San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-16
" Cobb Predicts Better
Pitching and More Ac-
ton Around First.
,LEFTIES vs.. RICHTIES
Big Leagues Are About Dr.
vided on That Score;
- Some Newcomers.
BY GEORGE CHADWICK.

SALNA
Copyright, 1894, by Consol. Press Assn
New York. March 15.-First-base
men are in for busy time in 1924 !
Ty Cobb, who is licking his Detroi
Americans into shape for the pennan
race down in Augusta, Ga, knows any
thing. For pitching, says the Georgia
Peach in a dispatch just received b,
the writer, is due for a pickup this
season, and the result will be more hit
, ting to the infield.
when the American League pun
an end to the absurd practice of play.
ing with a new ball all the time, y
SAYS Cobb, you saw some pitching
last year. Watch it this season. The
American League has killed joke base,
ball. The first-basemen of 1924 will
get all the chances they want 10
shine
How, then, do the frst-basemen
of the big leagues stack up for the
coming season.
The two leagues have an equal num-
Der of left and righthanders, but geo
graphically speaking they are just
about as opposite as opposite can be.
About Half and Half.
Take the American League. In the
western half, the righthanders pre-
dominate. Shelly Of Chicago, Burns
of Cleveland and Schliebner Of st.
Louis are all righthanders. Blue of
Yanks, Judge of Washington and
Detroit alone holds up the end OF the
lefthanders in the West. In the East,
: ii is lust the other way. Pipp, OF the
Hauser of Philadelphia are lefthand-
ers, while Boston, who probably will
use Harris at first, has the only right
handler.
- In the National League, the west
ern half has three lefthanders in Bot
tomly of st. Louis, Grimm OF Pitts
burg and Daubert of Cincinnati.
Grimes of Chicago is the only right
handler. In the East, McInnis Of Bos-
ton, Kelly of New York and Fourier
of Brooklyn are righthanded. The only
iportsider is Holke of Philadelphia.
III the American League managers
were called upon 70 vote in secret for
the best first-baseman of their league,
1T is a good guess that Blue, left
handler, would get the choice. Maybe
all the lefthanders would rate above
the righthanders. Fred Clarke, the old
PitHburg manager, who has been down
South reviving old memories by look
ing over ball players, says Hauser
is in for a great year. And Clarke
doesn't waste praise on players who
don't deserve it
Burns and Bottomley.
OF the righthanders in the Ameri-
can League, you will never convince
Iris Speaker that his Indians haven't
the best in George Burns. Speaker
never ceased to regret that he let
Burns 20 to Boston and he's glad to
have him back.
Go over into the National League
and poll the managers, and il is left
handler again, Bottomley, who prob
ably would win. Almost stranger two
years ago, Bottomley today is one Of
: the most highly-prized players in th'
league. Second choice in the Nationa
probably would fall to either Grimm
or Kelly a lefthander and a right
handler. Grimm probably has a shad'
on Kelly because he is quick and be
cause be hit better last year.
Grimm once was bat boy in ST
Louis. Never had minutes training
in his life to play first. Neither di'
Bottomley. Yet both found their wa,
into the majors.
49, If you take into consideration tn
teams that are presumed to be in tn
running for the championships, 20
will find the American headed by Pip
of the Yanks and Blue of Detroit. bot
lefthanders. In the National, Kelly c
the Giants, a highlander, is pitte
against Daubert of Cincinnati an
Grimm of Pittsburg, both lefthant
ers.
"a Sizing It all up, It appears that
s'lefthanded first-baseman is preferabl
Ito q Highlander, but Kelly is shir
3 ing proof Of the fact that lefthanC
a,ed first baseman is not, as some mai
ayers seem to think, an absolute necei
s...sity for a winning club. Righthande
Businessmen have been on winnin
teams more frequently than lefthande
ones, and the righthanded Kelly on
played the lefthanded Pipp in tw
worlds series.