The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-10-10
GORDON IS HERO.
HERMAN COAT OF
WORLD SERIES
Rival Second Basenlen
Stood Out in Baseball
for 1899
BY HAsRY FERGUSON
United Press Sports Editor

ssBX HARRX FEkGUSON
United Press Sports Editor
New York, Oct. 1O.--(UP).-
Touch second base and you have the
hero and the goat Of the 1888 World
Series.
The hero, of course, is a member
Of the New York Yankees-those
awful assassins who have done some
thing no other ball club ever did
bias. d their way to their third con-
secutive world championship by
knocking the Chicago Cubs out Of
the ball park in four straight games.
For the hero, Col. Jacob Rupert
gives you-Joe Gordon, a raw, mod
est rookie who was nicknamed
Flash" by somebody who certainly
knew what he was talking about.
For the goat, the box score gives
you-Billy Herman, a weak sister at
bat all through the series and a
blunderer afield who made costly
errors when the blue chips were
down.
The issue, to a large extent, was
won and lost on the men who cover
second base for the Yankees and
Cubs.
Gordon, who by all odds should
have been shaking with the filters
because 1t was his first year Ia the
big leagues and his first world series,
was a ball Of fire at bat and a
brilliant streak afield. He had q
batting average of 400. He knocked
In six runs. He hit two doubles and
one home run, among other things.
He was involved In two double plays.
He stole a base. Yes. he made two
errors but he made them the way
good ball players commit errors
by going after stuff and trying for
throws that your average second
basemarl would not stab at. One
stop he made close TO second base
In the first game was one Of the
great plays of any world series.
Gordon dived to his right, got his
glove hand twisted around In front
Of his body In some way and came
up with q ball that was labeled
single"
Too Bad
As for Herman-well, let's look at
the record. He batter @ puny .106
and time after time he came to bat
with Hack-vwho was no SLOUGH IN
this series-on base and was unable
to do anything about It. His hit
ting consisted Of three anemic
singles In four games. He struck out
four times. He made two errors and
one OF theme was q heart-breaker
for Big Bill Lee and the Cubs.
It was In the second inning OF
the first game. Lee was blowing
the Yankees down and seemed 70 be
on his way TO great things. George
Selkirk hit O trickler between first
and second base and Herman charg-
ed the ball. On an ordinary day
Herman would have gobbled 1t. But
last Wednesday was another day and
he handled the ball like first-class
juggler on the old Orpheum circuit.
Gehrig scored and that was the
turnin,: point Of the ball game.
/, So today the Yankees are riding
the crest of baseball and the bad
news Is for the seven other Ameri-
can League clubs and the eight In
the National League that they are
likely to be riding 1t for years TO
come.
Manager Joe Mccarthy said IN
the clubhouse after yesterdays
game that he would stand pat next
year. Why shouldn't he, for, with
the exception of first base and a
couple of pitchers, he has q young,
ambitious team that even yet may
not have risen to the peak Of Its
power. Many more will bloom where
Joe Gordon came from. Kansas City
In the American association and
Newark in the International league
has lust finished play for the
Little World Championship" The
Yankees own them both, two teams
that are the class Of the minor
leagues and are bullying with bril-
liant young ball players who are
going to play their hearts out Ior
q chance at the big leagues and
the money the Yankees can pay.
The Yankee farm system is SO
well organized that next year q
young man named Keller from New
ark probably will knock one OF the
current New York outfielders out OF
a Job. Rest assured that whether It's
Powell, Selkirk or Hoag who goes,
there will be q dozen others major
league clubs waiting to grab the
man discarded. That's how good the
Yankees are.
The Yanks took the last game, 8
to 8.
Dig was not the only pathetic
Cub out there at Yankee stadium
where Hartnett used his every re-
source, mustered every ounce Of his
teams strength In an effort to stave
on the Inevitable for one more day.
Booted At Bad Time
Lee was pitching his heart out
and was doing good job too up 10
the second inning, when, much as
had happened In the first game, an
error OF teammate made his ell
forts useless. The offender this time
was urges. He threw away bat
ted grolmder. The YankS capital
lied OH 1t for three runs.
The Cubs got an unearned run
in the fourth without making q hit.
thanks to an error by Gordon. Lee
was jerked In this frame for q
pinch hitter and the aged Charlie
Root succeeded him. He was jerk
ed in the seventh for the same rea-
son and Vance Page took up the
burden.
Then came the eighth and a re-
vival Of Cub hopes, promptly snuffed
out when the Yanks got their turn
at bat. Cavaretta doubled and
Catcher ODea, whom Hartnett had
sent in benching himself. drove
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