The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-01
C0MEBACKBY
BACBY WOULD
AID SPEAKER
However, Cleveland Boss Claims II
Was His Catchers Who Fail.
ed Last Year,
BY JOHN b. FOSTER.

copyright, 1922, by The Argus.)
iris Speaker has said that he lcsk
the championship of 1922 because
he did not have his regular catch
ers. Both of them were injured.
He repeated the statement over and
over again at Washington, where
the American league held its meet
ing this spring. Some yentured to
say that they thought his pitching
staff also was weak. This wouldn't
agree with that theory. He did con-
cede that Bagby was not the sue
cess that he had been in 1920, which
was palpable to everybody, but
Cleveland would have pulled out
even with that handicap, so This
thought, if he had not been so all
fired unfortunate behind the bat.
IF Bagby comes back in 1922
we will beat New York out and
perhaps win the old flag a second
time" said the Cleveland manager.
For thai reason the work of Bagby
this year has been watched with
much interest. To date results
have been in Bagby's favor. The
only drawback to a real good line
on him is the fact that he isn't
pitching in regular championship
games, but the Cleveland players.
say that he looks better than he
did any time last season.
Occasionally he pitched well last
summer, but he was inclined to
get Walloping in one inning which
put his team on the slides. That
was the way that Matty began to
lose his grip. All of his trouble
would happen at once and collecv
lively and when the cloud had
passed the sun might as well never
have shone for all of the good that
it would do to the New York star.
Resembles Matty.
There is much resemblance to
Matty in Bagby's style. The Cleve-
land pitcher makes the batters go
after the ball and thus saves his
own strength and keeps his team
on its toes.
The pitcher who can make the
batters hit at the balls which are
perfect but which are not at the
angle desired by the batters, is the
pitcher who is the coming big man,
and that's the type that Matty Was
after his experience Of the first two
years. Should Bagby come through
the Cleveland club will have star
of pitchers to compare favorably
with those of the Yankees.
Cleveland will have COFeleskie,
Bagby. Uhle and Morton. There are
also Mails. Sothoron and keefe,
Mails is the only left-hander Of the
lot. He was a frost in 1921 after
he played lord high executioner 10
the National league champions and
his own league in 1920. 1t doesn
seem possible that he is through
forever in effectiveness after the
good work that he did out IN CALI
foruia. Uncle Robbie said he was
too uncertain for Brooklyn and let
him go. If Mails comes through
for Cleveland again the latter team
will have just as much spring ad-
vantage as New York with fLs
nitcbing staff, and it surely Will
have more dQFduld5t Win ca
field which is a real outfeld com
pared with what New York seems
destined to have to put up with.
Chance Just as Good.
cleveland wants to know for that
reason why it hasn't as good a
chance to win the pennant in 1922
as if had in 1921, and refuses TO
bn counted out. Naturally the Sc
yerest handicap that can befau
is to lose Speaker. lie
is the only Unfolding outfielder in
baseball. He is the only man in
he history of the game who really
combined playing centerfield with
an assistant second baseman and
more than one ball player has liy-
ID to learn that fact.
with Cleveland saving up yam
zee logs. st. Louis is saving a few
more. and with Chicago able to saw
IS well as it did in 1921, it seems
IS if the best the champions can
zone for is to trim Detroit when
bav go west, and Ty Cobb thinks
70 can take a fall out of New York
+ the Yanks don't get along any
,etter than they are going.