The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-12
PECK SHOULD
PUT SENATOR
TEAM In RACE
American Leagues Feast is Spiced
Much Better For the COM
ing Season.
By JOHN B. FOSTER
Copyright, 1922, by The Argus)

Copyright, 1922, by The Argus)
New York, Jan. LIT isn't a bit
probable that Clark Griffith will be
voted thanks by the American
league for capturing Roger Peck
inpaugh. but the league could do
worse than say good boy" He has
injected new vim into the eastern
half of the circuit The feast is
better spiced for the coming sea-
son than it was before Grif made
his play.
Washington in 1921 was more or
less a center in the American league
fight. There were times in early
days of the race that the Senators
seemed to have a chance. They
were playing close to, that intangi
BILE thing known as baseball form.
If the Washington team had pos
sessed well balanced shortstop in
1921 it is safe to say that the team
would have been more than a dozen
games better Off. Had it been that
much better the New York crowd
might not have won the pennant.
Willing TO Go.
Another fine thing about the
move which put Peckinpaugh in
Washington is his Willingness to
go there. Don't overlook that.
When a ball player is engaged by
another club to act as playing man
ager and likes his new assignment.
the club will not suffer for lack of
devotion to its interests.
Peckinpaugh is a thinking bah
player. He is quiet and undemon-
strative but a close observer of
things on the ball field and pref
ty fair student of men. His most
faulty lapse in a long term of years
as a ball player was in the last
game of the world series in New
/ York when he did not start quick
enough to retrieve the ball That
was the result of a condition where
a player is stunned for the moment
by his own remissness and was the
/ fault of good ball player and not
that of a bad one. A bad ball play
er always is chasing after the ball
because he never expects to handle
it clearly.
If Washington can tighten up a
little in its pitching. the Senators
must be reckoned with as dan
gerous combination in 1922. Peck
/ inpaugh and Harris are the key
stone note" of the American league.
AS a pair they will have their days
! of success in Washington this COM
ing season when they will make the
spectators rise out of their seats
and sing. Allah he Praised"
How Dugan will work out at
Boston is a matter that is solely
n1a oh
SOP well enough to make him one
, OF the most popular OF Boston play
ers, and if he doesn't it will not be
. for lack of encoura cement from
! Hugh Duffy. The Boston infeld is
/ likely to be a smart lot with Burns
at first. Pratt at second. Dugan at
shortstop and Foster at third. if
that is to be the combination. Far
. worse infields have played in ma
jor leagues.
| Alex Goes Easy.
/ Alexander. the Cubs star pisch-
er. is out in California. or rather on
ST Catalina island, taking it easy
and nursing his arm along gradual
/ ~ for the season to come. Alec"
NAV get back to the skill that he
! had before he went TO war. but the
! indications are not promising
! He has been in harness long
{ time. His side arm delivery called
/ for much effort on his part as a
pitcher. No arm can stand every
! thing. When Rusie found that his
! arm was worn out it was the sad
dest day of his experience as a ball
I player. He never tried a second
! time after he had made that dis
! covery. Quietly he packed up and
went home No minor league for
+ him. He did not intend to make a
/ farce of a great reputation
| Alexander knows that he mist
/ coax his arm nowadays to bring it
back to normal If he fails TO come
| through, Chicago hasn't lot left.