Evening star., 1932-11-08
SLUGG|NG IN STYLE
| WHILE TWO ARE UP
Passing Of Yankee Stars to
Alter System of Play,
Pilots Contend.
BY GEORGE CHADWICK.

N LW 1Orlh, november D. (.
M Babe Ruth's underpinning
i Y Is as sound as ever and he'll
be back with the world
champion Yankees next year. So -
Manager Joe Mccarthy has ad-
vised metropolitan base ball fans,
dashing the hopes of the Yanks'
rivals that Babe might seek a
managerial berth elsewhere and
thus break up the famous slug
ging combination of Ruth and
Gehrig.
Other managers are convinced that
when the firm of Ruth and Gehrig is =
dissolved, there will be a change in the
methods of playing ball in the Amer
lean League. That is not as bad as it
sounds. 1t doesn't mean another re-
writing Of the rules, modification in
the bat or the ball or anything So
radical
1t does mean that the outfielders will
not play as far out as they do now
the batLlng may become less prodlgious
on the New York club in particular.
and be better eoualized on the other
seven teams, in general -
1here cannot be a generally punched
race In the American League like that
last season in the National League. be-
cause the Yankees have a surplus of
attacking strength in Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig which keeps the circuit ~
top-heavy. The victory Of the New -
YORK team over the Chicago Cubs in =
the world series is cited as fat proof
OF the evident advantage the Yankees
hold
THE everyday fan who doesn't do
L much theorizing, but a heap of
cheering, probably never delved as
deeply into what the Ruth-Gehrig
entente means in their league. 1t is
the managers on the other teams who
are compelled to try to solve this Ruth
Gehrlg problem
Ruth can bunt If he wishes. He
seldop wishes. If he isn't put out of
the way in the first inning he will be
Just as dangerous the next time he
comes up, and if it isn't Ruth it Will
De Gehrlg. So there is a daily consecu-
tive liability TO be faced. with a possi- e
olllty OF more total bases being raped
out by this combination than BY anv
other in base ball.
Inc Yankees rivals must plav to
keep this pair of the bases. and to do
that their pitchers get into more try
ing situations than the pitchers of
other teams-and that is ALWAYS to the
advantage Of the Yankees in making
runs.
In the season of 1881 the combined
Total base batting record of Ruth and -
Gehrig was 784 bases. That wear Al
Simmons and Mickey Cochrane. the
pest pair on the Athletics rolled I'D
583. The difference between the
4ankee pair and the Philadelphia pair
was 201 bases.
The official figures have not been
computed for this year. but the diff
ference in favor of the New York team
Will be greater than it was in 1881
The Yankees went through 1882 with
out being whitewashed That is cited
as another reason why the American
League competition must continue to ,
be top-heavy. with so much batting
strength centered in one team.
THERE Is one American League
i manager who likes the older way
Of making runs much better than
the modern system Of grabbing them Il
by the handful. Connie Mack thinks
the sacrifice era gave better satiSfac-
ton than the slugging era Yet. when
he found himself possessed of two
heavy hitterS. and saw what Ruth and
Gehrig were doing, he let his team slug
its way into championships In former
years the Athletics had won their pen
nants through the medium of skillful
pitching and batting artistry.
1t is conceded that the Yankees have
not always won the championship with
these Two great players batting for
them but they have won it whenever
| both Ruth and Gehrig have been in
top form. And they have done their ,
share toward keeping the league top
| heavy, as none except a strong Eastern
team has won a championship since
Cleveland won in 1920.
Conformity. Ruth and Gehrig have
batted home runs more consistently
than any other two batters who ever
lived. They have forced managers Of
opposing teams, whose batters are not
sluggers in any sense. TO try to produce
some form of free-hitting game. of
which they are not capable That has "
brought forth system or method of
play which is shy of science.
It is now a halcyon time for the :
sluggers, who always have a percentage p
in their favor, as illustrated by the
difference of 200 in total bases of New
York and Philadelphia in 1881. Imagine
what happens when that difference is
computed between the Yankees and
some tail-end club.