The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-09-13
IN
/ / ALKING
1T OVER
WITH JOE WILLIAMS

New York, Sept. 10.
WITHOUT saying so in precisely
wv worded phrases, Connie Mack
nominates Rube Waddell as the
greatest SOuthpaw of all time.
Strangely, it has fallen to Comics
lot TO handle four of the games
greatest southpaws-Waddell, Plank,
Grove and Walberg. Commenting
on the RUDE, Connie laconicslly adj
n1its he had everything. The i'm
plication is that some Of the others
were not as fully equipped.
Tyrus Raymond Cobb. who batted /
against all sorts Of southpaw pitching for
tVenty-three years says there was only /.
one perfect southpaw. and he was Plank. /
cobb claims the Gettysburg Calling had |
everything. including head"
n n
DAzzY VANCE is not so sure the
II Cubs will take the Athletics. He /
thinks the fast ball pitching Of /
Grove and Earnshaw is likely to
bother the National League slug !
gers no little. Vance is no doubt /
basing his opinion on experience.
Until recent times he was the speed /
ball king of the majors, and the I
one club that consistently failed /
against him was the Cubs.
II vas a shoddy, unkempt performance /
on the part Of Vance when be failed to /
fan more than ten of the Cubs. APP |
parently there is something about their |
batting technique that makes them I'M
certain and erratic against fast ball pitch
ing. This may be an important detail to
remember.
Incidentally Vance may not be back
with the Brooklyns next season. He has
had mediocre season and there is
official talk Of shipping him elsewhere
Vance negotiated himself into the highest
priced contract ever bestowed upon a
soupbone in the early spring a document
calling for $4,000. He hardly has de-
hvered up to the standard logically ex-
pected Of such an estate.
u
FURTHERMORE, Vance is said
= to have incurred the wrath of
the normally genial Wilbert Rob-
lnson with the consequence that this
gentleman has let it be known that
If he continues as manager Vance
must go. Of course, there Is some
question of whether Robinson will
continue as manager. The official
family Of the Brooklyn club is still
operating at cross purposes. It is
much easier to unScramble a bowl
of chop suey than to forecast with
any degree of certainty what the
official family will or will not do.
At the beginning of the season George
Herman Ruth picked the clubs in the
American League to finish in this order:
New York, st. Louis. Detroit. Philadelphia,
Washington, Chicago. Cleveland and Bos-
ton. In the National his prediction was
that the clubs would finish; Chicago,
Pittsburgh. New York, st. Louis. Cincin-
natl, Brooklyn. Boston and Philadelphia.
+ II
IT begins to appear as if the great
L man knows more about the clubs
in the old league than in his own
league. He stands a very good chance
of calling the turn on the first four
clubs. in exact order, in the Ma
tional, but he won't be even close in
his own league.
He picked the Athletics to finish fourth
and they have dominated the race since
-une. There will be little glory for the
i ankees in finishing second since they
are likely to be more than 100 points back
Of the leaders. The Browns and the
Tigers probably will wind up with first
division berths, Just as Ruth predicted.
out they won't be as high in the stand
ings as he promised.
Ruth made a bad guess on the Cleve-
'ands whom he nominated for seventh
place, but in this he was not alone. Few
Of the experts rated them as possessing
hrst division strength. They have been
the surprise team j the two leagues.
r
TOHN PICUS, otherwise Jack
j Quinn. will start one of the games
for the Athletics against the Cubs.
Connie Mack believes a spitballer
will be effective against the west
erners. Picus is one OF the grand
old men of baseball. He refuses to
give his age, but it is a recorded
fact that he served in the Spanish
American war. and since infants
could not enlist in the army at the
time. it is reasonable to assume that
Picus' age is between As and so.
nj,
an interviewer recently asked Picus
whether he always has been spitbah
pitcher.
ooh. not always" answered Picus.. ''Ive
univ been u.ing it for the last twenty /
years"