The Washington times., 1932-04-30
CH|SOX ALSO
GAIN BY
TRADE
BY BABE RUTH

me that the Cleveland club is
going to be a lot more prominent
in the pennant fight as a re-
suit of the deal with the White
Sox a few days ago. And it
strikes me also that the Sox will
be benefited in a hitting and
scoring way. In other words this
new deal which sent Bill CiSSell
and Jim MoorC to the Indians in
exchange for Johnny Hodapp and
Bob Seeds should work to the
advantage of both clubs.
How can each club be helped
by the same deal. you may ask.
Well the way to figure every
trade is on the basis of what the
clubs needed. Cleveland needed
a Shortstop, and has been in
want of one for years, or ever
since Joe Sewell began to slow
up on his ground covering there.
All kinds Of shifts were made in
the Cleveland infield but none Of
them seemed to work out all
right. Game after game slipped
away from the Indians through
that hole at shortStop.
Thought Long
This no doubt was the main
object of the Cleveland club in
giving up such hitter as
Hodapp and a player of Seeds's
all around ability. You know
you have to come high to get
just what you want in a baseball
trade. Billy Evans and Roger
Peckinpaugh probably thought a
long time before putting the okay
on any trade which would take
Hodapp away from them but
they needed a shortStop so badly
that they finally agreed.
Cissell has never been a great
hitter as a major Lacquer but I
think he can be counted upon to
improve considerably on that 200
average which he registered last
year. In his three earlier sea-
sons with the White Sox he was
much better than that. Nor
mally he should hit about .275 or
.280 and an experienced short
stop Of this hitting strength
should make a big differnce with
Cleveland. Hodapp's bat is sure
to be missed but think Of the
games that can be saved by
good shortStopping.
Hodapp is not the best infielder
in the league but he is far from
the worst and he sure is bad
news for pitchers when he steps
up to the plate.
Poison to YankS
If he played as strong defen-
Sive game against all clubs as he
has shown against us you could
never get him away from Cleve-
land. He certainly has been
poison to the Yankees both at
bat and out there around second
base. Johnny will add a lot Of
punch to the White SoX and that
is something which they need
badly. Seeds is also a good hit
ter. Cissell will improve the de,
fenSlve play of the Cleveland in
field, and that is what the
Indians needed most of all.
Now about the other players
in this deal. Because Seeds never
won himself a regular berth with
Cleveland, and because Jim Moore
is a comparatively young pitcher,
don't overlook them entirely. I
know it is customary to figure a
baseball trade merely on the
prominent players involved. But
sometimes the fellow, who gets
little attention when such a deal
is made. comes along to prove
himself quite a ball player.
recall very we'll the time that
Iris Speaker was sent to Cleve-
land by the Boston Red Sox. A
fellow by the name of Jones
was included in the deal but he
got only passing notice. 1t hap
pened that he had won something
like three games while losing
eight during the previous season
as a member of the Cleveland
club.
Jones Flashes
That fellow namod Jones
turned out to be one of the best
pitchers the American League
ever had. 1t is more than Is
years since he was regarded as
just a ball player thrown into a
bio deal, and he is still pitching
big league ball.
Before Joe Vosmik crashed his
way into the Cleveland outfield
with his powerful hitting and all
around skill we saw quite a little
of Bob Seeds, and he impressed
me as a ball player who was
likely to come through as Cleve-
lands regular left fielder. Chick
Jameson was getting along in
years and somebody would soon
be in his place. But It wasn't
long before Seeds found himself
up against the task of beating
out such players as Averill, Vos-
mix and Porter to get into that
outfield, and that is a big job
for any ball player.
So Seeds goes to the SoX now
and the opportunity to play more
regularly may be just what he
needs. AS for Moore, I heard this
spring that he had chance to
displace one of the Sox veterans
and crash through as a regular
So it may be that Seeds and
Moore will some day make this
trade look even better than II
looks now.