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Show m SCHMIDT OF PIRATES STAR OF MANY YEARS Backstop Receives Few Plaudits, but Plays Great Game. PltUburgher Is Remarkablo Thrower and Is One of the Fastest Catchers In National League Surpasses Kllllfer. Publicity Is given to mnny star ball players In tho Nntlonnl league, but there nro also innnv grunt athletes vlio I Walter Schmidt. are overlooked. Ono of them is Catcher Schmidt, who Is with tho Pittsburgh Pitts-burgh club. Ho hns been n star In tha Nntlonnl league for several seasons, but little has been henrd about his truo ability. Hall players of Inferior skill hnvo received mora attention thnn ho hns becauso they tro given to sensationalism sensa-tionalism on tho Held, whllo Schmidt contents himself with plnylng steadily and tho easiest way ho knowH how, writes Oscar Itelchow In tho Culcnco News. Schmidt Is much llko Chnrley Deal of tho Cubs. Theao two men nro brilliant bril-liant ball players and rank with tho best. Vet they nro not boosted to tho skies like Eddio Itoush, Itogcrs Horns-by, Horns-by, Helulo Groh, Walter Maranvllle, Max Carey, Charlie Hollocher, IJIU Kllllfer Kll-llfer and Grover Alexnnder. All thcso players deservo to bo praised becauso they possess merit of an unusunl de-Kree. de-Kree. it Is doubtful, though, if any ono Is more proficient nt his position tnnn Schmidt nnd Deal aro nt theirs. Deal goes along day In nnd dny out playing tho snmo Btcndy brand of bnso-ball. bnso-ball. He docs not do acrobatic feats In making Hops of hot grounders an does Heinle Groh, but gets In front of tho mad hoppers with caso nnd grace becauso ho Is un excellent Judge of a batted ball und plays accordingly. Schmidt Is not only possessed of real bnseball Intelligence, but ho la a remarkable re-markable thrower, pltiys tho gnrao with n great deal of Intuition, has a wonderful nrm mid Is tho fastest back-Mop back-Mop In tho league. Considering his. throwing ublllty. speed und hitting, It 'vould not bo unfair to eny that ho Is now tho topnotch catcher of them nil. Ho surpasses Klllefer In nil thoso de-partments, de-partments, which is something that demands consideration. The latter because of his experience, his smart-ness smart-ness behind tho plato and In handling lechers, Is htm regarded as the lender. |