The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-07
HANS WAGNER GIVES SOME REASONS FOR INFIELD CHOICE

hitter as Lajoie. What's more there was never any better ball player. Latoie was a man of powerful build and, though strong as an OK, he was as graceful in every move as a dancer. He swung through on a hit with as much rhythm as a profess sional golfer. In fielding ground balls he made them all look easy. It was the ease with which he handled his muscles that made him last so long. Very few of the critics seem to have picked out the one great ball so far, as a rule, that the out fielders played very deep for him. That made 1t clnch for runner to score from second base on a single. This Is also true of Babe Ruth and have wondered why more experts son for his drivA n so many runs:
 Lajoie had 'erful arm and from iron q the S1le outfieid re 7e a plate. His quickness and graceA e him 2 star at completing or ting double plays. Lajoie was Ii ne of the base runners but he T fairly good one. At any rate always knew what he was doin. was steadily on the job, seldo. +'ng injured.
 .351 His Average For IS Years.
 La5oie had the same hard lucs
 Walter Johnson in never having N chance to play in worlds seIA
 Now when in addition to thes things you recall that Lajoie had batting average of 1851 for IS years you can well understand why I have picked him over all corners. I'll sd init that Eddie Collins runs the big Frenchman a close second. That f why have made Collins my utility infielder.
 Bobby Wallace of the old St. Louis club, is my pick for shortstop and l the one thing that always has, pug zled me Is why Bobby never got more in the limelight. There was one of the greatest ball players in the world and the chances are. that half the young fellows of today never heard of him. He was such a perfect ma chine I reckon they just sort of con sidered Wallace as belonging short and never thought about giving him a boost. He was so generally good as not to be noticed.
 1 Wallace was as sure a fielder and pegger to first as ever lived. H. was never regarded as a heavy hit l ter but he was one of the surest To my mind Bobby Wallace was the best shortstop we ever had on mak- ing double plays and on coming in for slow hit grounders. He had studied every batter so that he knew where they would hit certain pitches and he would be right on top of the ball. He was so perfect in this that a lot of folks thought him born un- der lucky star. It wasn't luck at all He had figured it out that way
 Wallace could cover as much ground either to his right or left as anybody-and probably more. l used to wish that I could do some of tie smart base runner and good team worker. Everybody from the mau- ager to the bat boy liked Bobby and. consequently. he was easy to handle Even the umpires liked him.
 Wallace Dreamed of Baseball.
 Wallace was one of those fellows who talked and thought baseball all the time. It was his fun as well IS consideration his lack of hitting, and still l select him as the grand all American shortstop of all time.
 There is not much use discussir 2 Jimmy Collins. Every all-American team I have seen picked for the past few, years had him on it. Thev couldn't get away from it. that's a.
 There has never been another Jimmy Collins. Others have come close, but he was and still is the standard Jimmy set the model in playing thirl base He invented most of the pres ent methods of third base play.
 Jimmy was playing third when the | old Orioles started the bunting play l In a month he had solved this ncqV style. He could beat any man in tljc world in starting with the bat and being on top of a bunt before it had 1 gone 30 feet. He got to where he could scoop these bunts up with one hand and throw them to first with the same motion. On account of his deadly defense the old-timers thought up the idea of bunting toward first base and drawing the first baseman off the bag.
 Collins covered lot of ground and with his wonderful arm could get a man from almost anywhere As I say, he was the first player tc discover the proper method of han ding bunt and every third base man to this day copies him. Not one has ever improved on his sys- tenn.
 Collins was a hard hitter and q great base runner He belongs tC what I have called the aggressive type, though he attended strictly tc business and laid off the umpires
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 s MONEY TNIOAM