Show t 1 I GARDNER MAKES HERZOG LOOK LIKE MINOR nl H BY HUGH S. S S FULLERTON Boston's advantage over tho the Giants is much Increased by the stud study of ot the third basemen for after neer giving Hero Herzog full ful credit credi for everything he has done donk S and some ome of the things that are arc claimed for tor him Bill Gardner looms Di up as so much better beter a player as to make him appear as a a minor leaguer S There has haa hal been BO so much discussion S of the relative 1 merits meris of these two men that I sp spent nt several days studying tho the work of each before coming to an any de det do- do t I do not wish to belittle Herzog in the slightest and will tIll state that 1 my has ban I study shown him to be a u capable game Gomo and cl clever cr third baseman But In being compared with Gardner wih I ho suffers worse wore even than h he did in S comparison with wih Frank Frnk Baker last One year ago aGo I rated Herzog close to toL L Baker as a third baseman S n and and gave gae i 4 Baker credit for being the more danI dan dan- I In a short hort series because of ot his long lonG hitting feats feat and he Justified that jud Judgment c nent n. n No Superior nn on Third S This Tills fall tal Herzog must bo compared S 1 with a who wih man has shown himself S J if not tho the superior of oC any third thirdS the J F baseman n tho S ot present day in lating tho the men on the basis t I 1 balle of In all aU I h have v I departments rated ted I. I j at 6 6 1 lifting him considerably because of his running base ability hie his game gamo- game game- and his hits willingness to hustle and take chances while even with a minus sign put on the claims of ot hl his fellows I have been compelled to rate Gardner at GS 68 Unless I am much mistaken Gardner Is not quite as aK good a man as they claim he he Is That is comparing hiss his work with wih that of or Jimmy Collins Billy Nash Isaah and Jere Jera Denny he lie does not look 1001 so 80 well wel but among the tho present generation genera genera- tion ton of ot third basemen he Is in a class by himself clas Gardner the tier Better Fielder From a 0 fielding feldIng standpoint Gardner has all nl the tho better of It I. I Ho Hels is a strange freak of ot baseball He lie le came cameto to Boston Bouton BOlton fresh from college a raw rats rather raw inex Inex- fellow felo who said sald sai he lie was a second ba baseman Boston took look emal a fleetIng fleetIng fleet fleet- Ing look at him and sent him hint dc to ant n do Lynn to ripen He lie le came bank back tho the next season and made good as utility man and quickly grabbed d off orf the tho second base position as his hit own He lie le was wan wat a fair second but not a top Ho He cou could d hit hit hi ho he had speed nerve and brains but he did not nol seem to handle I himself well around second especially on throws and In fielding hits bite straight over second He le was so 80 good that no no me hada hadi S a s 1 chance to take his Job awa away from him but yet et ho he did not show nn any class to warrant placing him on a plane with such auth SUc men as Evers ers E ard and Collins Last Dos Boston ton year was In a bad way for third baseman Two Ewo of whom great things had lied been expected and predicted proved failures It became necessary to shift the tel team and Gardner was as sent to third merely as a makeshift He never neer had played tile the position but from the first game Ime it seemed to fit him perfectly and inside of ot a it n month the American league wao wan surprised to find him mm playing the greatest third base on the circuit bac He had found his natural position by accident He throws with a perfectly wih n. n natural swing com comes 8 fast tast aC after J r bunts covers well on sharp hits close to tho his base handles throws well coBo and td seems without a fault faul as a fielder ot n a Good littler flitter Herzog Is one of at the three really I good hitters on the New ew York club Although hl his average shows shoy him way a down in the tile 20 class he Is la Q a moro more dan dangerous orous and capable batter than tItan Merkle Snodgrass Murray or Devore ore He is 1 a pinch hitter hiter and a fellow who Is up there in the crises cries to hit or die trying I Perhaps he he heis is about the moat most dis liked ball bail player on the National league leacu circuit that cIrcuit that is 18 IB by opposing players t I 5 5 They Thoy say Bay he be Is swelled and that ho h has haa s such a high opinion of himself that one has to wear a respirator to g get t to I his hIl altitude He lie le was with wih York Now and McGraw chased him hini off oft the team for Cor this trait because he lie had incurred the dislike of oC some of the Giants b by his manner manlier Ho served a 0 seasons season's sentence at t Boston Doston and was brought back In a n trade a trifle subdued Just In time to save sage the tho pennant for tor the tho GI Giants last year rear He played great ball ban and his work ena enabled bled McGraw to shift and switch ills his team build It I up UI and ond save the swich da day note Hates Rat Him lUm Hiah o a. a n Personally I rate Herzoff Herzo considerably consider consider- abl ably higher as a a player than the tle ma mn- of the National league players do The Tho fact that the they do not like him C causes use them thorn to to belittle his work Ho 1 is I. I not tho the fielder cr Gardner Is Is but ut ho hanle handles ground balls bails bals well ell Vel antI and throws thrown throw accurately It if without the tho snap anu mu drive drive- of ot his rival rhal He takes an any kind of chance chanc and while his hie work worl at nt times shows shOtS the ef effect ef- ef feet of grandstand applause he works all al 11 the Um time and anti when not for tor Herzog then for the team There IB la not a 1 question S to his h's gameness I watched queston him closely fB durIng during dur dur- Ing the last worlds world's series erie and ind nd when some of the other Giants seemed broken Glant on ansi and downhearted when even McGraw McGraw lJ IT I had de deserted tho coaching lines Herzog still tl was fighting and trying hard Herzog HerzoG I think Is about a hit bit ter Last season ho was up close to the 00 mark Jo moat inos t of oC tho the year and finished about 0 This season season he has slumped down to about but he 60 Is 11 still hitting an and it 1001 looks 8 to mc me lUC us ns It if I he is a a. much better beter hitter hiter than his lila fl figurea fig fig- urea ures indicate I have watched watchet his batting bat bat- ting closely He hits good balls balla and hits them t squarely lY so soil soil-Is it is evident bal that the run of batting luck has gone against 1 him In a pinch he lie is standing up to any kind of pitching Odd Oddly I enough a a study of at the scores for this season seabon shows that he has been getting hits sealon off ott pitchers when tile the they were stopping tho the better beter batters baters Gardner OU Admitting Herzog to bo be a better hitter hit hit- 1 beter hiter hi- hi ter than titan hi his hIe percentage seems scorns to Indi cate yet et Gar Gardner ner Is s a a much better one Gardner is a normal hitter Last season beason he lilt hit hi and this hIter season seaRon he has been up around 20 most of the year hitting them hard hard- and well all the tho time wel ni Ho lie hits left h handed an and makes a quick start to first I have studied his hitting hitIng against t left heft handed pitching Ditching hl and It looks to me nie as s If I he can hit Mar- Mar He has hus been slapping the left h etc steadily ly all al Ie season on an and mak mak- ing Irig many safe sate hits his oft off them Gardner Is 15 a n clever clover bun bunter and rather I tricky at bat giving tho the tel opposing Ho pitchers pitcher c a n lot of things to worry about Jockeys jocke's well vohl around the wel plate wals well eU and cracks good balls bals They hey tell teU me tue that ho he cannot hit high speed but ho he has hit lilt Walter Johnson this season on an and I saw Waler him get a r hit off oft one of Walsh's high fast ones n hi a cleverly chopped short drive to left as asI let It if he had called the turn on what shat Walsh would I offer Spurred by hy Pennant Hope Hop Of Or course Gardner went bettor better beter this season leason than he lie normally would do Spurred b by the chance chanco of at the pennant and anti tho hope of tho the worlds world's series prize mone money he has hustled and h himself i overplayed ed But tho the thinK thing that counts count Is that ho he has hns maintained the gait that he cut out for himself and never neer has or weakened Early in the season I heard frequent predictions that hint he would blow up the tho year was over o er and I heard a n bet in Juno that he lie would would not bo ho on third base Ulu when then the season ended S Instead ad of fulfilling these he has hos Improved and ad thes steadied predictions Ho He is lo not now playing as sensationally as Qs he was earlier In the year but he Is play play- steadier and better beter us as If I he had i b I learned the finer points of the Job Tho The men are more mon closely matched when it I cornea come to the base ase running running- end end of ot the game although h considering con tho the difference in lit the tho stYle stylo of ot play adopted b by the two teams it seems to mo me that Gardner P e Is a trifle the better man the paths laths beter on Boston uses tho the sacrifice Bt style le much more mor frequently than New York door dOGs and plays plas the hit and run oftener Gardner yet h is almost up to Herzog in the number of stolen bases Players inform me Je that Hersog ire fro runs with bad Judgment wih IS 1 nave have heard the and and G Gardner Gardnor ard a or Same sante criticism of oft speedy Herzog Heros on Js Is t the a clever er cle lines Unes a and tricky starter and hard a and clover clevor slider S n a Gardner slides even harder and with witha J that makes him touch nM TT His Hiss difficult to position In der allows the batting 01 or- or i del freely him to run the tho bases basos more than titan some somo of the other Red Sox Sos Taken in ever every de department Gardner Boeing scents oems i almost a n ten point bettor man than titan betor I Herzog I do io not expect as muc much Now No from wi York him hint in pitchers Picher the batting a RB as I line lne do of some of at lome the tho right handed hitters I believe Herzo Herzog will wi hit fairly well against Bo DoS BoS S tons ton's best with wih Ray flay Collins the mo most t DO J likely to trouble him seriously |