The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-31
NO RECORD But
HIehER PER CENT
RUT'H's PROMISE

RY IOHN B. FOSTER.

By JOHN B. FOSTER
Copyright, 1922, by The Argus.)
New York, Aug. 31.-"Thirty-
one more days to pickle the apple.
said Babe Ruth today. "I1l pickle
her good. I'll make cider out OF
her but can't beat that old total
Of homeruns in 1921. There won't
be any record Of over 50 but guess
I'll smake a percentage record. III
hit more homeruns to the number
of times at bat than l did last year.
I'll certainly do it If these pitchers
get too friendly with me-"
Perhaps he will be able to do 1t,
but he will have to make lot OF
those long wallops on the Polo
grounds before he starts west be-
cause the pitchers out in that part
of the country will go after him
good. He won't have the short dis
lance that he had in New York and
that will handicap him some.
II his total were up to more than
30 at the present time-and OF
course it isn't very far away from
it, it would not be a bit improbable
to figure Ruth as another record
breaker this year except for one
thing-that unkind little slap which
the commissioner of baseball gave
him when he sat him upon the
ground for 30 days and Ruth took
the time to forget baseball and his
thn v,1nruonf
That mark of 60 for which he
shot in 1921, and missed, might
have become a reality this year If
he had been in the swing OF the
season from the start. His work
at the moment signifies that much.
1t is by no means certain that
Ruth will not. finish the season
even now with q better homerun
record than any one in baseball
this year.
Rickey's Switch Fatal.
The St. Louis National league
club, in its effort to win the cham
pionship of 1922, has used more
players on the ball field than ever
have been used by baseball nine
in the history of the major leagues.
Time and again they have employed
more than 10 players in game,
and repeatedly they have used more
than two pitchers.
Old baseball men who have
watched the fight OF the team for
the pennant are certain that the
lack of stability on the part of the
nine has been it's undoing. No mat
ter how bad players may have been
going they never would have got
anywhere moved here and there as
Hickey has moved them, said a
| baseball manager who has won
his championship in the major
league. 1t has been the contention
of managers who rivalled Hickey
in his own league that they could
beat him to the wire in a hot fight
|. if he did not break himself from
the policy of switching players.
Some of the st. Louis pitchers
now elsewhere, have criticised
their former manager because oil
his haste in jumping to conclu-
sions and substituting a relief
pitcher the moment two or three
hits were made on the man in the
box Goodwin, who pitched for st
Louis once, says Hickey keeps his
pitching force working in the bull
pen ready to relieve another
pitcher until the reserve supply
has practically pitched two-thirds
of game every afternoon. How
do you expect a fellow can win do
ing that all of the time," asked
Goodwin. Il amt no iron man anc
there are others who were not borr
in steel MILL
The Washingtons have been {
delicacy served on the Yankee table
most Of the season and the cham
pions of the American league arr
helping themselves to the feast al
long as it will last.
| Yanks Fear West.
4 1t was through Washington tina
they got their whirlwind start j
the beginning of the year and i
was through the west that they go
their setback. 1t is we'll that the,
are feeding high on Washington
while the short opportunity last;
because the st. Louis team ha
gone back to the other side of thu
Alleghenies playing better bal
than before.
The Browns seem determined t,
make their batch of biscuits dow
to the very finish and the Yank
will need all the pep they can mus
ter.