching him do the seemingly i'm
possible, so it is very likely that
| am a bit prejudiced in his favor.
! At handling a thrown ball with his
I gloved hand he is without a peer.
He reminds you of Larry Lajoie in
that respect. He can go to his
right or left with equal ease and
has a strong arm Peckinpaugh is
not fast of foot, neither is he SLOW
At the bat he is a great hitter, but
certainly consider him a danger
GUS one 4
Bancroft is q great bali player.
Hughey Jennings once told me
there never Was a better Shortstop-
Hughey was star at that posi-
ton himself, has seen a lot OF
cracks in action, and should be
competent to express an opinion
Bancroft, like F'risch, shifts to the
right or left side of the plate ac-
eording to the style of pitching the
opposition offers He is a remark
able fielder, fast on his feet, aui
like Peck, uses his brains as wen
as his feet and arms.
Recently. while working in New
York, / didra little investigating as
TO how the New York scribes re-
garded the two shortstops- ! asked
IL writer's for their opinion. Six
OF them favored Bancroft, four
like Peckinpaugh better. and two
said it was a toss up.
Perhaps no body of men are in a
better position to pass Judgment on
the New York teams, and while the
majority of the writers favored
Bancroft, the best can give him is
a draw. l regard the two great
players as of about equal value to
their respective teams.
Ward Better Than Rawlings.
AT second base would rate Ward /
different types, and perhaps Raw |
Hngs might have a greater appeal |
Afo McGraw than Ward, because he |
3ts an aggressive fighter, who over |
ZONES some OF his shortcomings by !
his spirit and dash He plugged !
the big holesat second IN the Giants /
iHffeld. and is the type of player
who naysgo big. jet on form Ward |
must be conceded the Second-eaSe
honorS
At first base the line is perhaps |
drawn a little more closely Kelly /
fs a bfg fellow, who offers good |
target for his infield, and at the
hat is always dangerous, home runs
being his strong forte Pipp is an |
equally good fielder. and just as
good a hitter, although he won't
get the distance to his drives that |
Kelly does. Pipp. to my way OF
thinking, is a much better fIrst
basenan than he Is generally rated. /
II he has a giaring fault It is 3
tendency to throw wild at times.
think Pipp Is entitled to a slight |
margin over Kelly.
Giants Stronger Behind Plate. |
Back OF the bat the lronors go to !
the Giants. + believe that SchaDg |
win rate up4vith either Snyder or
Smith. but his understudies lack |
experience. Devormer has shown
great possibilities and seems des-