Evening star., 1923-02-25

A PLAYER, who can't be kept
~ off any all-star team, past or
present, is iris Speaker,
famous player-manager of the
Cleveland Indians. In the opinion
OF the writer, Speaker is the fore
most outhelder of all time, consid-
ering the fielding end of the game
alone. No other loutfielder ever had
Speakers uncanny knack Of play
ing for batters. and for tearing
across the turf for balls which
should be hits by all laws Of the
catches on plays which would be
classed as impossible for d less
gifted player.
But Spoke" can do more than field
His lifetime batting average is not
so good as that of Cobb, but his life
time average of .345 is the third best
III the American League. Only Cobb
and Sisler have higher ratings than
the picturesque Texas cowman.
There seems some doubt as to Iris
age. but he says he was born in Hub
bard. Tex. on April 4. 1883. and that
the story he sticks to. SO we will
have to take Speakers version of it.
that he will be thirty-five on his next
birthday. iris is prematurely gray,
giving some folks the impression that
the Texan is about the same age as
Jess Willard
But the best proof of Speakers
youth Is his ball playing. He still is
in the very prime of great and
glorious career. Last year he knock
ed out batting average of .37S, the
fourth highest of his career. Eleven
home runs in 1922 was the most he
has Knocked out in season.
Iris Started as Pitcher.
In his early minor-league career in
the sticks of southwestern Texas
Speaker was pitcher Bob Gilks.
Yankee scout and former manager of
experience with Speaker. He went
to Cleburne. Tex. TO look over an
outfielder. The owner of the Gle
burne club agreed to sell the player
for $3.50. and said he would throw
in young pitcher, Speaker to clinch
the deal. The Shreveport club decid-
ed the price was too high, and event
ually Speaker reached Houston. Tex,
in the Texas League.
The Red Sox picked him up in 1907
for s400, but iris hit only .167 in
seven games. getting only three hits
in nineteen times at bat. He played
his first major league game on Sep
tember IL, 1907, relieving Gavvy Cra-
vath in right field for Boston. He
failed to hit in two times up against
Jim Dygert of the Athletics.
Iris nit .220 in thirty-one games in
1905, and then was farmed out TO
Little Rock in the Southern League.
In 1909. he started to go for Boston
and has been going ever since. He
! hit .309 that season. and with the eX-
ception Of the season of 1919. when he
| fell to .296. Iris has been hitting over
| 900 ever since. But for that lapse III
1919 he would have had fourteen
straight years over the 800 mark.
Holds One Big League Record.
Speaker holds one major league
record, eleven hits in eleven success
sve times at bat made on July S. 9
and 10. 1920. He holds the American
! League record for hitting two-bag-
! gers. fifty-three in'1912. This is sec
ond to the major league record. made
by Ed Delehanty of the Philadelphia
Nationals in 1899. by only three dou-
bles. Del" holds the record with
ffty-siX. Speaker came within one
two-bagger Of tying his own Ameri-
can League record in 1921, when he
hit fifty-two.
Speaker scored over 100 runs in
six seasons, his best scoring record
being 137 runs in 1920, the year in
which the Yankees were beaten out
by Cleveland for the pennant in the
| last week of the season.
In 1912. while still with the Red
Sox, Iris was voted an automobile for
being the most valuable player in
the American League. In that sea-