Show HOOPER HAS IT ITON ON MURRAY DECLARES HUGH FULLER FULLERTON TONI t t t tt t The rhe ln folo following l Is IR the first of ot a 4 series of oC ten articles written by by- by f ff f- f Hugh S. S Fullerton Fulerton Americas America's fore fore- 4 mo most t baseball critic crUe comparing f 4 the Boston Red Sox and the tho New NewYork 4 i York angle of off f ff f 9 Giants from Crom ever every f 9 tho national game game 4 This noted diamond critic has evolved c a system where whereby b he be f 4 with certain 4 credits the men wih a 1 number of points In batting bating fieldIng field field- I 4 Ing In base hase stealing teamwork and even n to their mental montal caliber f 4 Starting with the right fielder f 4 fIn In the following article artcle Mr tr Ful- Ful f 4 lerton will wi ill tomorrow compare 4 Tris Speaker and Snodgrass the theto f 4 two t o center fielders Having Ha fin fin- 4 f Ish d the outfield with wih an article 4 Monday on tho the left Jef garden arden guard guard- 44 f 4 ff I f 4 flans lans he will wl take the Infield then I 4 the pitching and catching depart- depart 4 44 4 moats ments and close with the utility 4 men 44 4 4 Further than this series 4 4 The Tue Heral Republican Herald hA has haM se- se 4 4 cured the services of Mr fr Fullerton Fu erton 4 to cover er each of oC the bl big battles batleR In 4 4 detail for the read readers en of oC this 4 44 4 t t t- t tt 4 H t 4 4 4 4 f 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 f 4 i BY Br HUGH S. S 3 Perhaps men and bo boys In America can tell teJ exactly and po positively whether thA the Boston Red fled Sox or the New York Giants winners of the pennants pennants pennants pen pen- nants In lit their leagues lea ues will wi win In the worlds world's championship There I Is nothing noth noth- In ing not even eYen politics In which men arc are arcas arcas area a as positive of tho the correctness of their own estimates as they ther are arc in baseball Probably four and a n half bait million will a assert positively that the Red fled Sox are arc sure to win and three and a n half haIr million rail mil ml- ml lion Hon will wi reply with equal vigor Igor that tho Giants will wil beat bea them thorn Out of ot those eight millions milons perhaps not fifty ever er e have hn studied tho team teama and the carefully compared analyzed players m made a clo cloFe e stud study of ot tho system tern tem ter of or plays used h by Managers IAna ers Stahl and McGraw and calculated not on only 1 what the men and teams can and have done against other teams team but what the they are likely I to do In contending with Ith the kind of or team and the kind of oC pitchers they will wi be compelled to face faceIn In the coming comins series Personally Liken LUera Red Ud Sox Sor It I Is tho the purpose of this series of ot ar articles ar- ar tides to std study just those things Like all true fans tam I start with the belief belef that Boston is the better betor club and ought to win Will But nut I am nm willing to be convinced by the analysis I believe the Red Sox are arc a bettor better beter ball baB club have o shown themselves better beter against the tennIs teams of ot the tho American lea league ue than th the Giants have ha e against their opponents In inthe tho the National The question Is not that The Queston question question ques Ques- tion ton Is whether hether the Giants ar are a be better ter team In a worlds world s series and ant against the pitching of or the thc Red fled Sox Soc than tho the Red fled Sox will wi bo be against the pitchers of ot McGraws team team not not for tor a month or ora ora a season but for tor a short series erles In which condition of oC pitchers ma may tell tel more mor than anything In studying the team man man b by man there therefore tore let us drop all al preconceived Idea IdeaR and figure the tho men under tho the that exist in worlds world's series do not figure that because Red Murray urray couldn't hit Bender and be beCaUse becaUse because be- be cause Wood is better beter this year ear than Bender was last fall tal Murray Murra ought not notto notto notto to get a hit hi That kind of or dope Is bad One ma may stud study styles of o pitchers and andreach andreach andreach reach some conclusion Murray lura did not hit lilt Bender Gives Given Key Ie- for Comparison I ILet Let us see then how Boston's Boston pitchers pitch pitch- ers era compare In style speed and system sa- sa tem tern to Bender at his best and calculate calculate calculate late that wa way on ever every position First I have ha e evolved a system of ot working out oLit the time probabilities In 3 series such as these which require an Immense Immense Im ira- mense amount of ot figuring It has worked out successfully in the past past past- except In the case of ot the Cubs against the Athletics where the false form Corm of oC the he Cub pitchers two weeks he before tore the series wrecked the entire entre s system stem Still It i is Interesting dope I figure the relative value of ot each position in one series figure the relative relative rela rela- tive value of ot the opposing players on ona ona ona a t basis of In batting batting- fielding base running throwing etc giving ln 1 each department Its Is relative value and re reducing reducing reducing re- re It to terms of ot thus lOO-thus thus comparing com corn paring the men And after ater comparing the tIme men I re re- re duce their thel comparative e values value as as In Individuals In- In dl to their proper value In team play Such n a comparison based base upon past performances covering eO three seaSons seasons sea sea- ea- ea sons if It possible and especially performances per In series serle such as the comIns coming corning com corn ing Ins one gI gives gIs s rather a complete completo Idea Idea of ot the relative strength of C men and andt t teams ea ins 1001 und unc The first comparison is between Red Hell Murray and Barr Harry Hooper right fielders fielders field field- teJ- teJ ers of ot the thc teams On u a ba basis 15 of oC comparison com corn parson parison In all ail al departments 1 of oC the game I give gIVA Murray a rank of or 63 on the basis basi of oC and place Hooper at 71 In Iii reading this please do not get et the Idea that the these comparisons are arc merely mere mere- lv ly fl m my personal opinions The truth Is 15 that In man many cases I I. yield In my mr private opinions of players cr and their ability to tho the opinions of players who have ha worked with and agaInst them for seasons sPa sea sons fons men who know knos' their value better beter than an any out outsider lder can possibly know In Ia stud studying the coming series merles erles I hamAlle ha have havo made mAlle It I a point to discuss carefully with the smartest of tho players of both leagues the ability of players and pitchers especially have secured their Id Ideas n gained little bits of ot Information information mation maton as to the In inside lle work of ot men of or th their lr cle cleverness M and rapidity of oC thinking and acting These Those things s help a students student's judgment judg judg- mont ment much more moro than the cold figures 1 can do Red Rfd Sox Sex Fielder Speedy In fielding Hooper IB is IF slightly faster tater watches batters baters more closely shifts positions hotter and plays tho the game In much more finished fashion while In sensational work and md th thi the making of startling catches Murray I 1 is much In th the lead lend He lie e achieves b by speed and darIn daring dar dart dartIng In Ing much that Hooper performs b by studious work There Ther Is little to choose between the t two 0 men either cither In speed or in throwIng throw- throw In lug Ing although Hooper Hoop or Is more finished In iii catch catching InK hal halls In position for tor throws In a l manner Murray IH is handicapped d das as a fielder b by the New ew York grounds The rl right ht field on tho the Polo grounds is short near thE tho th foul toul line lne and arid the hl high h of field concrete barrier back the ted would make a more timid man stop on onman man ninny many flies flics tIes that Murray lurn gets gots b by taking tak tak- In ing a chance of or cracking the stadium lum Hoopers Hooper's home homo field is a a. hard one deep and peculiarly shaped although the depth will wl be much restricted b by bythe bythe the new seats eats being thrown up on Fenway Fenway Fen Fen- wa way ark park ark for the series Murray uk on Ground Italia Hooper has worked with wih much freedom freedom free tree dom In fielding and In the tho point of ot working with the infielders coming out and with the spee speedy spec ly Speaker between between be he- tween fields Iel s. s he Is much superior to Murray who has ever since he has been in the National league permitted too man many balls baUs bals to get between him him and the center fielder When en a ball g gets past Murray It mm- mm I al ally Is I with wih disastrous results aa as It ItIs Itis I Is a long bug chase ChaRp down don hill bill hi to the gates I According to his fellow players Hooper Hoop Hoop- er Ar Is la much cleaner and nd faster on ground balls bals than Murray and hea heads s them off ott offwell well wel His playing for tor halls balls driven to toward toward toward to- to ward the awkward awkward corner on the old park was vas magnificent Both men aro above nrc-above above the average In speed peed although neither can lay Jay claim to Cobb l Cobb like f sprinting and if It anything anything any any- thing thing Hooper has a shade the better of oC it in starting and a tulle trine In actual speed peed not enough however howe to make any Important difference lc lIed Bcd l In Is On Game me Murray has hns been a n quiet decent fal fallow fellow tellow tel tel- low an earnest worker and a n game ame on one There re I Is no question of his gameness game game- ness Ho lIe le was e even en n before hetor reaching New York rather l known for tor his gameness gameness game game- ness and his hlf frightful exhibition In the thelast thelast last worlds world's series Is 1 the first IndIcatIon indication indication indica IndIca- tion I fr e have seen n NJ of or the rattles Throw out that dope as the race rR say nay a Murray's Murrays form orm In that series was wn far tar from froni h his R true form torm The Thc Athletic pitchers got ot him going oln rl right ht at tho start and ho he seemed to lose confidence confidence- In tho entire series Murray only hit one ball ban hard a line drive to right field which was wa caught and that time he lilt hit a n had bad hail ball bal hl high h and outside the plate He lie swung at more bad balls I than thon I ever e have havo o ha seen him do in a air series and anc seemed entirely up In the MuE hl Ignore n You will 1 find In studying the teams team that you rou cannot arbitrarily take tal the base running running figures and compare the men Inca Primarily the figures on bases stolen mean nothing nothing- Murray will wl load lead Hooper in number numb r of ot steals on the season season sea sen- son probably but hut the figures do not show how often oCten he was caught trying to steal I You will wl dl discover er co that the New York I team all tho the way war through shows superiority supe- supe I to I in Iii 1 base 8 running J If H the e figures supe-I supe now low ea 1 hum U and how o often n he ha stole stoic and how often oCten he was vas caught one could tell ten how good gooda a base hase runner each man is But Rut McGraw orders his men to run allows them to run almost an any time and at an any sta stage e of ot the game ame and al althou although although al- al thou though h the they make many seemingly headed bone-headed breaks the they havo have won von two pennants by this system You will 1 find however that the they do not steal often ofton on good catchers do O not even start start The Bo Boston Boton ton club runs with wih Intent to steal teal man many fewer times but I believe the figures fures would show that when they the do tIe start thc they land in safety a greater percentage of ot times Umes than McGraws McGraw's men do 10 This fact tact Is Ia Is true of Murray tura and arid Hooper Donton mlton vcr Fewer This season Boston Doston too has been running the bases oftener than before beCore and using Its speedy men so the base I running figures a as a basis basI of ot comparison compari compari- II son are much fairer than the they were when used between New ew York and Philadelphia la last t fall fal Hooper Is above a hitter hiter naturally natu- natu I rally raly and a strong hitter hiter against good I pitching pitchIng Murray furay Is about a 85 hitter hiter normally and he does not hit well vell wel against good pitching For the use In this comparison I took at random twenty games of ot each ach play player play play- er er Hooper Hooper n against Bender Walsh Johnson Mullen Ford Plank the Plank the strong trong pitchers of the league league and and In his twenty games against these good pitchers Hooper Hoop r batted bated I took tool twenty games sames for Murray against Richie Chalmers Adams Fromme Sallee the SaUce the Salee-the the best pitchers of oC the N National league that I could secure secure se- se cure curo scores on and on-and and in tho those e twenty games his batting average was 17 Out of ot curiosity I took ten games game of ot Murrays Murray's a against Boston St. St Louis and Brooklyn throwing out the good pitchers pitch pitch- ers and ten more a against Chicago o. o Cincinnati Cin Cm- and St. St Louis Luis again nain eliminating tho the strong pitchers and In those twenty twenty t ty games gaines ames Murray luray was wai wa hitting close cose to 42 Hooper is one of ot the kind of ot players I lk like a fellow felios' who started slowly In Inthe Inthe inthe the major leagues Indeed when he lie came to Boston from Sacramento I scarcely thought Hooper Hoofer would hold the Job The next year ear he was not much Improved but was sas stron strong enough to hold hole on Last year ear ear he blossomed out Into full tun strength and developed Into a n fielder CleMer who gave ga e Speaker a a hard race for tor tho the outfield honors Both Murray and Hooper are college men clean cean decent sort of ot fellows and close students of the game |