The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-11
Battling Catchers Was Easy Pickings
 For Rice and Sisler
By IRWIN NJ. HOWE

Rice of Washington, with 6S stolen bases, and Sisler of St. Louis, with 42 thefts. were the top-notchers in the art
 of pilferng bags in the American league for the 1920 season. Both athletes can give thanks to certain catchers for at taining their respective figures.
 In Hannah and Ruel of New York. Severeid of St Louis and Walters of Boston, Rice was ably though not cheer fully assisted in acquiring the league
 leadership in stolen bases. The fleet senator was highly successful in his ! thievery against Hannah, for in seven starts the big Yankee receiver failed ut terly to prevent Rice from reaching his destination. Against Severeid. the Wash
 ington streak was turned back on his tracks but once in seven getaways, whereas Ruers arm showed it's prowess only once in six endeavors Apparently Walters found the accelerating pedals of the Washington player too swift to contend with. Four successes was the grand total achieved in preventing the r stealths Rice attempted.
 SCHALK WAS LINK
 1 According to the figures, Rice highly | respected the accurate and lightnsn- ! throwing ability of Ray Schalk of the l Chicago White Sox. Of his 9S total l chances for the year, Clark Griffith s meteor saw fit to test his speed against l the star Chicago player only eight times and he was sadly disappointed in the l outcome< Schalk brought Rice's fleet ] ness to sifi abrupt stop on five occasions. Perkins of Philadelphia established a l fine record by eradicating the league ! leaders, efforts seven times and allow l ing him safe passage in only five ln- stances O'Neill was somewhat liberal | in granting Rice stolen bases, failing to avoid seven of the Il chances l With Schang, Boston, doing the re- ceiving, Rice acquired three thefts and
 failed twice. Ainsnlith, Detroit. prevented 1 three of five chances, and Styles, Phiia- l delpha, is credited with two caught
 stealing and one allowed.
 l Among other catchers against whom
 Rice fattened his base-stealing ambitions | during the season were: Devine, Boston, I 1: Lynn Chicago. 1; Lannion, Detroit, '; Billings St. Louis. 1; Woodan, Detroit l2 Nunamaker, Cleveland. 3. These catchers in no case were able to cut down the Washington player.
 SISLER'S AIDS
 l Sislers aids in compiling his 42 stolen
 bases were Schang and Walters, Boston; l Charity, Washington, and Ruel, New l York
 1 Schang allowed the St. Louis star four safe arrivals and checked him once' 1 whereas Walters failed to stop him on all six occasions. Against Charity, SIS | Ter emerged from the dust triumphantiy 1 five times of his six attempts. Ruel ac- complished only one success in the Browns players quintet of flashes. I As in the case of Rice, SiserS displayed 1 respect for the sure-shot throwing or l Schalk's arm. He, however, flnlsheu slightly ahead in the contest, but ne l also showed discretion by the few times he. attempted his offerings against the l Chicago catcher. Of five dashes three were uninterrupted. O'Neill witnessed the fleet Siser break away eight times | and prevented the act onlx thrice. Tn | 12 of Sisler's bursts from his base, Per | k;ns obliterated the first sacker seven 1 times Ainsmith of Detroit finisneo ahead by 2 to i.
 l Of the other catchers who were on | duty when -Sisler attempted to increase
 his base-stealing figure. none were apie 1 to frustrate his plans. The list lnclades' l.Woodall. Detroit 1; Myatt, Philadei- 1 phia, i: Hannah New York, l; Torres 1 Washington, 1; stanage, Detroit,2' Jon 1 nard, Chicago, 3. s