The Washington times., 1924-08-15
SCHALk BEGINS
To SHOW HIS
YEARS
Great Little Catcher is un-
able to Take Regular
Turn

Two OF the best catchers in the
American League, stars Of the cir.
cult for a decade, are gradually
slipping Ray Schalk, brilliant
backstop Of the White Sox, is un.
able to keep up the pace that has
made him. the most talked of
catcher in years. His services are
lost to the Sox just at a time when
they have rounded out another
great pitching staff. Cy Perkins,
Connie Mack's backstop around
whom Connie once said he was
building his great team, will prob
ably be traded to the Boston Red
Sox next year, as Cy has not been
hitting and his backstop work has
been the weakest since he Joined
the Mack organization.
For eleven years Schalk has
caught 100 or more games, but this
year he will be unable to accom-
plish that feat. He had hoped to
go through a dozen years of work
behind the bat with 100 games q
season to his credit. 1t was feat
that had not been put across in the
history of the American League
and it looks now as though it will
remain unaccomplIshed for many
years to come.
Schalk makes no bones of the
fact that the years Of hard work be-
hind the bat for the Sox have taken
their toll. He believes that 100
games a season are too much for
him now. His hands are in bad
condition, but he says there's no
telling what he might do If his
hands rounded into good condition.
Three fingers of his throwing
hand are badly injured, and that
alone keeps him from going in regu-
larly. He has grit, will power, and,
above all, love Of the game which
frequently has found him with the
chest protector on when he should
have been nursing his hands.
Catchers like Steve O'Neiil, Of the
Red Sox. have the ideal bulld for
record breaking catching, yet Hank
| SEVERED. the direct opposite, is able
to keep up the pace of everyday
playing.
Schalk is built on sturdy lines,
but does not possess a physique
that appears able to stand under the
strain of catching 100 games Or
more every year for eleven years.
From 1912 to 1924 Schalk has
taken part in 1.444 games, an aver.
age Of some 131 games per season
over period Of eleven years. Ths
big league schedules call for 154
games. This will give soma idea
OF how little the rest of the White
Sox catching staff has mad 20 do
over that stretch Of play.
| Schalk's record of eleven consecu.
tive years. in which he caught more
than 100 games each season, is more
than double the best National
League performance, five years by
Chief Myers, when with the New
York Giants.
Schalk's career in the American
League fairly teens with brilliant
performances. The feat that pleases
him most is that he has made a
lputout at every base in the infield,
lquite unusual for a catcher.
While Schalk may never again
lcatch 100 games during a major
League season, he is far from being
Through as a catcher, and still is
lone of the most valuable in the
majors.
As matter of fact, there will
probably be a place for Schalk in
baseball as long as he cares to stick
to the game. His knowledge Of the
catching game makes him invalu-
liable to a club in its development
of pitchers.
Always noted as smart player,
the managerial field is open to him
should be care to take a whirl at
directing club.