New Britain herald., 1930-07-30
FANS ARE NAMING
 LEADING PLAYERS
Terry Of Giants and Lyons Of
 White SOX the FaVOriteS

New York, July 30.-UP)-The practice of naming the most valu- able player in the two major leagues has been abandoned but speculation among baseball fans has nominated Bill Terry. New York Giants first baseman, and Ted Lyons, Chicago White sox pitcher, as two of the outstanding players of the 1880 season.
 Terry's spectacular fielding and powerful hitting have earned him recognition as the greatest first baseman since Hal Chases time. He has been making almost impossible plays around first base and has been the park-plug Of the Giants attack. Without Terry the Giants doubtless would not be in first di- vision. Terry's batting average to- day was 1898, placing him third among all major leaguers and only nine points back of Chuck Klein, the leader.
 Terry was accorded 4S votes in last years National league most valuable player contest when Rogers Hornsby won the award with 60 points. Frank ODoul. Philadel- phia. was second followed by Terry.
 Winning Is games for a sixth place club in two-thirds of the sea 
 day pitchers, but Ted Lyons has hung up that many victories while losing 9 games.
 Wesley Terrell, Cleveland. has the same record but has a much strong CT club behind him. Terrell and Lyons are the only two major league pitchers who have won Is games this season.
 Lyons, like Terry, placed third in the American league competition i'll 1927, getting 34 votes when Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees won the prize with 56 votes. Mickey Cochrane. Athletics catcher, won the award in 1928, and 1t was abolished by the American league last season although Al Simmons won first place in an unofficial poll. For the first two-thirds of the sea- son the following players are re- sarded by the writer as outstanding at their respective positions;
 1b-Terry, New York Giants.
 2b-Frisch, St. Louis Cardinals.
 3b-Mc McManus. Detroit.
 ss-Jackson, New York Giants. f-Simmons. Philadelphia Ath- letics.
 cf-Cuyler, Chicago Cubs.
 rf-Ott, New York Giants.
 c-Cochrane, Philadelphia Ath- letics.
 p-Lyons, hicago White Sox.
 p-Ferrell, Cleveland.
 p-Gaston, Boston Red Sox.
 p-Grove, Philadelphia Athletics
 There can be no dispute about giving places to Terry. Jackson, Simmons, Cuyler, Cochrane, and the pitching staff. Despite Gehrig's high batting average, the Yankee first sacker is nowhere in a class with Terry in fielding, all-around ability Or hitting in a pinch.
 Frlsch has two strong rivals at second base in Hodapp, Cleveland, and Gehringer. Detroit Hodapp is much to be desired defensively but he is the best hitting second base man in either league, with an aevr- age of .359.
 McManus at third base is consid- cred only slightly stronger than Lindstrom Of the Giants, Gilbert of Brooklyn, and Bluege of Washing ton.
 An outfield of Simmons, Cuyler and Ott would be strong in all de- partments, but so would a group of Averill, Hack Wilson and Babe Ruth Klein and O'Doul of the Phillies are the two leading sluggers in either league, but they are not among the first ten in other departments. Mel win Ott although batting only .347. is perhaps the best thrower in the game outside of Ruth and is certain ly one of the best fly catchers. He has dropped only one fly ball this season.
 Milton Gaston has won games and lost 2 for the last place Boston Red Sox and has pitched 16 com plete games. only two less than Ted Lyons who leads both leagues in that respect Many baseball men be- lieve Gaston has more natural stuff than any big league hurler. Grove undoubtedly is the best southpaw in